John Estes Vice President – Robert Half Technology

1. Top Hiring Mistakes and How to Avoid Them John Estes Vice President – Robert Half Technology

2. Mistake #1:Filling desks, not needs • Analyze what is really needed • Consider all staffing possibilities for each vacancy

3. Mistake #2:Failing to recruit constantly • The best employers continually search for top talent • Keep in touch with candidates, even when you’re not hiring • Participate in trade associations • Collect resumes online

4. Mistake #3:Creating poor job descriptions • The Fantasy Job Ad • Seeking Level-2 help desk professional with • 10 years of experience with Cisco, LINUX and • Windows systems. Master’s degree and bilingual • skills preferred. Must be willing to work nights and • weekends.

5. Mistake #3:Creating poor job descriptions • The Mystery Job Ad Growing firm seeks a level-2 help desk professional. Must have good technology skills and be willing to work a flexible schedule.

6. Mistake #4:Having no system for screening resumes • An effective system includes: • Benchmarks • Special requirements • Qualifications/attributes critical to success • Review resumes all at once • Avoid procrastinating • Don’t delegate the task

7. Mistake #5:Ignoring red flags on resumes • Note vague terminology such as: “Participated in,” “familiar with” and “in association” • Be cautious with functional resumes • Read resumes beginning at the bottom • Judge the appearance • Give the benefit of the doubt

8. Mistake #6:Ignoring interviewing techniques • Don’t “wing” the interview • Ask candidates the same number of questions • Take notes

9. Mistake #6:Ignoring interviewing techniques • More than two-thirds of executives surveyed said the most productive time for meeting with candidates is between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. • The first candidate interviewed for a job is somewhat less likely to be hired than other candidates Source: Robert Half International

10. Mistake #6:Ignoring interviewing techniques • Start the conversation with an easy ice-breaker question that illustrates you’ve done your homework. • Move into challenging questions: • How do you define success? • Tell me about a time you worked with a difficult end-user. How about a difficult manager? • What kind of work environment do you like least?

11. Mistake #7:Doing more talking than listening • Don’t share too much information about your company • Focus on one question at a time • Avoid drawing conclusions until the end of the interview

12. Mistake #8:Focusing too heavily on hard skills Look for: • Passion - Does the person care about his/her work? Does it come through in most answers? • Optimism - Top performers acknowledge difficulties and how they learned from them. • Work ethic - What has the candidate been doing if unemployed? Top performers use the time wisely. • Expectations - Candidates should be motivated to learn and advance, but not have unrealistic expectations.

13. Mistake #9:Inviting too much input • You may select the least objectionable candidate versus the best one • Participants in the selection process bring different motivations

14. Mistake #10:Making rushed decisions • Never skip any stages of the hiring process • More likely to make poor matches • Learn as much as possible about top candidates before making a decision

15. Mistake #11:Making slow decisions • Keep the process moving • Avoid losing highly skilled candidates to competitors • Inform candidates of where you are in the hiring process

16. Mistake #12:Persuading reluctant candidates • Be wary of candidates who are hesitant to accept an offer • Even if they decide to join your company, they may not stay long • Don’t rely entirely on past performance when identifying “superstars”

17. Mistake #13:Conducting poor reference checks • Never skip this step • Remind reluctant references of the importance of their feedback • Take note of the tone of the response • Let the reference do the talking

18. Mistake #13:Conducting poor reference checks • Talk to supervisors, colleagues and others in the organization • Manage the process yourself

19. Top Hiring Mistakes and How to Avoid Them John Estes Vice President – Robert Half Technology

20. LEVERAGE THE EXPERIENCE • Develop a plan • Re-evaluate your retention strategies • Use HDI Connect to continue the dialogue: http://hdiconnect.leveragesoftware.com

21. THANK YOU Please complete your session evaluation. Give it to the room monitor or turn it in at the Information Booth in the Presidential Lobby. Thanks.