Fundamentals of Hiring: The Foundation of Cultural Construction
This post was contributed by Graduate Assistant, Matt Parsons. Matt is a mission-driven collaborator, leader, mentor, and ally with extensive experience in hospitality operations, personal and professional development, and P & L management. Matt continues to grow his knowledge and practice of urban agriculture and the nuances of local food systems through qualitative research, writing, and storytelling.
Fundamentals of Hiring: The Foundation of Cultural Construction
Many writers, media outlets, and elected officials have offered theories, explanations, and real time data in their attempts to better understand the current and prospective labor challenges in the US. Especially in real time restaurant staffing, there is growing concern that these issues may persist long after covid has retreated. But does the new post-pandemic workforce have the same expectations of their employers as they did prior to 2020? Perhaps more importantly, do those in the modern workforce have the same vision for their futures and their professional objectives as they did pre-pandemic?
It may be entirely too soon to completely understand all the factors at play in the post-pandemic world of work, yet it is clear many workers are making a company’s culture and the workplace environment their top priority when considering their prospective career trajectory.
So, if you are someone who has the responsibility of hiring you may be asking yourself, where do I start? During these everchanging and uncertain times, how can you build and maintain a culture that attracts the most talented people? An important first step is to implement a well thought out hiring process. So…how do you do it? What are the tangible pieces of knowledge that make the hiring process a glowing example of your companies’ culture as well as a process that produces the desired outcome?
What follows are hiring fundamentals that have been practiced, implemented, taught, mentored, and have provided lasting lessons for many who followed one, a few, or all of them. They are in no way all inclusive, but they provide some outcome-oriented practices that you can implement right away with the hope that you snag the best talent available for your company. Over the course of my career and through the process of conducting roughly 5,000 or so interviews and hiring hundreds of people, I’ve established these fundamentals and they guided me in the construction of the organization’s most important asset: the culture!
1) In the beginning of the process frame your North Star, or to say, have a crystal-clear idea of where you want to go and establish cultural alignment with your values and lifestyle. This is an essential first step in your business journey.
· What is your story and how does it play into your culture?
· When hiring someone ask yourself what parts of you need to be replicated? What parts don’t?
· What are your non-negotiables and why?
· Do your current values and identity serve to produce your prospective business outcomes?
Don’t lie to yourself during this step. Take the time to think this through and form a clear understanding of how this will shape the culture of your business. No need to get tangled up in business lingo and buzz words, but you should be able to naturally talk about the work you need done and some of your thoughts on prospective outcomes. In simple terms, have a plan together before you embark fully on the hiring journey.
Pro Tip #1 Take time and write out your top 3 non-negotiables. Will you be able to communicate them to a candidate in easy and simple understandable terms?
2) When you are looking for A+ talent, post a ‘cool’ ad with soul! Like Fonzie…your post should be cool, fun, and stand out! Make your ad tell a bit of your story, your vision? Any space you occupy where you are looking to bring someone into your organization should pass your cultural ‘smell test’. Does your ad or post sound like you? Pay close attention to the words you use and how you use them. The words in the post or ad should reflect how you actually speak and, in many ways, how you think. Be clear and specific, and don’t add words that you do not need.
Pro Tip #2 When interviewing, create a warm and inviting environment for the candidates. If it’s morning, have donuts and coffee, for lunch or afternoon provide a snack and beverage. It seems small, but the impact is BIG!
3) Prior to the interview, get to know your audience and be a good student: hiring a dishwasher is different than hiring a marketing manager. The assumption we build in here is that the person you are interviewing has the basic qualifications on paper. That is the easy part, some people embellish their resumes, and you will be able to quickly realize that IF you have a solid grasp of the intricacies of the position you are looking to fill. Additionally, be keenly aware and prepared for any language barriers that might cause the candidate discomfort during the process. There are many ways to solve this challenge so pick one and proceed but be forewarned that you can quickly lose a quality candidate if they do not have a good grasp of your first language or if you chop up their first language in an attempt to connect with them.
Pro Tip #3 Ensure you have undisturbed time for the interview. Do not take phone calls or texts and be in an area where you can easily hear the candidate’s answers to your questions.
4) Up until now, the information has been best practices and theory, but this part is much different. Hiring (and firing) is a legal process and each state has a defined set of laws that dictate how the hiring process should go and what protections the candidate has during the process. Indeed, these laws vary greatly in specificity, but the fundamentals are pretty much the same state to state. KNOW THE LAWS! In simplest terms, there are questions that are off-limits despite the size or scope of your business, and the last thing you need as you get started is legal problems (and expenses). I am not trying to rain on the hiring parade, but every business in the US must abide by a set of basic hiring/interviewing rules and it will serve you well to know them, especially how to answer leading questions, and questions about your company or your policies. This is especially important when interviewing people who interview often and have learned to dig for info that can be legally damaging to the company. Always refer to your state’s labor law website for the details.
