How to find creative people that fit

...or how to be the creative person that companies are looking for

No matter which side of the desk you're sitting on, one of the most anxious and stressful events you'll ever encounter is the job interview. The interviewer is worried about finding the right person. The interviewer is looking for someone who is creative, experienced, and who will fit well in the job, the department, and the company.

The interviewee is worried about finding the right job, one that offers an appropriate outlet for their creative side, one consistent with their experience, and one where they will fit in with the job, department, and company. Notice the similarities? Creativity and fit.

Creativity and fit are often the determining factors for hiring managers as well as aspiring job candidates. This article explores the three primary phases of hiring--recruiting; interviewing and selection; and follow-up--in detail. It gives some tips and techniques to maximize your ability to find
and interview the people who offer the best creativity and fit--and ultimately, the most long-term value to your company.

Although this article is primarily aimed at hiring managers, it applies to those seeking employment because it will help you better understand what the person on the other side of the desk is thinking and how you can meet their creativity and fit requirements.

Always be sure to check with your Human Resources Department--if you have one--before you begin the hiring process to ensure you are in compliance with your company's procedures and local regulations. Also, if possible, attend a seminar on hiring and interviewing to fine tune your skills.

Before we get too far along, it's important to clarify the concepts of creativity and fit. To help you understand the importance of creativity to hiring managers, think about whether you've ever seen a job posting that doesn't include the word creativity. According to Webster, creativity is "the quality of being creative; the ability to create." That description is a bit nebulous so I'll give you mine. Creativity is taking a consistently unique approach to a specific task or problem by linking and combining new and existing ideas in new ways.

Notice the emphasis on new ideas and new ways. That's what makes creativity so important for a job candidate. You should keep in mind that it takes creativity to discover creative people because they are not necessarily easy to find. This is especially so in today's job market with unemployment running at all time lows.

The issue of fit is equally, if not more, important than creativity. Unfortunately, many hiring managers do not spend as much time as they should trying to determine whether the job candidate will fit in the job and organization. In their rush to get someone to fill the position, managers hire people with appropriate skill sets but inappropriate personalities, work habits, and ethics, or business environment expectations.

The result is an enormous waste of time and resource because the manager often ends up repeating the process within the next six months. To ensure long term value, it is absolutely essential that managers actively seek persons with the correct mix of creativity and fit attributes along with the requisite skills and experience for any given job opportunity.

Three primary phases of hiring
There are three primary phases of the hiring process: recruiting; interviewing and selection; and follow-up. Each requires due diligence and planning to maximize the potential for finding the right people and minimizing the time it takes to find them.

The recruiting phase involves a careful definition of the role and responsibilities of the position, promotion of the job opening, and the review of the resumes. The interviewing phase--the most important phase--includes proper preparation, conducting the interview, administering any required evaluation tests, making a selection, and extending an offer. Finally one arrives at the follow-up phase--again, very important and often overlooked. Proper follow-up with new employees further enhances your probability of keeping and building a strong staff by identifying problems and concerns before they begin to inhibit productivity, morale, and the possible loss of the new employee.

Phase one--recruiting
In the recruiting phase you will need to consider and define the role and responsibilities of the position carefully as well as any required skills, experience, and educational requirements. Although it isn't a part of the formal job description, you should also think about the fit and creativity requirements for the position. For example, consider what types of personalities best fit in your department--extroverts, introverts, people who don't need a lot of supervision, or people who won't mind being closely managed. Second, you must promote the job opportunity to find the best possible candidates. Finally, you must screen the resumes carefully and set up interview appointments with the candidates that best meet your hiring criteria.

Once you've defined the role and responsibilities of the job and written a detailed job description, you need to begin promoting it to attract potential candidates. There are several ways to do this--some are free or relatively inexpensive, others can be quite expensive.

The method depends on how quickly you need to fill the position, the level of the position, and the budget you have to fill it. The three basic communication options for promoting job opportunities include advertising, networking, and the use of a professional recruiter--a.k.a.head hunter.

Advertising is the most common promotion method and offers many choices. These include local and metropolitan newspapers, trade publications, association newsletters, in-house postings, Internet postings, radio, and participation at job fairs. These are very effective and--with the exception of newspaper and radio--are relatively inexpensive. Often overlooked and underused options are the in-house posting, association newsletters, and trade publications.

