Two Professionals Explain Their Approach to Hiring - May 2007

Every business owner looks for smart, personable and dedicated employees. But it’s one thing to sell cars or computer equipment and another to deliver a critical service that profoundly impacts a person’s or a company’s health and wellbeing. Managing something as vital and personal as people’s money or providing a nerve-wracking service like dentistry calls for a team with employees that have great empathy, tact, maturity and common sense along with their professional skills and experience.

Oomph talked to Janine Purves, a Certified Financial Planner affiliated with Assante Capital Management and to Dr. Ellen Dayan, a dentist with a practice known for its holistic and personable approach, to find out how they go about hiring new staff.

Oomph: Do you advertise the positions or do you find people through word-of-mouth?

Janine Purves: We advertise every position, but we also let everyone know we’re looking. Only once did we find a person solely through word of mouth.

Dr. Ellen Dayan: I rely on word-of-mouth and my professional network. I'll advertise if we can't get enough applicants that way.

Oomph: Where do you advertise?

Janine: In our local media, in the careers section of the Assante website and in other financial industry websites. We’ve also tried a general careers website and had a reasonably good result.

Ellen: Local media.

Oomph: How many responses do you typically get?

Janine: We get 40-60 applications.

Ellen: It depends on the position we are advertising, but we don't usually get more than 20 applications.  

Oomph: Do you interview everyone?

Janine: No, we have a rigorous pre-screening process. Applicants who don't follow submission directions don’t get interviewed. We also discard submissions with typos and mistakes. We’re in a business where precision and attention to detail are paramount – just imagine what a difference one wrong number can make. These steps alone will eliminate about 60% to 75% of the applications, leaving us with eight to fifteen people. My assistant will then schedule ten-minute telephone interviews so I can see what they are like on the phone, which is how we interact with our clients a great deal of the time. Anyone who can’t talk on the phone is dropped, leaving us with three to five candidates for a full interview.

Ellen: No, we pre-screen all applicants. We look at the quality of their application, work history and skills. I'll call respondents who are qualified and whose submissions were impressive to test their communication skills, which are critical to our practice. I also take the time to explain our approach and philosophy, which are different to those of many other dental practices. It's important they understand our vision and share our values. We narrow down the field to three candidates who are invited for a working interview.
 

Oomph: Give me an idea of some of the interview questions you ask.

Janine: During the phone interview I ask why they are interested in the position, what it is they bring to the table and what their three most applicable skills for the job are. I also ask them to describe three aspects of the job they are concerend about in terms of their performance, which lets me gauge their honesty and their awareness of their abilities. If the person is an expert at everything then I’m concerned. During the office interview I’ll elaborate on these, but I’ll also pose a lot of scenario-type questions based on the person’s stated strengths. 

Ellen: I tend to ask a lot of open-ended questions. I'll ask them to describe their ideal office and work scenario and to tell me something they don't like about the field. Their answer, the context they provide, and how they articulate themselves can be very revealing - I'm often surprised at how candid people are in interview situations. I also like to ask scenario-type situations to gauge how they would respond to a challenging situation. 

Oomph: Do you conduct any special interview tests?  

Janine: Yes, we test for certain skills like basic math formulas and proficiency with spreadsheets and computer skills to confirm they have the required skills and also because it shows their judgment and how their minds work. If they don't understand the assignment but don't ask any questions and do it all wrong is very telling.

Ellen: We don't conduct tests per se, but we invite the three candidates on the shortlist for a half-day working interview, which is the best way to see how they interact with us and with the patients, if they are client focussed, gentle, have common sense, are self-starters and can handle many tasks. We look for individuals who are capable of providing good customer service and enhancing the patients' experience.

Oomph: How do you assess everything you learned and arrive at a decision?

Janine: I take a lot of notes during the interviews, so I go back and look for things that stood out or for really strong traits. Then I review any concerns I may have about their strengths or weaknesses.

Ellen: The working interview usually clarifies the decision for me because it shows if the chemistry is right. You can teach technical and working skills, but you can't change a personality or character traits.  

Oomph: Have you ever hired a dud?

Janine: Yes, and it happened because I ignored concerns I had thinking I was making too much of them. When I went back and looked at my notes it was all there. I learned not to second-guess my concerns and to trust my instincts.

Ellen: Yes, unfortunately. It happened because we needed to fill a position and we didn't get a great group of applicants. We hired the best of the lot and it didn't work out. 

Oomph: What lessons have you learned over the years?

Janine: To look at the total package: experience and skills, as well as personality traits, judgment and work ethic, without minimizing or maximizing any of them. Also, to trust my gut.

Oomph: Do you have any advice for other professionals?

Janine: Know what your three top priorities are and make sure you hire someone who fits in with them. Also, don’t hire a duplicate of yourself… look for someone who can balance you out.

Ellen: You must know what your goals are and have a clear picture of the type of person you are looking for.