86: How to Hire Smart, with Bonni Stachowiak

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed

Bonni is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, Dean of Teaching and Learning and Professor of Business and Management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, she was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. Bonni is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*.

Virtually all leaders in organizations are called upon to manage (or at least be part of) the hiring process. In this episode, Bonni and I look at some common mistakes made in the hiring process and some straightforward things you can do to get better results in your hiring decisions.

Common Failures in the Hiring Process:

1. Testing for interview skills instead of what it will take to do the job well

• Utilize behavioral interview questions
• Test for skills instead of only considering interview responses
• Book recommendation: Hiring Smart! by Pierre Mornell

2. Falling victim to the halo effect

• Sometimes one positive thing inappropriately interferes with our perceptions
• Define your criteria in advance of meeting with candidates
• Use multiple data points

3. Missing small clues along the way

• Have a multi-step process and track the individual’s progress through it

4. Forgetting that the very best candidates are interviewing you as much as you are interviewing them

Look at your process from an outsider’s perspective

5. Not leveraging technology

• Leverage services that will help you connect with candidates
• Remember the hidden job market

A mentioned a brief note about episode #85

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