Performance and Behavioral Interviewing

Proprietary and Confidential© 2006, Latitude Consulting Group, Inc.

Latitude Tales from the Trenches

Presented to IT Zone

by Latitude Consulting GroupSeptember 26, 2006

2Proprietary and Confidential© 2006, Latitude Consulting Group, Inc.

Agenda

James Hardie –Behavioral interviewing

Net Zero-Performance Based Interviewing

• Net Zero- Black Hat/DefCon

• Net Zero- National ISP Convention

• Net Zero- Computational Linguist

Summation-Behavioral and Performance based interviewing You can use it too.


Introduction

• Jason Patino office: (888) 577-2797 x160

Division Head, direct: 734-716-7904Latitude Technical Resources [email protected]


Latitude Consulting Group

A senior technology consulting firm that helps the extended enterprise optimize challenging, information-

driven partner channels.


How can you be sure that you are hiring the best employees

for your organization?


How Will Your Organization Achieve Its Goals Without The Best People?


How Do You Identify the Best People?


Will you gamble your companies success on a “Gut Check” or “Premonition”?


Performance and Behavioral Interviewing

Using Past Performance and Behavior to Predict Future Performance and Behavior


James Hardie Building Product

James Hardie: World leader in fiber cement siding, backerboard and pipe

National Accounts Department: Represent JH products at Home Depot, Lowes, and 84 Lumber.


Situation-No Recruitment Strategy

JH had a fragmented screening interviewing and hiring process

New hire training was on the job and informal

No recruiting ATS system in place

JH had and undefined candidate profile

JH Had a turnover of 70%

Competitors in the space have market share and long term history with DIY stores


Problem- Recruiting Limiting Growth

National Accounts Department Sales Under 200 Million National Distributors responsible for marketing JH- Boise and

Wharehouser and Babcock. Total National Account headcount at 18 reps with 5 Regional

Managers. Open Headcount of over 50 positions 3 hires a month through part time recruiters and agencies. Cost of lost business resulting from an empty territory was in the

millions.


Plan-Develop Recruitment Strategy

1. Define Behavioral Candidate Profile for successful National Accounts rep

2. Develop prescreening and interviewing process with Defined Behaviors

3. Develop in person interviewing process

4. Develop hiring process

5. Develop New hire process


What is Behavioral Interviewing?

“The premise behind behavioral interviewing is that the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in similar situations. Behavioral interviewing, in fact, is said to be 55 percent predictive of future on-the-job behavior, while traditional interviewing is only 10 percent predictive.”

Quintessential Careers


1. JH National Accounts Profile

Examine current behavior traits of successful JH Sales Reps and management and document parallel behaviors

Create a list of Identified successful behaviors to be integrated with the hiring process


Key Behaviors for successful JH Rep

Commitment To Task Problem Solving Active Learning Adaptability Selling Customer Value Achievement Oriented Communication Strategic thinking Marketing Teamwork Financial Knowledge Leadership


2. Prescreening Process

Defrag recruiting process

• Cut recruiters tie to all field managers

• Train recruiters on new screening, interviewing process

Implement Applicant tracking system

• Online Submittal System

• Online Questionnaire

Build online recruiting strategy

• Job Boards

Implement College Recruitment Strategy

• Career fairs in profile matching colleges


Prescreening Process Cont.

First phone interview go over basics

• Assess individual for position and company

• 4 of 12 behavioral questions asked

• Assign Field Study and follow up interview Performance Based Tasks – Field Study

1. Research JH background, financial, and market position

2. Research all JH Products and competitor products in each DIY store

3. Build and present 3 month territory plan Second phone interview

• Behavioral attributes are further identified through the candidate ability to complete the field study.

Successful candidates are flown to in person interview


3. In Person Interview Process

2-3 In Person interviews conducted monthly

• 10-30 candidates per interview

• Interview book prepared for managers

• Resumes

• Online Questionnaires

• Feedback from phone interviews and field study

• One of three behavioral interviewing forms

3 room interview process with holding room

• Two managers per room

• 4 of 12 behavioral questions per room

• Mole planted in holding room


Behavioral Interview Example Questions





4. Hiring Process

After In person interviews all mangers enter a group session to discuss candidates and assign territories for new hires

Candidate are usually required to make an immediate relocation


5. New hire Training

New Hires enter the most extensive new hire training program in the industry

• One week ride along with Regional Manager

• One week ride along with Senior Rep

• One Week corporate training

• One week manufacturing plant training with hands on installation exercises

• And off to the field they go!!!!


Results—Show me the money!

Turn Over reduced to 00% (Healthy Attrition)

6-14 hires per month

Department is currently at 00% revenue growth

National Accounts is now a 000 million Dollar a year department

Distributors are now relied on for shipping product and not marketing product


JH Manager Quotes

“The implementation of behavioral interviewing tactics has given my management team the ability to compare all candidates equally” Tim Birckbichler, Director of Sales for National Accounts

“Behavioral Interviewing can provide you with tangible examples of how a candidate meets your defined behaviors” Robert Patrizi, Mid West Regional Manger for National Accounts


NetZero

NetZero is a nationwide Internet Service Provider, available in more than 8,000 cities across North America.

NetZero offers unlimited paid service and a Free ISP.

I joined NetZero as employee 44 and was the first full time recruiter the company brought on.

NetZero the worlds largest free ISP


Differing work Cultures

NetZero is the worlds largest free ISP Due to rapid growth the company was constantly striving to

make development dates The company offered

• Meals

• Games

• Gym

• Sleep Room A normal developers day was 7 AM (Breakfast) to 7 PM (Dinner) Many would work more then 12 hour days and some would work

all night during release dates.


Problem - Finding the Right Developers

Developers Shortcomings

• Not used to rapid release schedules

• Not used to long hours worked

• Not able to code fast enough under pressure

Recruiting Shortcomings

• Not able to find talented enough individuals

• Not able to find right skills in local talent pool


Plan

1. Implement performance based position descriptions and hiring techniques

2. Expand candidate search activities to nontraditional techniques


1. Performance-Based Descriptions

Every job has six to eight tasks, projects or milestones that define superior performance.

Start at the one year performance review and work backwards. Hiring managers need to define the work a person in the job must do to be considered a top performer.

By putting performance first, you can find candidates who have achieved similar results using a different mix of skills, behaviors and competencies.

By starting off looking for skills, behaviors and competencies, you minimize your pool of top performers.


Assess performance history

Task: Document code and processes on a daily basis, as appropriate

Task: Respond to and/or process support requests (SharePoint Issues) within contract specified terms

Task: Submit up-to-date accounting of Time and Support Detail to PM on a weekly basis or as requested

Task: Deliver on time and on budget according to client/project requirements and according to the published project timeline.

Task: Attend scheduled status meetings

Task: Mentor other developers on projects as agreed to

Milestones: Within two months must be able to support clients with minimal assistance from others.

Milestones: Within six months have the demonstrated ability to serve as “Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for one client.

Project: Within 6 months complete Process Documentation for Application Support position

Project: Within one year Complete Professional Development Plan


Train the Managers

Gut Check

• Is it worth your companies success?

• Wait 20 minutes.

Years of experience

• Oracle dev

• Bakersfield ISP

Follow the process and 1+1 equals 2


2. Non-traditional recruiting methods

NetZero-Black Hat/DefCon

• Building security/Anti Hacking department

• Vegas 6 day convention

• Party in a suite, business card entrance fee

• Hire the hackers

• The trick, agents in the field

NetZero-National ISP Conference

• Find Highly talented ISP talent

• New Orleans 3 day convention

• Throw a dinner in the ball room, business card entrance fee

• Hire the competitors

• The trick, Agents in the field


Non-Traditional Recruiting Methods

Net Zero- Computational Linguist

• Traditional Methods of finding a candidate where turning up unqualified candidates

• Turned to Colleges, alumni Associations and blogging.

• After a 6 month search we found a candidate in Israel who located me on a blog I posted the position on.

• Position description is still on the web 5 years later.


Recruiting Strategy Results

Screened out candidates that would not be able to keep up with Net Zero's high stress environment

Found candidates that are used to long hours

Found the technically specialized individuals to make the company grow to the success that it is now.

Candidates clearly knew what was expected of them before starting the job.

Managers became better interviewers

Was able to expand the recruiting efforts to pull from a niche talent pool


NetZero Manager Quotes

“Performance Based recruiting has given the recruiting department an edge on finding the right candidates the first time without having to go through painful and costly backfills.”

Rafi Kurkdjian, Recruiting Manager

“My department attrition is down and my productivity is up, the process that the recruiting department has put in place has given us the direction we needed to weed out the good from the bad.”

Gordon Clarke, NOC Manager


STAR Technique

How to answer your performance based or behavioral Questions

Situation – describe the situation that you were in

or

Task – describe the task that you needed to accomplish

Action – describe the action you took

Results – What did you accomplish or learn?


Summary

Behavioral and performance based interviewing make for great candidates

Performance based starts with the position description

Behavioral starts with the proper profile

Retrain how you and your managers interview

Just the facts.

Documents

Performance and Behavioral Interviewing