Another underused recruiting method is networking with peers, industry associates, suppliers, friends, and other employees. These are excellent sources of good people and at a very low cost. Today, many forward-thinking companies offer employees a finder's fee when a person that they suggest for a position is hired.

You may also want to consider the services of a professional recruiter. These people actively pursue qualified candidates and bring the best candidates to you. While expensive--typically anywhere from 20 to 30 percent of the position salary--they are particularly effective for finding people in tight job markets, finding people with unique skill requirements, or finding people in a short period of time.

One area of caution: be cautious not to write the job description in the ad too narrowly. Your objective is to get as many good resumes as possible from which to choose. Write the ad to describe the basic requirements of the position and the basic skills while presenting your company as a desirable place to work. Better to get too many resumes than not enough.

When reviewing resumes, look for creativity in the resume and cover letter. Don't let design overshadow content. Many hiring managers make a mistake in not taking time to read cover letters. The cover letters often tell a great deal about the potential candidate's enthusiasm, creativity, desire, and level of interest in your company. Candidates who express some understanding of your business or opportunity probably did some homework in advance. That suggests a high level of pro-activity and self-motivation.

Finally, be picky about who you call for an interview. Don't waste time on people who aren't experienced in your field, have too much or not enough experience, or that are not in your salary range. It is acceptable to ask for salary expectations in your ad and to expect a range in the resume. Still, many people don't include their salary expectations in their response.

If you see a resume that looks good but didn't include a salary expectation, be sure to call and ask before making an interview appointment. You don't want to waste time interviewing people whose salary expectations are higher than what you have to offer. If you plan to administer skill evaluation tests, notify the candidate of your intentions at this time so the tests don't come as a surprise during the interview.

Phase two--the interview
Conducting a successful interview is key to selecting the right person for a job. And, the key to a successful interview is proper preparation. Most managers simply run into interviews without really thinking about what it is they want to accomplish. Then, they are disappointed when they can't seem to get the information they need to make a decision.

Prepare for the interview by thinking about what it is you want to know most and writing out the questions in advance. The questioning sequence should include questions about experience, skills, and fit. Plan the interview process so that you can better control the interview process instead of letting it control you. Review the candidate's resume just before meeting them and be sure to have any required skill evaluation tests ready before the interview. Preparation is important. Don't overlook this vital step.

By planning the interview process in advance, you ensure yourself that you will obtain the information you need without running long on the interview.

To ensure a successful interview, keep the following things in mind.

• Open the interview with a little light conversation and hold it in a neutral area--not your office--whenever possible. This minimizes the candidates anxiety.
• Leave enough time to conduct the interview so you gather the information you need in the allotted time period.
• Do more listening than talking. Resist the temptation to impress the candidate with your knowledge and position or brag about the company. Your primary concern is to learn as much as you can about the candidate.
• Take good notes. You probably will be meeting a number of people and it is easy to get people confused with one another.
• Watch the candidate's body language. You can tell a lot about a person from the body language they use during the course of the interview.
• Finally, never, never, never ask questions directly or indirectly about age, race, religion, marital status, national origin, or disabilities. First, it is none of your business. Second, these issues are not relevant to a person's ability to perform a job. Third, it is against the law to ask.
• Always check with your Human Resources Department to understand the law and what you can and cannot ask during an interview.

Creativity is taking a consistently unique approach to a specific task or problem by linking and combining new and existing ideas in new ways.

Describe the job--Present a detailed description of the position's duties, role, and responsibilities. Describe any skill, education, or experience requirements and any other special requirements such as special software knowledge, travel, or foreign language fluency.

Once you've described the position to the candidate, ask them if they have any questions about it. When you finish answering their questions, ask them if this is the kind of job they are interested in. Remember, the person is literally making a career decision and needs to know all the facts about the job, therefore complete disclosure is critical.

Remember also that you must position the job as favorably as possible without being misleading. Good people are hard to find and in short supply. Your task in interviewing is as much to sell the position as it is to find a qualified person to fill it. If the candidate is still interested in the opportunity after the description, you can move to the next step. Or, if there doesn't appear to be a match, it is acceptable to end the interview right there. Don't waste any more of your or the applicant's time.

Review the resume--Walk through the resume carefully with the candidate. Ask them to point out and provide details about any skills and past experience that match with the of the job you described earlier. As you review the resume, be sure to ask the candidate to articulate the exact contribution he or she has had on the achievements listed on the resume. Ask for specific reasoning behind choices they made.

