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Making The Million-Dollar Decision
Techniques to help prevent rotten executive hires

BY: MICHAEL STERN December 2, 2002

Of all the myths that surround the recruiting process, watch out for the one that says hiring is mainly about the job interview.

Two weeks ago, I looked at three ways to make recruiting a structured process instead of a beauty contest. Know what you’re looking for; give the search sufficient time; and screen candidates ruthlessly so you spend quality time only with the best qualified.

Here’s what you do next:

Interview two is the one that counts. The second interview is like a second date. In the first, you established that the initial chemistry is good. Now you have to see if there’s any future in it.

Prepare your questions in advance. Use historical questions (“Tell me more about a time when you…”) and role-playing (“What would you do if…?”). Be direct and specific: “How do you think you could help this business?” And please, take notes. If you’re seeing more than two candidates, you’ll soon be glad to have them.

Give candidates time to ask questions. Those questions give you more clues to their thinking, plus they give you a chance to “sell” the candidate on the job. (Many executives forget that a job interview is a two-way street.)

End the second interview the way you did the first: by setting a time to bring the good ones back.

Don’t think you’re finished yet. Two interviews are rarely enough.

At many companies, five or more are common; it’s important that the candidate be assessed by several key people. (Amongst my own clients, fourteen interviews is the record – so far!)

You need a second opinion, whether it’s your boss, a co-worker, or a colleague in a similar business. Based on your interviews, suggest questions for the secondary interviewer to ask and issues to explore.

When it’s done, debrief your colleague. One useful conversation-starter: “Tell me three things you like about this person, and three things you’re concerned about.”

Make your decision analytically. You should sit down to evaluate candidates when you have at least three good ones.

Here’s where your homework pays off. Go back to your initial analysis of the job and the qualifications you’re looking for. Recall what you wanted to accomplish in the first place.

Weigh candidates’ strengths and weaknesses against your wish list. Then add one more metric: fit. How a candidate would fit into your company and culture is a key consideration.

Check references. Many people skip this step, often because they are uncomfortable with it. That’s like eating dog food out of the can because you can’t cook. And the results could be just as messy.

When you know who you wish to hire, ask for multiple references: preferably two or three each of bosses, peers and subordinates. Call them: this is not a job to delegate.

At this stage, you are no longer seeking reasons to hire a person; you are looking for warnings. You want to probe your candidate’s commitment, capabilities and integrity. And you want tips on how to get the best work out of the person, in the event that you decide to hire them.

Use the same kind of rigorous, open-ended questions you asked candidates. “Tell me about three things they did really well,” you might say. “Now tell me three areas that need development.” Ask references to expand upon those areas. A good question to ask: “What makes you say that?”

Opinions about limitations are as important as opinions about strengths, but are frequently harder to pry loose from references. Don’t let them off the hook. Probe as necessary.

Yes, finding the right person is hard work. But recruiting is no place to cut corners.

With salary, severance, and the damage the wrong individual can do, hiring a senior person may be a million-dollar decision. Make sure you treat it that way.