Interviewing and Hiring

Hire outside your industry

June 1, 2014

Gautam Mukunda is an assistant professor at Harvard Business School who has closely studied effective leaders. His research has led him to believe that hiring outsiders for leadership positions can often be the most effective solution. The same idea can apply to any position.

Match the behavior to the job

May 1, 2014

Hiring for attitude makes a lot of sense. After all, you can teach smart people new skills, but you’ll never turn a curmudgeon into an optimist at heart. Just make sure you understand how a particular personality trait will translate into on-the-job performance.

Hire survivors

May 1, 2014

Don’t wait until you hire job applicants before finding out how well they’ll hold up to grueling work. Stretch out the interview process to test candidates’ mettle.

When you can’t find a star applicant

April 1, 2014

Have you been struggling to fill an important position in your organization? Here are some common—but not always obvious—causes of hiring misfires.

Don’t trust your gut when hiring

March 1, 2014

Former General Electric Chairman and CEO Jack Welch says that it is all right to trust your gut instincts when pursuing a business deal, but it’s not the best strategy for hiring quality talent.

Promote from within

March 1, 2014

Recruiting employees from outside your organization for both mission and culture fit is easier said than done. Oftentimes, you run a much better chance of recruiting from within your organization.

Evaluate applicants’ teamwork skills

February 1, 2014

Giving details of very specific situations forces applicants to paint an accurate picture of their teamwork skills. Ask them questions like these:

Hiring missteps

February 1, 2014

If hiring is one of your responsibilities, avoid making this costly interview mistake: too much talking.

Start new hires as temps

February 1, 2014

You wouldn’t buy a new car without a test drive. So why should you invest time and money in hiring an untested job candidate?