Once you have reviewed the resume, ask detailed objective questions about needed experience, skill sets, education, and training that may not have appeared on the resume. Next, ask subjective fit questions such as self-evaluation questions, situational what-if questions, and career direction questions that help you get a feel for the candidate's ability to fit in with your department and corporate culture. It is important to ask a mix of open and close-ended questions to get the candidate talking.

Review the applicant's portfolio --If appropriate for the position, ask to see the candidate's portfolio--samples of previous work. Again, be sure to ask detailed questions about the candidate's exact contributions to the work. Was their contribution strategic or tactical? Did they come up with the original ideas or only implement them? Very often teams of people work on a project, and it is important to know what the exact contribution of the candidate was to evaluate properly whether or not they will be able to be successful in your company.

Administer evaluation tests--For specific skills, you may wish to conduct an evaluation test. Evaluation tests indicate the level of proficiency the candidate has in a given skill. For example, use of a specific software program, typing, proofreading, dexterity, or problem solving. Creativity tests may also be administered to get insights into the candidate's creative vision, imagination, and open-mindedness.

Some employers may request that candidates submit to personality profiling by third party companies that specialize in conducting and reporting these profiles. These tests can be expensive, but may prevent incompatibilities between the job and the applicant.

Review company benefits--When questioning and evaluation tests have been completed, it is important to spend some time reviewing the company benefits. Clearly communicate that the salary is only one of the elements of an employee's total compensation. Be sure to tell the candidate about health plans, 401(k), pensions, vacation policies, bonuses, educational support, and other benefits. Also, don't forget to discuss any other benefits that make the company desirable to work for such as casual days, working environment, company subsidized lunches, day care programs, and career growth opportunities. It is acceptable to skip this step if you determined that there is not a good match.

Answer the applicant's questions--If the candidate has made it this far, turnabout is fair play. Make sure to tell the candidate at the beginning of the interview that you are allowing time at the end of the interview for them to ask any questions they want to about the company, its policies, and working conditions. Pay particular attention here because candidates will reveal much about themselves, their motivations, and desires by the questions they ask--and just as important--those they don't ask.

Creativity in questioning
You get out of an interview what you put into it. It is critically important to prepare your questions ahead of time. Don't just ask questions on-the-fly. Avoid closed-end questions that result in a yes or no answer. Balance your questioning between objective and subjective questions. Objective questions reveal quantifiable information such as number of years in a certain role. Subjective fit questions reveal more person insights such as personality, interests, desires, sense of humor, initiative, honesty, aggressiveness, working habits, motivations, aspirations, attitudes, and more.

While it is important to follow your line of questioning, be flexible enough to deviate if necessary to probe deeper into a topic or to follow a different line of questioning temporarily as our interests dictate.

Most of all, have fun! Keep in mind, a job interview is not the Spanish Inquisition. If the atmosphere gets a too tense, ask a few off-the-wall questions to lighten the mood--What's your favorite color?" Or, "How do you tie a Windsor Knot?" Put the candidate at ease so you get the most honest answers.

Most of all, have fun! Keep in mind, a job interview is not the Spanish Inquisition.

Self-evaluation questions:
On a scale of one to ten... questions

• How would you describe your creativity? Why?
• How would you describe your curiosity level? Why?
• How would you describe your understanding of the industry? Why?
• How would you describe your people skills? Why?
• What do you like most about your current job? Least?
• What do you believe are the most important skills for this position? Why?
• How do you prioritize tasks?

• What is the first thing you would do if you were hired for this position?
• How to you approach tasks?
• Where do you see your career in 5 years? 10 years?
• Describe your perfect working environment.
• Do you prefer working alone or in groups?
• Do you prefer a lot or a little supervision?
• How do you handle deadline pressure?
• Describe your perfect boss.

It is much easier for both of you to make adjustments in the early stages of a candidate's tenure. After about two weeks, set up a luncheon meeting to find out how things are going. Ask questions such as: Have you found the resources you need? Is the job what you had expected? How are you getting along with your co-workers? What problems are you having? How can I help you? Repeat this procedure at the one-month time period.

Successfully negotiating the job interview minefield is a difficult task for the interviewee as much as it is for the interviewer. With proper preparation and keen understanding of what you are trying to accomplish, both parties emerge victorious. Following the simple guidelines above and practicing them regularly enables you to strengthen your team of dedicated and capable employees and hire creative people that fit.