Determine the Best Candidate

Determine the Best CandidateDetermine the Best CandidateDetermine the Best CandidateIts an excruciating situation for managers Youve navigated the hiring process and are down to a few equally qualified candidates for one key position. How do you make an informed choice? The pain can be mitigated by knowing what interview questions to ask and how to assess each candidates answers.Well-thought-out, scripted questions, written specifically for each job and asked to each and every candidate, are critical to every interview, says Lissa Weimelt, principal of The Hiring Experts, a retained executive search company. Managers need to predetermine key success factors not skills or experience needed in the job or company.These hiring strategies will help you get the information you need to make the right decision.Identifying Success FactorsAccording to Weimelt, success factors include a candidates character traits, habits, motivators, teamwork skills, reaction to failure or success, and abili ty to manage stress or change. She urges managers to listen carefully for clues to the candidates approach to each one. At the end of the candidates answer, ask yourself What did I learn about her that translates to success in our company?Its also helpful to understand candidates weaknesses. Can they be coached to improve? Also, determine their motivation for job hunting. Are they running from something or to new opportunities?Interview Questions to Differentiate CandidatesCorporate consultant Curtis Crawford, founder, president and CEO of XCEO and author of Corporate Rise The X Principles of Extreme Personal Leadership, recommends asking ansicht questions to help reveal key differences among candidatesConsidering we have three reasonably similar and extremely well-qualified candidates for this position, what are the significant attributes you believe you offer that should substantially differentiate you from the others? Why should we select you as the next XCEO employee?Do you beli eve there is a significant difference between invention and innovation? If so, please share your perspective.How do you describe your long-term career aspirations, and what do you expect from this company in your pursuit?Do you believe that XCEO should place a higher value on managers who have consistently produced outstanding financial results or those who consistently demonstrate the ability to develop successful employees?Interview Questions to Aid Decision MakingCrawford says the following questions are useful when making tough hiring decisionsWhich is most important to you money, power or prestige? If none of the above, what motivates you to perform at your highest capability?Since we are not the current leader in our industry, if you had an opportunity to work for either us or our main competitor, which company would you choose? Why?What motivates you to pursue and ultimately achieve outstanding results, and what do you consider the best reward for great work?Are role models i mportant to you? If so, do you have any professional or personal role models who inspire you to achieve greatness? Are you comfortable sharing them with me, or would you prefer to keep it personal?What is the one word you believe best describes your style?Interview Questions that Surprise Candidates and Prompt Revealing AnswersManagement consultant Regina Barr, owner of Red Ladder, suggests looking for the flinch factor Ask questions that may surprise the candidate, and take note of not only the answers but also interview body language and the reaction to a pressure situation. Consider these examplesTell me about one of your biggest failures. What did you learn from the experience?Tell me about something you did that you regret. Why did you do it, and what did you learn from it?Give me an example of a time when you had to conform to a policy you disagreed with. Describe that experience and your response to it.Marni Hockenberg, principal of The Hiring Experts, cautions that some man agers dig to find the reason not to hire a qualified candidate. If you look long enough, reasonable doubt exists in any candidate. Having a structured interview process will help you identify someone who is a good fit and get your next good employee on board more quickly.

