Recruiting, Interviewing and Selecting Staff: Starting Off on the Right Foot

1. Recruiting, Interviewing and Selecting Staff: Starting Off on the Right Foot Kay Robinson, SPHR Robinson HR Consulting, Inc. Erin Ulery Director, Professional Development National Summer Learning Assoc.

2. Our mission is to connect and equip schools and community organizations to deliver quality summer learning programs to our nation’s youth to help close the achievement gap.

3. Objectives • Identify the competencies of summer frontline staff • Overcome the pitfalls of selection errors • Develop a failsafe recruitment process • Conduct a legal interview • Learn to use "behavioral-based“ and “situational” questions

4. Question • What do you look for in a frontline staff person?

5. Making the Most of Summer Handbook, pg. 125

6. Program Improvement System Program Infrastructure • Purpose • People • Planning • Professional Development • Partnerships Point-of-Service • Individualized • Intentional • Integrated

7. People • Know who you’re hiring and why • Targeted recruitment • Standard interview/application protocol • Clear job descriptions and expectations • Empower your staff to manage the program • Advance, collaborative planning • Site-based management of materials, budget, vendors, field trips • Frequent staff meetings and structured feedback loop

8. What Makes a Strong Summer Learning Program Front Line Staff Member? • Experience working with youth- knowledge of youth development and education • Knowledge of the community being served • Invested in program outcomes- understands his/her role in achieving them • Active part of building program’s • culture • Leader and role model for other • staff and youth

9. Getting It Right • Hire the right people . . . Management is fun • Hire the wrong people . . . Management is tough • Employee selection is one of management's most important responsibilities • If you get it right the first time, you will have less turnover and less need to recruit in the future

10. Cost of Hiring • Advertising • Interview time • Reference checking • Unproductive work time (lost opportunities) • Hidden administrative costs • Job morale of others

11. Common Selection Errors • Lack of clearly-defined job requirements and qualifications • Untrained supervisors/poorly conducted interviews • Decisions made purely on a "gut feeling“ (me-too syndrome) • Decisions made on the verbal "selling skills" of the candidate • Hiring a warm body/accepting less than the best • Not conducting reference checks • Not defining the realities of the job

12. The Failsafe Recruitment Process Plan Prepare Probe Preview Post-check Make Offer Post-hire

13. Phase 1 -Plan • Define the position • Determine selection criteria • Decide if there are alternatives to recruitment • Assess success of recruitment sources in the past (yield ratios) • Decide where to advertise/source candidates • Develop specific ads

14. Selection Criteria Must Intangible Tangible What can be trainined? Intangible Tangible

15. Alternative Staffing • Restructuring job • Part-time • Outsourcing: vendors, partnerships • Training for promotions • Volunteer to Paid Staff • Job sharing, flex-time

16. Question • What sources do you use to find quality candidates?

17. Sourcing Candidates • Assess what worked in the past • Make sure you are competitive • Go for quality not quantity of candidates • Consider employee referral program • Network with colleagues • Consider contacting local unemployment office • Respond to applicants quickly (the good ones get scooped up)

18. Phase 2 - Prepare • Identify qualified candidates, screen resumes/applications • Create interview questions for each position that you are hiring for summer • Create specific interview questions geared toward individual

19. Phase 3 – Probe • Introductions – Build rapport quickly • Provide overview of interview process (agenda) • Elicit information from candidate • Describe position and organization • Answer questions • Close interview • Inform candidate timing of decision

20. Question • What is an unique question that you use when interviewing potential front line staff?

21. Why Interviews Fail • Fail to get enough information • Does not match job with candidate • Fail to evaluate resume • Settle for superficial, rehearsed answers • Is only concerned with skills or personality – not both • Forgets the quality of the candidate

22. During the Interview • Let the candidate do the talking • Probe carefully for potential problems, but stay legal and do not offend (gaps, demotions) • Keep on track but do not be rigid • Ask for clarification, use silence, ask for examples • Look for cues (what isn’t said) • Beware of biases • Ask open-ended questions • Start the reference-checking in the interview

23. Legal Issues • Age • Race, Color, National origin • Marital status • Sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, number of children) • Religion • Status regarding public assistance • Disability (physical or mental) • Workers' compensation claims • Union membership • Arrest records

24. Behavioral Interviewing “More than a gut feeling” A behavioral example is a specific life history event which will tell you about the individual's skills. When you gain behavioral examples, you typically will hear references to names, dates, numbers, times, and locations and will have "real" information about a person's background.

