Last week, we spoke with Jeff Goldenberg of Post Oak Productions to get his hiring help tips. Today, we’re speaking with Julie Mitchell, Owner of Parcel Design and incoming EO Toronto President. Parcel Design is a branding and communication design agency that helps companies define, simplify, and articulate their brands. Julie’s product is her people and their creative output, so I wanted to ask her how she can keep the “magic” alive as she grows her eight-person company and her clientele. She’s sharing with us her best hiring tips: a hiring checklist and pointers for hiring a new employee.
1) What’s the best hiring advice you’ve ever received regarding hiring employees? Why was it the best?
- Don’t hire under pressure.
- Keep a running list of people you would like to work with. When we hire our next designer, I have a few in mind that I’ve been able to take my time getting to know. You can’t get a sense of what someone is REALLY like from a few interviews. You need to see them in multiple settings.
2) What’s the most effective job interview question you’ve ever used … and what was the outcome from using it?
- My two year old asks one question over and over again: “why?”
- This question forces you to think more and come up with the next level of response. Asking “why” over and over to potential hires makes them give you more info than they really want to offer. You get to go beyond standard, generic responses you anticipate hearing. Simply asking “why” or “tell me more” also take the pressure off you to perform in an interview. It really helps you get to the bottom of how they really feel about past opportunities and what they are really looking for.
3) When it comes to small business hiring, what is the best time/money-saving tip you know? Can you quantify your savings?
- Make them fill out a custom on-line application (see ours for interns at parceldesign.com) that goes beyond their business experience and gives you a glimmer of their personality. Ask unusual questions and see if you like how they respond. The savings is in time. You’ll eliminate 80% of the candidates. Resumes are way too generic. This gives you a glimpse of the real person – and it is not about the answers, but the way they answer. And they are not likely to get it proof read the way they would a resume.
- AND take them out for lunch or drinks. It is different than an interview and it gives you a sense of what they are really like. How long do they take to choose their meal? Do they acknowledge the staff? What are their table manners like? Are they comfortable with you?
4) What’s your best hiring advice for avoiding a mistake with job fit in the hiring process? Why?
- Explore your areas of doubt about the person deeply. The tiny red flags are big red flags in disguise.
5) Where (from what source) do you tend to find your best job candidates? Why is it the best source for you?
- Referrals from people in the business. They know what we are like and who would fit. Ads never work. Recruiting agencies have not worked.
6) What question am I missing from this list, and what’s your answer to it?
- Q: How long does it take for you to know if someone is right for you/if you’ve made the right decision?
- A: We think and hope they are right when we offer them the position. We know if they are right after day one, but it is too late because we’ve already hired them. The interview process should include a work trial or a glimpse of the person beyond a formal interview. One day in your office is all you need to get a sense of someone being right. Any concerns they are not, likely means, they are not! SO often I think I am right about my decisions, however sometimes, when the person starts – at the end of day one – I am trying to figure out how to get rid of them.
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