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.
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.
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
Question
 What do you look for in a frontline
staff person?
Making the Most
of Summer
Handbook, pg.
125
Program Improvement
System
Program Infrastructure
Point-of-Service
Purpose
People
Planning
Professional
Development
 Partnerships
 Individualized
 Intentional
 Integrated
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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
What Makes a Strong
Summer Learning Program
Front Line Staff Member?
 Experience working with youthknowledge of youth development and
education
 Knowledge of the community being
served
 Invested in program outcomesunderstands his/her role in achieving them
 Active part of building program’s
culture
 Leader and role model for other
staff and youth
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
Cost of Hiring
Advertising
Interview time
Reference checking
Unproductive work time (lost
opportunities)
 Hidden administrative costs
 Job morale of others
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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
The Failsafe Recruitment Process
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Plan
Prepare
Probe
Preview
Post-check
Make Offer
Post-hire
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
Selection Criteria
Must
Tangible
Intangible
What can be trainined?
Intangible
Tangible
Alternative Staffing
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Restructuring job
Part-time
Outsourcing: vendors, partnerships
Training for promotions
Volunteer to Paid Staff
Job sharing, flex-time
Question
 What sources do you use to find
quality candidates?
Sourcing Candidates
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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)
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
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
Question
 What is an unique question that you
use when interviewing potential front
line staff?
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
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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
Legal Issues
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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
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.
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?
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 ….
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?
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
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.
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
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
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?
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
Making the Most
of Summer
Handbook, pg.
125
What questions do you have?
Additional Resources:
 Summer Starts in September:
Program Planning Guide
 Leading Summer Learning Programs:
Tips to Recruit and Select Seasonal
Staff
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.
Save the Date!
November 9-10, 2010
Indianapolis, IN
Join the Association!
• Access to open web content including
field news, research and interviews with
experts

• Ability to network with other members
through online discussion groups
• Discounts on conference, publications,
and professional development services
• Two hours of quality program
consulting via phone

• Access to curriculum rating tool, and
Excellence in Summer Learning Award
winner profiles
•
Free program planning guide
Friend of
Summer
Learning
Individual
Organization
/District
Thank You!
 Robinson HR Consulting
• Kay Robinson
Kay@robinsonhrconsulting.com
 Program Planning/Membership
• Erin Ulery
eulery@summerlearning.org