illustrations: victoria parK octoBEr 2016 BCBusiness 31
Take iT ouTside
Depending on the position, inviting
a candidate to a social event can help
gauge how they might act outside
the o'ce, says Fearon. Macmillan
takes candidates to a coŒee shop or
restaurant. "Sometimes the guard
comes down there, and you get a
better sense of that person," he says.
"We really like to see the people in
diŒerent settings and see how they re-
act. Sometimes they react diŒerently
to a server in a restaurant than they
would in a formal interview."
Take iT inside
Before making a Žrm decision,
Fearon gives the candidate the oppor-
tunity to meet with a couple of team
members and ask them questions.
"It's obviously also an opportunity
for us to see how that person engages
with those team members." After the
Žrst couple of interviews, Macmillan
invites the candidate to job shadow in
the o'ce. "It really is a two-way street.
It's got to work for the person coming
in, and it's got to work for our team as
well."
know whaT you wanT
Headhunters.ca has candidates Žll out a
personality proŽle to assess work style—for
example, leaders versus followers. "You don't
necessarily want everybody as a leader or it
makes for a bit of a dysfunctional team," says
Macmillan. Hays looks at where candidates Žt
in four categories: conformity, social behav-
iour, team versus individual, and work ethic.
For example, says Fearon, do you want some-
body who's a workaholic, somebody who's
very laid back or someone who's somewhere
in between?
Mix Things uP
"We like to shake it up a little bit
to Žnd that real person," says
Macmillan. "We'll ask what they
do outside of work and accomplish-
ments outside of the o'ce and then
loop it back into accomplishments
within the o'ce." From a candi-
date's perspective, the interview
process is a sales pitch, so your
line of questioning needs to be able
to get through that façade, says
Fearon. "You need to try and tap
into who the person really is. That's
why the behavioural interview
questions are so important."
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ask The TeaM
"We do a debrief with the team
following the initial interview, and
we ask our admin staΠwhat are
their impressions," says Macmillan.
"Because a lot of times they'll put
their game face on for the inter-
view, but when they're sitting
down having a coŒee waiting
for the interview, you might see
someone diŒerent." The team
doesn't decide whether to hire the
person, but they can have the op-
portunity to say what they think,
says Fearon. "Because, ultimately,
they're the people who are going
to be working with them."
5
the number one reason an employee doesn't work out, according to
many employers, is poor fit. Jim Fearon, hays vp of western canada
operations, and headhunters.ca president cam macmillan offer pointers
on how to make the right hire
by Felicity Stone
Getting Fit
D-I-Y MANAGEMENT
