Recruiting, Interviewing, and
Evaluating Excellent Employees
Alexander Brown, MBA, PhD, LCSW
Executive Director
Friedman Place
www.friedmanplace.org
Recruiting:
The goal is to attract qualified
applicants
The Process
• Determine desired characteristics
– What do you want?
• Measure characteristics
– How to know the applicant has what you
want?
• Evaluate motivation?
– Performance = ability x motivation
• Who makes the decision?
Preparing to Recruit (sell)
• Ask current employees:
–
–
–
–
Why do you work here?
What are the advantages of working here?
What are the best/worst things about working here?
What are the opportunities for advancement? What
gets recognized/rewarded?
– What are the top skills and characteristics needed for
the particular job
• Review the Job Description and know the job!
Generate a Pool of Qualified Candidates
• Essentially selling a service or product; applicants
are your customer
• Attracting qualified applicants
is like attracting customers
who have the ability to pay
for your service/product
• Attracting unqualified applicants
is a waste of time & resources
Advertising: Determining Where The
Qualified Applicants Can Be Found
• Newspaper ads – online or paper
• Online services (Careerbuilder, NPO.Net,
Monster.com, idealist.com, etc)
• Current employees – tend to stay the longest
• Former employees
• Employment agencies
• College or job fairs
• Temporary workers
Process
• Treat applicants as customers
• Schedule interviews around applicants
schedules (or give the appearance…)
• Aim to have applicants describe their
experience with your organization as positive
and professional (as opposed to jumping
through hoops) – including those not offered a
position
• Welcome each applicant warmly
Pre-Employment Phone Screening
• Goal to allow to the next step only the top
qualified applicants
• Quickly describe the job & requirements
(advertisement should have accomplished this)
• Ensure that they have the minimum education,
experience, and other
qualifications and that
they are interested in
the job (and pay?)
Best Practice: Use a Checklist
• Use the same criteria for all applicants;
apply it uniformly.
• Make sure the criteria are job-related and and mirror
the job description or advertisement
• Can be done by clerical or support staff or electronic
methods
• Can be grouped as unqualified, qualified,
well qualified, or extremely well qualified.
Possible Criteria
• Education
requirements
• Received by required
date
• Minimal years of
relative experience
• Neatness / formatting
• Licenses or
certifications
• Application form
completed
• Spelling
• Geography?
Short-Listing / Groups for Further
Review or Interviewing
• Determine goal of manageable size (5-7?)
• Follow same principles as initial screening
• Review by at least two appropriate staff
• Generally better not to notify any applicants
until final hiring is made
Internal vs. External Candidates
•
•
•
•
•
Internal
You know them
They know you
Less training cost
Maintaining current
activities and
operations
Morale/opportunities
for advancement
•
•
•
•
External
Fresh perspective
New skills
New activities and
operations
Lower salary?
Sample Reference Check Questions
1. Your relationship to the candidate? Your job title?
2. How long did you work with the candidate?
3. What was the job title and type of work. What
were the main job duties or responsibilities?
4. Dates of employment and beginning and ending
salary?
5. Relationships with coworkers, subordinates,
superiors?
6. Did candidate have a positive or negative attitude?
Sample Reference Check Questions
7. Strengths on
the job?
8. Describe the quantity and quality of work?
9. Area(s) for improvement (weaknesses)?
10. Your overall assessment of the candidate?
11. Would you recommend for this position? Why?
12. Eligible for rehire? Why?
13. Supervise others? If yes: How would they describe
his/her management style?
14. Biggest project worked on? What was his/her
responsibility? What was the outcome?
Sample Reference Check Questions
15. Is this candidate more individualistic or team oriented?
16. How do you think co-workers would describe the candidate?
17. How did the candidate deal with conflict?
18. Was the candidate in a lot of high pressure or stressful work
situations? If so how did they handle these?
19. Did the employee have any warnings or discipline regarding
unexcused attendance or other issues?
20. What was the reason this candidate left your organization?
21. This individual has applied for a position as a ____________
with our company. Do you believe s/he would be a good fit?
22. Is there anything I haven’t asked that would be helpful to me?
At least two-thirds of the time
Always
Never
Eligibility to work in U.S.A.
85%
9%
Criminal record check always / never
68%
13%
Former employers always / never
66 %
2%
Dates of previous employment /
66%
2%
Always
Never
Former job titles
53%
4%
Certifications, licenses, etc.
41%
9%
Former job responsibilities
37%
6%
Degree(s) conferred
Schools, colleges and/or universities attended
35%
15%
34%
17 %
At least one-third of the time
Letters of Recommendation
• Good letters of recommendation are not very
predictive of good job performance
• Poor letters of recommendation are highly
predictive of poor job performance
• Focus on the content, not the conclusion
Screening Tests
• Ability tests
– Math, writing, contextual problems, computer, etc.
• Honesty – controversial but validity demonstrated
• Personality
– Extroversion, agreeableness, emotional stability,
openness and conscientious to experience (i.e.,
dependable, organized, perseverance)
• Interviews – poor reliability due to judgment
limitations & biases
What Can Be Asked?
• Only what can be demonstrated is a jobrelated necessity for asking. It is the
perceived intent behind the question and
how the information is used that will be used
to determine if discrimination has occurred.
• Problem questions gather information
specific to a protected class, that are only
asked of certain classes, or that are not
clearly job-related.
• What is a protected class?
A Protected Class is a
characteristic of a person
which cannot be legally
targeted for discrimination
For example:
• asking women different questions than male applicants
• asking married women different questions than single
women
• asking about social/community group involvement,
hobbies, personal activities, etc.
Interview Basics
• Know your organization - general & benefit questions
• Know the job duties and requirements
• Know the resume
• Write down the questions in the order you will be
asking them
• Put applicant at ease
• Remain unbiased & open
• Ask results-oriented questions
• Close interview with care & explain next steps
Facilitate Open Discussion
• If the applicant freezes on a particular question, go on
to the next question and get back to it later.
• Ask questions that will facilitate discussion rather
than yes/no answers.
• Listening skills are essential in an interview; let the
applicant speak without being interrupted in order to
obtain as much information as possible.
• Observe body language and facial expressions. These
expressions will provide you with additional insight
about what is being discussed at the time.
Legal Constraints
• Avoid questions relating either directly or
indirectly to any protected category (age,
sex, race, national origin, religion,
disabilities, etc.)
• If questions related to a protected category
are asked, be sure that they relate to a bona
fide occupational qualification or are
required by law to be asked.
• While interviewers are limited in what they
can ask, applicants can share anything they
like. Be careful about follow-ups…
Ask Relevant and Legal Questions
• The guiding principle behind any question to
an applicant is, can the employer demonstrate
a job-related necessity?
• It is the intent behind the question that is
important, as well as how the information is
used that will be used to determine if any
discrimination has occurred.
• All questions must be needed in order to judge
the applicant's qualifications, level of skills
and overall competence for the job in question.
Race & Religion
• Race - There are no job-related
considerations that justify asking an
applicant a question based on race.
• Religion - There are no job-related
considerations that would justify asking
about religious convictions.
– unless your organization is a religious
institution and is allowed to give preference
to individuals of their own religion
Religious Institutions - Requirements
• World Relief
– Personal faith in Jesus Christ and a commitment to the
mission and vision of World Relief
– Mission: Empowering the local Church to serve the most
vulnerable
– Vision: …We seek to follow Jesus by living holy, humble,
and honest lives individually and corporately.
• Breakthrough Urban Ministries – Dwelling Place Coordinator
– Must be comfortable providing Christ-centered spiritual
guidance for staff, guests, and volunteers. G
• Christian Community Health Center - Dentist
– …To provide services in a manner which demonstrates in
word and deed, the love of Jesus Christ.
Gender
• Generally, no questions based on gender allowed.
– Women no longer “protected” by state wage/hour laws
regarding number of hours worked, lifting restrictions, etc.
– Unlawful to deny a woman employment because she is
pregnant, or planning to have a child someday.
– Questions on marital status, number of children, child care
arrangements, etc. not appropriate.
– Questions as to availability to work should be job-related
and should be asked to ALL applicants: What hours can
you work? What shift(s) can you work? Can you work on
weekends and/or holidays?
Sexual Preference, Height & Weight, Age
• Sexual Orientation – In many states and municipalities,
questions regarding sexual orientation are not allowed.
– Note: Illinois Human Rights Act bans discrimination based on sexual
orientation in connection with employment.
• Height and/or weight restrictions – Not allowed because
of gender or national origin protections unless related to
specific job requirements.
• Age - EEOC rules allow for date of birth on the
employment applications, with an appropriate disclaimer
shown.
– In practice, rarely asked on applications.
– Any recruiting effort that is age-biased such as "recent
graduate", or any questions that deter employment
because of age is unlawful.
– May not ask “How old are you?” but may ask “Are
you legally able to work 40 hours, etc.”
Arrest & Conviction
• Arrest record questions are generally prohibited.
• Convictions record questions may be asked if:
– A business necessity for using it is established.
– In establishing business necessity, the employer must
consider three factors to justify use of a conviction
record:
» Nature and gravity of the offense for which
convicted;
» Amount of time that has elapsed since the applicant's
conviction and/or completion of sentence; and
» The nature of the job in question as it relates to the
nature of the offense committed.
Illinois “Ban the Box”
• prohibits employers from considering an applicant’s criminal record
or history until the individual has been determined qualified for the
position and notified of an impending interview
• An “employer” has at least 15 employees in the current or preceding
calendar year (note: Chicago law applies to fewer than 15)
• An “applicant” is any person pursuing employment
• does not apply if:
– the employer is required to exclude applicants with certain criminal
convictions under federal or state law
– A fidelity bond or equivalent is required and a conviction of certain
criminal offenses would disqualify the applicant from obtaining
such a bond
– the employer hires individuals licensed under the Emergency
Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act
National Origin
• May not where he/she was born, or where
his/her parents were born. May ask about
eligibility to work in the U.S.A.
• May not ask “Are you a U.S. citizen?” but may
ask “Are you lawfully employable in the U.S.
either through citizenship or by having
authorization from the INS and Labor
Department?”
• May not ask “What is your maiden name?” but
may ask “Have you ever been known by
another name?”
– only if you need to contact a former
employer or do a background check
Disability
• Disability - May not ask whether or not the
applicant has a particular disability. May ask
whether or not the applicant can perform the
duties of the job in question with or without a
reasonable accommodation.
• May not ask “What disabilities do you have?” but
may ask “Are you able to perform the essential
functions of the job? (after explaining what the
essential functions are)
• May not ask “Do you have AIDS or are you HIVpositive?” or any medical or psychological
condition.
Military Record & Financial Status
• Military Record – generally may not ask what type of
discharge the applicant received from military
service. You may ask whether or not the applicant
served in the military, period of service, rank at time
of discharge, and type of training and work
experience received while in the service.
• Financial Status - should not ask if the applicant owns
or rents a home or car, or if wages have been
previously garnished, unless financial considerations
for the job in question exist. Any employer who relies
on consumer credit reports in its employment process
must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and
the Consumer Credit Reporting Reform Act
Personal Activities / Hobbies
• Only when those questions have a direct bearing or
relationship to the job responsibilities and functions.
• May not ask “What clubs or organizations do you
belong to?” but may ask “What professional or trade
groups do you belong to that you consider relevant to
this job?”
• May not ask “What are your hobbies?” or “What do
you like to do in your free time?” but may ask “Are
you involved in any other activities or do you have
any other skills that would assist you in doing this job
that it would be useful for me to know about?
Age & Wellness/Lifestyle
• Age – No questions about age unless it is a specific
requirement of the job.
– May not ask “When did you graduate from high
school?” but may ask “What schools have you
attended?”
• Wellness/lifestyle – Can not ask any questions as
they may be interpreted as a basis for discrimination
based on disability.
– May not ask “Do you smoke?” but may ask “ Our
smoking policy is… can you adhere to it?”, unless
legally prohibited by the state
Situational Questions
• What would you do if:
–
–
–
–
You are writing a grant application and…
A client reports to you that…
A board member discloses a conflict…
A staff person does the following…
Job Knowledge Questions
• What is the oversight body that accredits the
organization? What are the standards or quality
indicators that they tend to focus on?
• What is the main funder of mental health
services for children in Illinois? How does an
application for funding get submitted?
Miscellaneous Questions
• What was your biggest accomplishment at your last
job?
• How would your colleagues describe you?
• How would your supervisees describe you?
• Describe a recent failure you had at work. How
would you handle it differently?
• What are your strengths in the area of…?
• What is your greatest weakness in the area of…?
Miscellaneous Questions
• What do you need in a supervisor?
• What kind of work would you like to be doing
in five years?
• Why did you apply for this job? What appeals
to you the most about this job? The least?
• How do you work in a team? Is there a certain
type of role or function you tend to fill on
teams?
Types of Interviews
• Structured Interviews: A set of clear, distinct
questions that are asked in the same order to
all applicants.
