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SAN DIEGO - Contractors can’t afford to make bad choices when hiring people, which is why having the right interviewing skills can help.
First, a key part in the process of bringing potential employees in for interviews is attracting them, pointed out Bill Hoopes Feb. 12, 2001, at the Lawn & Landscape School of Management, San Diego, Calif., during his session titled “Interviewing Skills Workshop: Hiring Tomorrow’s Leaders Today.”
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In addition to the annual winter School of Management conference, Lawn & Landscape holds an annual fall conference titled Business Strategies. Named “Managing Human Resources In Your Company,” this year’s conference is ideal for businesses of any size and will cover a variety of human resources issues. Business Strategies attendees in 2001 will hear from the leading experts on human resources from inside and outside the green industry, network with fellow industry professionals and walk away with the tools to make employee recruitment and retention a profitable part of their businesses. The 2001 Lawn & Landscape Business Strategies Conference: Managing Human Resources In Your Company conference will be held Oct. 7-9, 2001, in Scottsdale, Ariz. Details about this conference will soon be available at www.lawnbusinessstrategies.com. Additionally, the 2002 Lawn & Landscape School of Management will be held Feb. 17-19, 2002, in Charlotte, N.C. Details about this conference will be available later this year at www.lawnschool.com. For more information about Lawn & Landscape’s annual conferences, contact Maria Miller at 800/456-0707 or mmiller@gie.net. |
“You have to know who you are and be able to communicate who you are,” Hoopes said. “Dedicate more time to the people search to build your local image, develop a 30-mile radius recruiting target zone of tech schools, high schools, and related businesses and identify sources beyond the classifieds.”
Being candidate friendly when looking for workers and while employing them also is important. “People take jobs that look good from the outside and feel good from the inside,” Hoopes emphasized. “Be positive and emphasize that there is minimal experience required for the job because you can train them. Explain how the work is outdoors and there is opportunity for growth within the organization.”
Hoopes pointed out seven objective standards of what to look for in a person when they come in for an interview. These include:
- Intelligence/common sense
- Results orientation
- Innovation
- Interpersonal skills/leadership
- Productivity
- Communication skills
- Relevant experience (past success that can be used now)
In addition, contractors should look for job candidates with whom the current staff will be comfortable. “Seek people with positive attitudes who work well with others,” he stressed.
And before a candidate comes in, prepare for the interview by improving the condition of the physical location of the interview. “Insure privacy and clear your mind so you can concentrate only on the candidate in your office,” Hoopes said. “And during the interview, be yourself and establish rapport or a connection with the candidate that facilitates open discussion.”
Types of questions to ask:
- What can you offer our company?
- What is the toughest customer problem you have faced? How did you solve it?
- Can you give an example of a major problem you encountered in a past job and how you solved it?
- How do you feel about making commitments?
- Tell me about a situation in which you recognized a problem before your boss.
- Give me an example of a situation in which you had to convince other people to agree with you.
- What is the hardest thing you’ve ever done? Why?
- How do you set priorities?
- What is your procedure for keeping track of important commitments?
- Have you ever had to work on more than three or four activities at the same time? Did all projects get completed as you wanted them to? How did you accomplish that?
- If a customer asked you why they should believe in you or your service/product, how would you answer?
Types of questions not to ask:
- “Yes” or “no” choice questions.
- Leading questions that give an applicant an out. Example: I suppose with all your production experience, you consider yourself to be well organized?
- Pointless questions. Example: If you were a color, what color would you be?
- Unnecessary, stressful questions that are designed to make the candidate uncomfortable. Example: If someone held a gun to your head and told you to give him or her everything you had, would you run or resist?
The author is Managing Editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine.