The true cost of a hiring mistake - what the VP of HR at Dupont told me…

I once had a retired Vice President of Human Resources from Dupont visit me in my office, and he told me this story. He said the cost of a hiring mistake is so high, that it is difficult to calculate. He said think of it in this way:

He said this. Our group spent considerable amounts of time defining our need. We then began the recruiting process. There were costs associated with these activities.

As we began to interview candidates, we took time away from our normal work activity. There were additional costs associated with this.

After considerable time, effort and expense, we choose one candidate and begin the on-boarding process.

Now, we knew that it would take a certain amount of time for the newly hired candidate to learn where we keep the office supplies, and our routine, so we simply watched them work for the first 3 months. We were not overly concerned about their productivity at this stage.

In the next 3 months we focused on quantifying their productivity. At this point, we at times recognized that we had made a hiring mistake. When this happened we then spent the next 3 months documenting all of our interactions with this employee to insure that we were on solid legal ground when we let the candidate go. By the time all was said and done, we often had lost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

So, what can be done?
First, minimize turn over by staying in touch with your employee’s hidden feelings. Get a good understanding of their underlying internal dialogue by spending time in informal settings, such as sporting events.

Second, use behavioral interviewing and careful background checks to reduce hiring mistakes. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.

Third, use a script when interviewing. By asking each candidate the same questions in the same way, you will obtain a more accurate reflection of the candidate’s true nature and interests.

Fourth, spend time with the final candidates in various settings, and at different times of the day. Meeting in a restaurant, or hotel lobby will at times give you a completely different view of this candidate’s personality.

Ultimately our business is only as good as it’s people.

The "unspoken communications" during my "interview from hell"

I recently returned from one of those “interviews from hell.” It all started with bad weather, and I mean really bad weather. After two days of rain, many streets and businesses were closed. The back roads that I would normally take to this town were impassable. So I gave myself an extra half-hour of time, and took the main road. This turned out to be a mistake, as it was bumper to bumper for 20 miles in both directions. Two hours later I arrived at their location. Of course, I had called in route to let them know I would be late for the appointment. I had also called 20 minutes after the appointed time to offer to reschedule, which they accepted. So our appointment was rescheduled for the following day. Another two hours and I was home from this fiasco. Not a very productive use of my time. The following day, the roads were somewhat better, and I arrived on time for the interview.

Unfortunately, the hiring manager was busy, and had me wait for 30 minutes before being seen. I was greeted by a somewhat serious and preoccupied hiring manager who quickly ushered me into a very small conference room. With practically no small talk, and no apparent concern for my previous day’s plight, we jumped right into it with the normal question of “so tell me about yourself.”

I was not consciously aware of this at the time, but in looking back, I am sure that I was feeling concern about the way I was being treated. Just one more of those subliminal thoughts running through my mind as I smiled politely and answered questions to which we both knew the answers. There was no mention of the previous day, the weather or the inconvenience of my commuting to the location only to have the appointment canceled. The thought of working for a manager who would be so callous as to not even mention the previous day’s experience was repugnant. This fact, coupled with being required to wait 30 minutes before being seen, and then jumping right into the “interrogation” gave me the subliminal impression that this hiring manager was not very intelligent.

The bottom line with this story is that our behavior was shaped by the circumstances and the information we exchanged had less to do with the company’s needs or my ability, and everything to do with the unconscious perceptions of the other person’s sense of priorities. These unspoken communications predominated the meeting, and we both walked away feeling that this was not a match. Not a very accurate assessment of our mutual abilities and interests. This was an all too common “job interview” scenario. It was sloppy, inaccurate, and a true waste of time for both of us. Surely there is a better way.

being measured on my ability to pull distant memories

Just finished a 6th interview for a job for which I am an absolutely perfect fit. I feel that I was being measured more on my ability to pull distant memories out of my memory bank, rather than on my ability to make good decisions at the present time.

Measuring my ability to instantly pull perfect examples from memory to best answer the question being asked is a poor method for predicting my future behavior.

My father once pointed to a fellow walking down a sidewalk and said “if you ask him a question and demand an immediate answer, he will give you a very poor answer. But if you give him a day or two, he will give you the best answer you can find anywhere.”

I am more like this person than are most other people, and interviews like this do not accurately reflect my true experience, work history or present ability. (unless rapid recollection of past events is mission critical to the job, which in this case it is not)

It would have been more revealing to be asked to give answers to “what if” scenarios. Behavioral interviewing - isn't that what it is being called now? For example, “how would you handle it if……” Would it not be a better measurment for the interviewer to think back to the last 2 or 3 events that created some concern, and ask "What would you do ...." I am sure this would be a much better measure of my present ability.

The interview process most people use today is so full of holes and imperfect. In it’s present form, the candidate presents the best image possible, and then the interviewer prods and pokes and shakes, hoping to expose inadequacies.

Once found, the biggest or most recent inadequacy contributes disproportionately to the opinion formed by the interviewer about the candidate.

If the interviewer happens to be in a negative frame of mind, then the candidate gets a thumbs down.

If the interviewer is in a more positive frame of mind, then they tend to avoid asking questions that may uncover a significant deficiency, or do a poor job of remembering (documenting) a response that is unfavorable to the candidate. Either way, the resulting image is distorted.

What a system we are living in! I am delighted with it's imperfections, as they provide ample opportunity for the"wrong candidate" to get in and really shake up the system!

How good is good?

I had an interview recently, and half way through I could tell that I was losing her attention. Has this ever happened to you? Ever get "that feeling" as you are talking with someone? It's as if they have two different brains. One brain is generating and delivering words, facial expressions and body motions. The other is collecting information and forming an emotional association with me as a person. Now, the kind of information they are collecting at the point is at the heart of our discussion, and I've never completely understood it. What ever information this is, I can usually tell when they think it is good, and the few times when they think it is not so good. Is it my gray hair? Is it the wrinkles under my eyes? Is it the fact that my tie and white shirt are too perfect? Is it the degrees of separation between the whiteness of my shirt and the yellow in my teeth? What ever it is, I can see an emotional cloud forming in their mind as we talk. The words and ideas we exchange seem irrelevant. At the end of the meeting, they smile, and I smile, and we shake hands and make statements about moving forward. Often we both know this exchange is a farce. Most people are kind and instead of being honest choose to set false expectations. It's all such a mystery!