This is what bosses find to be the worst employee behavior

This is what bosses find to be the worst employee behaviorThis is what bosses find to be the worst employee behaviorWhen it comes to workplace etiquette, there are things that people consider generally dealableand then there are others that people think are over the line (to quote John Goodmans character in The Big Lebowski.) Sometimes, coworkers and bosses encroaching on your personal and mental territory can be the thing that takes your job from enjoyable to intolerable.Customized signage company Signs.com surveyed 800 people half managers, half employees about decorum at work, focusing on behaviors they found most inappropriate.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreEmails at nightOnly 3% of non-management employees said they received zero work-related emails after working hours. All managers reported receiving at least one after-hours email every week 12% said they received 21 o r more emails after hours on a weekly basis.These nighttime emails create a chain of obligation to reply. While only 5% of employees said they received the same amount of after-work emails as managers, 81% of employees felt obligated to respond in a timely fashion to those emails.Feeling like youre always on and working for free off the clock can contribute to free-floating stress and anxiety, indeed, about a third of respondents said they felt stress over after-hours work communication.Bad employee etiquetteBosses seemed to resent employees when they felt they were being taken advantage of, or breaking etiquette by abusing unspoken rules or abusing company time (i.e., lateness).90% of bosses found chronic lateness unacceptable83% getting romantic making unwanted advances towards anyone at work80% spending too much time on social media77% making too many personal calls76% telling inappropriate jokesBadder bossesThe top complaints from employees against their bosses breaches of work etiquette all had to do with abuse of power.Playing favorites was hated by 82% of men and a whopping 92% of women.Informal threats to fire employees were found unacceptable by 82% of men and 84% of women.Making romantic advances towards employees was deemed unacceptable by 81% of men and 82% of womenUsing the company expense accounts for personal use was resented by 79% of men and 85% of womenTaking leistungspunkt for other employees work was found unacceptable by 77% of men and 85% of women.Then there are the little things that can turn into big irritants in the enclosed space of an office.Using a speakerphone in an open/shared office was found unacceptable by 65% of men and 75% of womenGossiping was found unacceptable by 66% of men and 70% of womenUsing ALL CAPS was found unacceptable by 62% of men and 69% of womenNot silencing cellphones was found unacceptable by 52% of men and 60% of womenThe takeaway? Its been said before managers and employees have different ideas about whats a breach of etiquette. Employees, dont be late, stay off social media, and be free to subtly fight back against stress youre probably not obligated to answer those after-hours emails.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from jngste im bunde Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Get the Professional Training You Need

Get the Professional Training You Need Get the Professional Training You Need Conferences, courses and certifications are all great ways to show your employer your ever-increasing value. However, costs for these training opportunities - in terms of both time and money - can get high. Although employers know that paying for professional development is a great way to retain employees, they won’t automatically rubber-stamp any paid training you ask for. That's why you should come up with a plan to get the professional training you need. Here are four ways to make it happen: 1. Write and submit a proposal to your employer Whatever training you’re going for, be thorough with your cost estimates and research. Be sure to point out how the company will benefit from your professional development through your expanded skills. Also, you want to attend seminars, professional conferences or events, focus on the industry connections and potential clients you’ll encounter while you’re there. 2. Tie it to a specific and immediate need If you can turn your professional training into an even more direct investment in the company’s current needs, you’ll likely improve your chances of getting your employer to pay for it. If, for example, your firm needs someone to take the lead on social media marketing, taking a course on business social media won’t just be generalized training for you. It’ll translate into an immediate benefit for the company. You can also tie continuing education to business needs by reminding your manager of how regulatory compliance concerns and laws change from year to year. 3. Go for a dollar-for-dollar match Perhaps your company is too small to be spending thousands of dollars to develop multiple employees. If that’s the case, you can ask your boss to match your payments and essentially split the cost 50/50. It may not be a free ride, but sharing the cost might make the difference between getting your professional development and waiting for something that probably won’t ever happen. 4. Follow through with your proposal Once you’ve received your training or certification, use your newly acquired expertise on the job. Be sure you are delivering on the points you made in your proposal so your boss sees the tangible benefits of funding your training. Take it a step further and offer to share your knowledge with colleagues, maybe through some in-house training or mentoring relationships. Once management starts to see that the investment in you is paying dividends, they’ll likely be more inclined to subsidize your professional training in the future. With a successful track record and the support of your employer, you can keep up with the changes and demands of modern accounting without breaking the bank. Don't miss our hot-off-the-press career insights and advice. Subscribe to our newsletter When you subscribe to the Robert Half newsletter, you’ll get articles and resources to help you build and manage a winning accounting and finance team - all sent directly to your inbox. Click the button below to sign up today! SUBSCRIBE NOW