• Unstructured Interviews: Loose and open
conversations that vary from one applicant to
another, although basic themes may occur in
them all.
• Mixed structured and unstructured.
Behavior-based interviewing
• Planned, systematic way to gather and
evaluate information about what candidates
have done in the past to show how they
would handle future situations
• Candidates who have previously
demonstrated a particular behavior to
address a situation will repeat that behavior
in the future when confronted with a similar
set of problems - “Past behavior is the best
predictor of future behavior”
Determine which behavioral or situational
questions elicit the desired behaviors for the job.
• Examples might address values/ethics, work
intensity, relationship skills, problem solving,
people management and others associated with
success on the job
– "Think of an occasion when you…" and then
describe a particular situation.
– "Can you give me an example of…"
– A follow-up question might be, "What needed to
be done about that situation?"
– And finally: "What was the result?"
Developing the Questions
• Develop a tailored, structured format for asking the
questions.
• Typically open-ended, structured questions are
developed and incorporated into an interview
instrument
• Questions of this nature are best asked toward the end
of the interview after the applicant's basic skills and
qualifications for the position have been determined.
• Then the interviewer's task turns to deciding if the
candidate can demonstrate and has demonstrated the
behaviors that will assure success on the job.
Rating the Answers
• Devise benchmark responses - examples of good,
average and bad answers to the questions.
– Prior interviews
– Answers of current good/great employees
– Expectations & ranking of importance of each question
• Usually there is a score-keeping element to this type
of interviewing (e.g., 10 = excellent, 1 = very bad)
– This scoring profile is then matched against those of the
current employees and/or other candidates
Train the Interviewers
• To take notes in addition to scoring
• Record actual responses.
• Omit prejudicial or judgmental comments.
• Maintain a consistent format for each
candidate.
• Practice with employees and then discuss
ratings to increase reliability
Performance
Evaluations
Performance Evaluations
• The identification, measurement, and
management of work-related performance
– Identification: areas of work tasks that related to
success in the role - based on job analysis
– Measurement: judgments of how “good” or “bad”
performance is – must be consistent throughout the
organization
– Management: future-oriented view of what worker
can do to improve/maintain performance – requires
feedback and coaching
Evaluations Are Legal “Tests”
• Courts have determined that appraisals are
legally a test and must meet legal requirements
regarding fairness and discrimination, which
are strengthened by:
– Use of job analysis
– Providing written instructions
– Allowing employees to review appraisal
results
– Agreement among multiple raters
– The presence of rater training
Legal Red Flags
• Employee terminated or put on probation but recent
or long-term evaluations have been positive or
neutral
• Employee terminated or put on probation but past
evaluations were positive until transfer to new
supervisor
• Employees of a protected class tend to have lower
ratings than non-protected classes
• Evaluations of employee’s immediate supervisor
tends to have very different rating standards than
those done by other supervisors for similar jobs
Uses of Evaluations
• Administrative
– Promotions
– Terminations
– Salary
– Bonuses
– Rewards
• Development
– Improving
performance
– Strengthening job
skills
– Encouraging
positive behaviors
– Reducing negative
behaviors
Benefits of Evaluations
• Employer
– legal defense
– rationale for salary &
bonuses
– identification of top
employees
– implementation of
strategic goals
– provide feedback
– encourage teamwork
– provide direction
• Employee
– receive feedback
– fairness in
determining salary &
bonuses
– motivation
– direction
Dimensions of Evaluations
• Quality of work
– Good, bad, superior, inconsistent, etc.
• Quantity of work
– How much, over target, under target, etc.
• Interpersonal effectiveness
– Strong team player, well liked & respected
by colleagues, etc.
Jack Welch’s 10% Rule!!!
