Incentive - January 2008 - (Page 45)

Author Les McKeown believes in including peers and subordinates in the hiring process environment. The overall note on Goodwin’s report stated that he felt under pressure to be an overachiever and might want to consider retaking the test when he was in a more balanced state. This overarching statement irritated and puzzled Goodwin. “In my mind, overachieving is not a bad thing,” says Goodwin. “I would like to have discussed the report with someone from the company, but amazingly no one ever followed up with me about the test results.” Goodwin goes on to explain that this, in part, contributed to his feeling that the Phoenix company would not be a good fit for him. In the end, Goodwin turned down the job. Unfortunately, Goodwin’s experience is not unusual. “The vast majority of managers have not been trained how to interview and they think that it is going to take too much work and too much time, so they use these assessments as a rubber stamp,” McDonald says. He suggests that by educating managers about the importance of the hiring process and teaching them how to conduct interviews, better hiring—leading to long-term retention—could be achieved. The statistics seem to bear him out. The Human Capital Index Study by Watson Wyatt found that 65 percent of companies with a highly engaged workforce provide interview training for managers, versus 33 percent of companies with a less engaged workforce. According to Ilene Gochman, national practice director, organization effectiveness at Watson Wyatt, a defined process centered on such best practices as behavioral interviewing is essential for long-term retention. An increasingly popular technique for job interviewing, behavioral interviewing helps evaluate how a candidate will respond in specific situations. “For example,” says Gochman, “if you are interviewing someone for a customer service position, instead of asking the typical ‘Do you do a good job at dealing with upset customers?’ question, instead ask ‘Have you ever been in a situation with a difficult customer and can you tell me about how you handled that? What did you do? What did you say?’” Gochman says that by getting beneath the surface questions to the deeper examples of how someone dealt with a real-life situation, the interviewer learns about a person’s real skill base and attitudes. In an emerging trend, these interviews are conducted by panels or teams instead of one-on-one. At 25 of Pella Windows and Doors’ distributorships, the hiring process has been refined to include panel interviews. “A number of people within the organization are brought together as a team to meet with and evaluate a candi- date,” says McKeown, whose company, Predictable Success, worked with Pella to redesign its hiring process. As a result of this and talent targeting, turnover is down from 38 percent to 15 percent. Gochman also supports team interviewing, and says that when peers and subordinates join management and human resources in seeing candidates, a broader perspective is gained and a better fit for the overall culture of the company is achieved. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be an estimated labor shortfall of three million workers by the year 2012. With just four years to go, companies that begin integrating these hiring best practices now can feel more confident about facing the future with a staff of competent and committed workers. Consumers Employees Dealers Sales Teams do you want to knock them off their feet? Motivate them all with the help of Sony’s Online Premium Incentive Resource Center. One simple click gives you complete access to the latest knowledge and must-have products to motivate each of your unique audiences, with: I Monthly updates on new and exciting program ideas I The latest product offerings from Sony I How-to guides for all of your incentive programs I Calendar of events to see Sony’s products visit incentivemag.com/sony Sony. A brand everyone knows for rewards everyone loves. incentivemag.com | January 2008 | Incentive | 45 http://incentivemag.com/sony http://incentivemag.com/sony http://incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - January 2008

Incentive - January 2008 Contents Editor’s Note: Out of SITE In The News Cover Story: Include a Meeting, Improve Morale Case Study: DHL Delivers Recognition Incentive Primer: How To Use Promo Products How Bob Nardelli Rallied Chrysler’s Dealers Incentive Interview: Ken Blanchard Says Be Nice TV’s Extreme Makeover Motivates Giving Pre-Employment Motivation The Daycare Dilemma Happy Employees Shouldn’t Mix with Sick Employees Incentive Research: Consumer Promotions Report In Her Shoes: Winning Approval Of Flextime Travel News Field Report: Barcelona Field Report: Bermuda Golf: Follow The Pros potentials Here and Now Watches As Jewelry Awards: Online Gift Cards Tech Gadgets for 2008 Last Word: Stanley Bing Bashes Bully Bosses

Incentive - January 2008

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