Today, we’re speaking with one of the most tuned-in technology entrepreneurs in the recruiting world: Ben Yoskovitz.
Ben is a Founding Partner at Year One Labs, an early stage accelerator in Montreal. Previously, he founded and sold Standout Jobs, Inc., which provided technology and service solutions to drive more successful recruitment. Ben is a hands-on startup guy, helping companies grow successfully from the idea forward.
1) What’s the best advice you’ve ever received regarding finding employees? Why was it the best hiring advice?
- The best advice I received was to put in place a rigorous and consistent interview process that always involves some form of practical test, regardless of the job position you’re hiring for. This was the best advice I received regarding how to hire people because you can learn a lot through a rigorous, practical assessment of people, and keeping it consistent makes it easier to compare applicants along measurable targets.
2) What’s the most effective job interview question you’ve ever used … and what was the outcome from using it?
- Most effective job interview question ever used: “Why?” The outcome of asking WHY is simple – you get to dig deeper into a person’s answer, their thought processes, preparedness and honesty.
3) When it comes to finding employees, what is the best time/money-saving tip you know? Can you quantify your savings?
- Make sure everyone at the company is recruiting, constantly. By making the exercise of recruitment a constant thing — you actually save time in the long-run because you build more relationships with higher quality people. Recruiting becomes second nature, so when it’s time to initiate serious, active recruiting campaigns, it takes less time and money to do so.
4) What’s your best advice for avoiding hiring mistakes? Why?
- Be careful about going with your gut. Your gut can be helpful – in assessing whether you think someone will fit in – but focus more on quantifiable questions (and answers) and measurable goals during the hiring process.
- And don’t skip steps in your process (once you’ve put in place a successful, rigorous one.) Every time you skip steps you’re upping the chances of making a hiring mistake.
5) Which source of job candidates has proven the best for you from which to find employees? Why do you think it’s the best source?
- As a startup owner, I’ve always found that networking is the best source of candidates. That scales too, if you empower every employee to be a recruiter for your organization.
- I’ve also found that “making a lot of noise” in my industry (locally and beyond) has the effect of drawing people to me.
6) What question about hiring employees am I missing from this list, and what’s your answer to it?
- Are job boards dead? — Come on, you know you want to ask that!
- No.
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