25. Sample Behavioral Questions • Tell me about a time when you worked with a colleague on a special project. What was your role? How did you go about organizing the project? What were the outcomes? • Outline a specific time when you encountered an unexpected problem and had to solve it. What did you do? What was the outcome?

26. Situational Interview • A situational interview is a structured interview that contains questions about how an applicant might handle a specific job situation. • What would you do if … • How would you handle ….

27. Sample Situational Questions • You are leading a small group discussion about ______________ when you see that two other children not in the small group, being arguing. Two seconds later, another child begins choking. What is your course of action? • While leading a whole group discussion, you notice that one child has not made eye contact with anyone and has not spoken since begin the group discussion. How would you engage that child into the conversation? • During the art activity, one child spills paint on the floor, just as a parent comes in and would like to talk to you. How would you react?

28. More examples… • While playing with the group of children, you notice that a parent who is not allowed contact with their child has arrived at the playground. What do you do? • This summer, you will receive a lot of formal and informal feedback to support your experience. Please describe a situation where you received constructive criticism. How did you handle it? How, if at all, did you incorporate the feedback? • Source: Leading Summer Learning Programs: Tips to Recruit and Select Seasonal Staff

29. Please share some examples A behavioral example is a specific life history event which will tell you about the individual's skills. When you gain behavioral examples, you typically will hear references to names, dates, numbers, times, and locations and will have "real" information about a person's background. A situational interview is a structured interview that contains questions about how an applicant might handle a specific job situation.

30. Phase 4 - Preview • Provide a realistic preview of the job • The good, the bad and the ugly • Provide outline of standards and expectations • And the values of the organization • Outline the culture of the organization and what gets rewarded • What makes a good fit and a successful employee

31. Phase 5 – Post-Check • Reference checks are CRITICAL • If you have a third party assist, be in compliance with FCRA • If there are discrepancies, contact the candidate • Try to touch base with the direct supervisor • Document checks, especially when you are unable to secure a reference

32. Typical reference check questions: • Title/Salary/Primary Duties: • Strengths of candidate (technical and soft skills)  • Red flags or areas we need to be concerned about • Why left/would you hire back? What would make him leave a job? • What would the ideal job be for this candidate? What kind of boss will the candidate most likely succeed under?  • Issues (from interview) - job hop, level of responsibility, attitude, relationship building, team, etc. based on requirements of position • What one suggestion would you give the candidate in terms of helping him/her to be successful?  • What else do we need to know about the candidate?

33. Phase 6 –Make Offer • Review candidates against criteria, not against each other • Make offer and put in writing • Inform other candidates the position is closed • Inform staff that position has been filled

34. Making the Most of Summer Handbook, pg. 125

35. What questions do you have?

36. Additional Resources: • Summer Starts in September: Program Planning Guide • Leading Summer Learning Programs: Tips to Recruit and Select Seasonal Staff

37. Next in the Series: Effectively Training Summer Staff March 31, 2010 11-12:00 EST https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/716000673 Will your staff be prepared to make an impact on kids this summer?  Kay Robinson, SPHR, from Robinson HR Consulting and Erin Ulery, Director of Professional Development from the Association will examine effective training methods and strategies to help you make sure your staff can hit the ground running. They will also discuss what training programs to cover during the summer.

38. Save the Date! “Summer Changes Everything!” Conference November 9-10, 2010 Indianapolis, IN The only national conference dedicated to summer!

40. Thank You! • Robinson HR Consulting • Kay Robinson Kay@robinsonhrconsulting.com • Program Planning/Membership • Erin Ulery eulery@summerlearning.org