Employing World-Class Workers First of Three Part Series

Finding, Cultivating and Rewarding
the "World-Class" Worker
(A Three Part Series)

by Michelene Malosh

Part One: Fundamental Interview Ingredients in Hiring Employees with "The Right Stuff"

Almost all of us perform our work for somebody or some type of organization. Even freelancers (like this writer) work indirectly for others by selling their wares for wampum. Most organizations employ a variety of workers, each performing different functions and operating at various levels within the company, such as "hunter/gatherer", "teepee maintenance worker" and "chief". Many of us are front-line workers in offices, at factories or in service occupations, several of us work in administrative support roles, such as "secretary" or "accountant", and some of us are managers, directing aspects of the company’s operations.

One thing both the typical "worker" and "work organization" have in common is the desire to be associated with reputable, professional and profitable work operations. I don’t know about you but, when I am looking for a job, I seek companies that are solvent and have a solid track record, and I eliminate those employers that have a dubious reputation. (Additionally, prestigious employers USUALLY offer attractive pay and benefits.) Conversely, when successful companies have job openings, they usually attract a multitude of applicants, and can afford to be particular and choosy in attempting to select highly-qualified candidates.

But despite the usual multitude of resumes and applications received, how do "world-class" companies distinguish potential "world-class" employees from the stack of resumes and applications?

Where and how can you find "world-class" employers? Do "world-class" companies exist in Harrisburg? You, bet! In fact, they are all around us. And, must they be a certain size or type? World-class employers are in ALL industries and can be ANYWHERE and ANY size, including the large and international types, like Harrisburg-based Amp, Inc., local retail stores, like Boot Village at the Camp Hill Mall, and the small, thriving Holmes Lettershop, which has offered printing and office services in Lemoyne for the past 35 years.

What constitutes a world-class organization? And, "so what"? Companies that are considered world-class have a wide-ranging (geographically, industry-wide) reputation for "excellence" and can attribute their success to a multitude of factors. Characteristics of world-class companies include leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, human resource development and management, effective operations, business results, quality products and services, quick response to consumer needs and market conditions, innovation, integrity and public trust, image, and setting a "mark of distinction" from the rest of pack.

Dr. Melvin Blumberg, professor of Business Management at the Pennsylvania State University, Middletown and currently a certified examiner of the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award Program, compares world-class organizations to world-class athletes; they are able to compete with the best (organizations) - in their class - in the world. And in today’s ever changing, highly competitive, global marketplace ALL companies, big and small, need a world-class attitude and approach to survive and thrive. Dr. Blumberg sums up a "world-class" organization as "a quality organization - efficient and human".

The one critical resource that all "world-class" workplaces develop perpetually, utilize effectively, and replenish, as needed, is the HUMAN resource. For work organizations to achieve and sustain excellence, they must be successful in selecting, training and managing the people who put it all together and make it all happen.

This is the first of a three-part series investigating what it takes to identify, develop, motivate and reward a world-class work force in establishing your own world-class company, organization or even world-class work section.

The interview process is the mechanism that employers use to select and hire new workers that will hopefully, not only "fit" the organization, but will become, steady, stellar performers. Like casting agents in a film studio, hiring managers want "top talent" who will hit the ground running with all lines memorized and will complement the rest of the ensemble cast. To successfully do that, hiring managers must use deliberate and systematic questions in their "audition"/interview process!

Lou Persico, president of Career Management Consultants, Inc., based in Harrisburg, proclaims that preparation is the key to success for both the employer and the perspective employee. He outlines three basic, but vital steps for employers to take in preparing for the interview process.

Step one: Take the time to define your needs in terms of the new employee you will hire. What precise skills, personality traits, and experience will the successful worker need to have in order to do the job well and fit in your corporate culture?

Step two: Design interview questions that will allow you to truly determine if the potential employee will meet your needs. Take the time. Be deliberate and specific in pinpointing your requirements and then carefully select and word your questions!

Step three: What is the difference between mediocre and good interview questions? Good interview questions elicit from the candidate specific examples of their work (not just what skills, but HOW skills were applied and their end result) which allows you to determine if he/she has the essential characteristics that you need!

As Martin Yates indicates in his best-selling job seeker’s guide "Knock ‘Em Dead", ALL jobs, irregardless of title or industry, "are at some level, problem-solvers". An innovative, successful world-class organization depends on employees at all levels to be able to respond, not only appropriately (i.e. within expected/required policy and procedures), but to "go the extra mile" and come up with a money making, time saving and/or customer pleasing solution when confronted with problems, challenges, projects, deadlines and pressure points along the way. Therefore, hiring managers should listen carefully to the "hows" and the processes that candidates used when describing their accomplishments. For example: If working as a "team player" is an important aspect to the subject vacancy, questions to the candidates should elicit descriptions of previous teamwork experience - AND - the candidate’s approach to and view of group situations. And, pay attention to the job candidate’s expression, enthusiasm (or lack of) and non-verbal language when answering questions.

In hiring a successful job placement, usually the most important indicator of success is NOT past experience, but the person’s ATTITUDE. During the interview, hiring managers need to really listen and observe HOW the candidate gives the answer, HOW they describe their experiences, and not just WHAT they did. The person’s values and attitudes are reflected in the HOW’s and WHY’S of their choices and by the enthusiasm they selectively display. If an applicant describes an experience of when they successfully dealt with a customer’s problem, along with a genuine, congruent expression of pleasure and pride, even though that applicant may have little work experience in your industry, if your company highly values customer service, you may find this person easily trainable and a long-term "diamond in the rough".

In the interview process, ATTITUDES about customer service and professionalism (by prior experience examples and how conveyed in the interview) are important factors.

Owner and manager Pat Gingrich has created a world-class employment agency at the the Lemoyne-based Norrell Services Inc. Ms. Gingrich describes her success as an upward cycle; high quality standards and professionalism begets quality results begets quality clients begets quality applicants and results begets quality clients begets generating revenues, more (quality) work and a good reputation, which begets..., etc. Like an individual, a company needs to be well-rounded. This is her approach to both her interviewing/screening process and with running the business.

What are the most important factors in selecting a suitable employee? Ms. Gingrich utilized a consulting firm to comprehensively evaluate and identify the elements of successful placement. Were "experience" and "technical skill" identified as the the most important indicators? No. Based on the study’s results and Ms. Gingrich’s experience, in order to effectively predict future job success, the most relevant factors to base interview questions around are the "basics", and include: attitude, communication skills, productivity, dependability, and safety (if applicable).

The secret to building and maintaining a world-class workforce starts in the beginning - in finding the right person. The recruitment and selection process is an inexact science, but your probability of finding and hiring the best candidate increases multifold when your are systematic, deliberate and relevant in your interview questions.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE:

Michelene Malosh is an independent training consultant in the Harrisburg area. She can be reached at 774-3735, or e-mail: MMalosh242@AOL.com.