Additionally, for legal and efficiency purposes, consider which questions you need to ask in person and which ones can be included on the application: for example, “Do you have reliable transportation to and from the workplace(s)?” This seems like a simple question, but the way I have written it is the legally proper way to ask the question and it is simply a yes or no question that an applicant can answer in advance of the interview. The reason I am pointing this out is in consideration of time and the most effective use of your time in the interview process. I use this example because it is easy to ask this question in a way that is discriminatory in nature, AND it can turn into a discussion where you find yourself in real jeopardy. So, as we now start to form the questions, ask yourself; can this question be asked succinctly and clearly on the application? If the answer is yes, put it on the application and do not embellish during the interview.
Pro Tip #4 The application is a legal document, do not write on it, staple it, or modify any part. Use post-it notes if you must keep notes ‘on’ the application.
Maybe you don’t have to avoid the halo effect.
5) I’m going to blow up a common hiring sentiment and I will tell you why in a moment; but some hiring classes and workshops, as well as hiring ‘experts’, emphasize avoiding the “halo effect” play into your hiring process. In a hiring context, the ‘halo effect’ is when we let an interviewee’s good qualities or to say the ones we like, outweigh their less attractive ones. This is your company, and in the ideal world, you bring people into your business that share much of your worldview. But let me emphasize that does not mean hire simply ‘yes’ people who fall in line and tell you what you want to hear. However, if you have an affinity for someone and you feel a meaningful connection to that person then hire them! Your life and the employee’s life will be much better if you like working with each other, and here is the secret: your business will grow because you are building a culture around people, not policies.
6) Here is some final food for thought before interviewing. These topics should always be avoided and are more common sense than policy. Here are the big ones;
· Politics or political affiliation
· Religion
· Former bosses, or companies
· Anything associated with gender, race, religion, or ethnicity.
These seem obvious, but it always bares review. So, what can you ask that matters to you? This is a bit easier with an example to discuss, so here is one of my favorites (and HR-approved) questions: “Please tell me in your experience, what is service and what is hospitality? How are they different?” I have asked this question of almost every person I have ever interviewed, regardless of position or background and it brings to light valuable personal perspectives. This question is easy to understand, and can truly engage the candidate, and packs a gut check that might indicate a red flag.
Pro Tip #5 Role-play your top 5 questions with someone who can offer thoughtful feedback and discussion. During this time, you can get comfortable with using the proper words, tone of voice, and body language.
7) A real-time interview response is essential to understanding ‘red flags’, and more importantly, how to respond both respectfully as well as within the guardrails of hiring in the state where you operate your business. It is valuable to note here that you are the key element in determining a ‘red flag’ and some are obvious, yet many are not and are only identifiable based on your embedded knowledge and cultural foundation. Without rolling through a long list, here are some ‘red flags"‘ to be aware of.
· Answers to interview questions that are general and lingering when you asked for details.
· Poor eye contact and body language when answering a tough question.
· Answers that use other people or places as reasons or excuses for their past experiences, or to say, blaming others for their actions.
These typically jump out at you during the process and are easy to identify, and certainly should stimulate you to act accordingly.
8) So what does ‘act accordingly’ mean? Anyone who has ever interviewed people will know that at some point you have to decide not to hire a candidate. This can be a difficult process, but the simple way to disqualify (DQ) a candidate is to be genuine and compassionate while also being direct and confident in your response and choice of words. You want the candidate to leave as a fan of you and your company, though they were not a good fit as an employee, remember that you are in business, and you need them as prospective clients or customers. So, when you choose to DQ a candidate, be respectful and treat each person with dignity, shake their hand, wish them well, and mean it!
Pro Tip #6 Hiring can be an emotional experience for you and the candidate, so do your best to be engaged and professional, and remember to be respectful of the candidate’s time and the effort they made to interview.
9) The next steps of making an offer to a candidate and fundamental thoughts about onboarding will be left for another blog. We’ve covered a ton of info, but hopefully, we have provided some meaningful insights on ways to approach the fundamentals of the hiring process, building your culture, and focusing your time and resources on people, not policy and procedures! Best of luck in your journey and if CRAFT can serve as an ally or partner in your efforts, please feel free to contact us!