• Jack Welch’s 10%
• Vitality rule
• Forced ranking
• 20/70/10 “differentiation” rule
– top 20% of performers should be promoted
– next 70% supported to better meet their
potential
– bottom 10% is fired
Goals Tend To Be Broad and
Objectives Narrow, Objective, Measurable
• Objective – three different people would easily
agree
• Measurable – meaningful and controllable by
the employee
• Achievable – reasonable to achieve in the time
period
Effective Goals Should Be…
• participative; both manager and employee should be involved in the
development of goals to ensure understanding and commitment
• documented; whether in electronic or hard copy format, be available for
review and be managed on a continuous basis
• specific, providing a defined result(s)
• measurable, stating both the current state but also the desired result
• challenging but attainable
• reasonable; they must be relevant to the individual’s current scope of
responsibilities and within the individual’s means to achieve the desired
outcome
• reflect a time frame by which the desired result should be achieved
• flexible enough to account for changing conditions
• monitored and progress acknowledged
• flow from the top down and be aligned with the vision and mission statement
SMART Objective Criteria
• S pecific
• M easurable
• A chievable
• R elevant
• T ime-bound
Examples of SMART Objectives
• Close 50 loans this fiscal year
• Sell 100 memberships this fiscal year
• Provide 1,000 hours of services this year, as measured
by the agency’s electronic record system reports
• Provide 5 trainings of at least 1 hour each this quarter
• Provide trainings to 100 (unduplicated) staff this quarter
• Write and submit 25 applications for funding this year
• Obtain at least $500,000 in new funding from
applications submitted this year
Examples of Fuzzy/Subjective
(but necessary) Objectives
• Increase dependability in relation to opening and
closing the office
• Increase technical knowledge of work
• Display leadership through starting new projects
and delegating responsibility to supervisees
• Increase cooperation with colleagues, especially
from the department of ABC
Relative Judgments
• Employee’s performance is compared to other
employees doing the same or similar jobs
– Highest performing employee to lowest performing
employee
– Top third, middle third, bottom third
• Disadvantages include
– no indication how small the differences are
– no absolute information
– distinctions are forced even when no meaningful
differences exist
Absolute Judgments
• Judgments are based solely on performance standards
– cooperation
– dependability
– knowledge of work
– leadership
• advantage is it allows comparison of workers across
jobs
• disadvantage is lack of specificity & differences in
rankings by different supervisors
Trait Appraisals
• Judgments about worker characteristics that
tend to be consistent and enduring
–
–
–
–
Decisiveness
Reliability
Energy
Loyalty
Behavioral Appraisals
• Judgments about worker behaviors
– Could be expected to exhibit courtesy and respect
towards customers/clients
– Could be expected to give supervisees confidence
and a strong sense of responsibility by delegating
many important jobs to them
– Could be expected to be rather critical of agency
policies in front of colleagues, thereby risking their
developing poor attitudes
360 Degree Appraisal
• Combination of peer, subordinate,
supervisor, and self-review
• Everyone completes a similar
appraisal of the worker and feedback
is provided
Examples of Causes of Poor Performance
Beyond the Employee’s Control
• Poor coordination of work activities among
workers
• Lack of necessary equipment or equipment
breakdown
• Poor supervision or training
• Lack of clients or other opportunities to provide
services
• Budget items like utility, fuel, etc.
Preparing For An Evaluation
• Discuss general appraisal 1-2 weeks prior to review
• Plan for open dialogue – opportunity to review
performance, consider lessons learned, progress, and
establish goals and objectives for next period
• Lay out plan for performance discussions – collect
and review notes, statistics, citations and
performance-based examples
• Schedule sufficient time to focus on the review – no
interruptions
The Discussion
• Explain the purpose & process
• Make objective statements
• Consider the totality of the employees performance
• Discuss specific performance issues (with examples)
and behaviors objectively
• Don’t be defensive – if employee criticism is justified
due to management failure or lack of resources,
accept, and move on to next area of review.
• Handle dissent professionally – disagreements should
be noted as a matter of record.
Difficult Evaluations
• Describe unsatisfactory performance/behavior
• Cite specific observed examples – past incidents or
lack of meeting goals and impact on employee, team,
customer, department, et al.
• Solicit constructive employee action plan to resolve
or limit performance failures or behavioral issue.
• Review action plan and establish milestone date(s) to
review progress.
• Define and establish specific goals/objectives
• Create mutually agreed time lines of break out data
for progress reports on goals and objectives.
Rater Errors:
Consistent biases on the part of the rater
• Halo/Horn Effect – rating the same on every item or
allowing the rating of one to influence others (positively
or negatively)
• Central Tendency – lack of rating differentiation
between employees (i.e., everyone the same)
• Leniency – avoids honest ratings to avoid conflict
• Recency (anchoring, availability) – narrow focus on
recent events
• Similarity/like me (attribution) – favorable rating to
employees who have similar characteristics to the rater
• Constancy – rate employees via rank order
Friedman Place is a
non-profit Supportive
Living Community
for blind and visually
impaired adults in
Chicago.
____________________________________
Alexander Brown, MBA, PhD, LCSW
Executive Director
773.989.9800
alexander@friedmanplace.org