Some columns practically write themselves. I’ve got pages of notes from job seekers who have been mistreated or disrespected by interviewers, and from workers whose managers mistake them for indentured servants.
I could never cover them all, but here are two sets of resolutions we can hope interviewers and managers might incorporate into their New Year’s commitments. Let’s hope they’re listening.
Resolutions for interviewers
Write logical, realistic job postings. If you don’t need candidates with a degree, don’t ask for them. Write the posting to attract the appropriate people, not to weed others out; you can do that some other way.
Don’t rush to schedule interviews if you’re not going to rush the decision.
Don’t conduct interviews just to benchmark against an already-chosen candidate. If you know whom you want to hire, just do it.
Respect the candidate’s time. The candidate may be paying a baby sitter or taking time off work.
Tell the candidate what to expect. This is a business meeting, so it’s common courtesy to tell all participants how long the meeting will be, where and when it will be held, and who will be there.
Prepare for the interview. Reading resumes is a minimum requirement; actually imagining candidates in the position and identifying specific questions will result in a meaningful exchange.
Customize questions. Why are you using that clipboard? Do you really think it will ensure an objective process to ask each person exactly the same questions? If so, at least have the courtesy to smile or otherwise warm up the meeting.
Dress appropriately. It may be your “casual Friday,” but it’s still a meeting about the future of this candidate’s career.
Choose panelists with care. It’s demoralizing to interview with panelists who don’t want to be in the room, who don’t grasp the job function, or who doze off or text during the meeting.
Save time for candidate questions.
Follow up in a timely manner. Right?
Hire intelligently. Interviewing well or typing a perfect letter is not the same as being good at one’s job. If you’re hiring a typist, then typos count; otherwise, dig deeper for meaningful criteria.
Resolutions for managers and employers
Plan workloads realistically. Burning out employees to meet short-term goals is beyond shortsighted. When extraordinary effort is needed, request and reward it. Otherwise, recognize that good workers leave when situations become untenable, and the remaining workers are unlikely to deliver the results you need.
Give performance reviews. Not giving reviews means your employees are flying in the dark. It also deprives them of meaningful feedback to use in future interviews when asked “How did past managers rate your work?”
Drop the blanket “no reference” policy for departing staff. Give letters of reference to those who have earned them and provide simple letters stating “so and so worked here from x to x” for those you can’t positively recommend.
Lay off staff humanely. We get that layoffs are now embedded in corporate culture as a management tool. But can’t you at least terminate a worker at the end of the shift, instead of escorting them out the door in front of their co-workers? And what’s with the security guard — you’re too busy to walk a worker to the door and shake his or her hand?
Give laid-off workers re-employment assistance. With 10 minutes’ effort, you can provide the terminated employee with phone numbers and information about state assistance for laid-off workers. With a little more investment of time and money, you can prepay for a new resume or career counseling from a reputable service. Why wouldn’t you do this?
When restaffing, hire with compassion and common sense. See Resolutions for Interviewers (above) if you need further help with this.
Remember that what comes around goes around. Imagine that the person you manage or lay off today might be in a position to hire, manage or lay you off in the future. Now stop imagining it and believe it. Act accordingly.
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