Hack:
Re-interview your team

By Jason Bernstein - Director of Software Development, IBM Cognos Now! at IBM

September 20, 2010 at 8:34pm

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Summary

Its not good enough just to hire them. REhire them. Managers tend to pigeonhole employees, and employees tend to pigeonhole themselves. Don't forget why you hired them - their problem solving skills, their thinking outside of the box. Put them through the rigors of the interview process again and learn one more time what their desires are, stretch their mind outside of the normal workday requirements, and have them tell you again what interests them.

Problem

We all get used to what we're doing. Sometimes we interview for a position and find a great candidate, and then the employee gets stuck in that role with no feeling that they can go anywhere else. And management forgets that they are more than what they have been pigeonholed to be. The solution is often employees interviewing again - just at another company.

Solution

Set up mock interviews. Go through the process so you and your team can reinterview a candidate that you have already hired. Pose the same questions you would pose to an actual candidate. FInd out about their:

Expertise
Long-term Goals
Short-term Goals
Extra-curricular activities
Interests

Give them problems to solve. Have them solve them during the interview - just like in a real interview. Pose problems both from actual issues from within the company, but also normal (and advanced) interview questions simply to make them remember the "theory" of the job (like design patterns, algorithms, etc.) that they may shortcut around during the normal work day.

Have other employees conduct the interviews. Preparing for the interviews breaks the tedium of the workday. It reminds them of the core values that the team is looking for. It also has employees who may not know a lot about each other learn more about them.

Plus, by performing these interviews, you train the team to be able to interview NEW candidates from outside. Many teams are not skilled in the interview process, from either side of the desk, and this activity will benefit everyone.

Practical Impact

Increased collaboration
Better knowledge of coworkers
Improved interviewing skills (interviewer and interviewee)
Reminds everyone what you are looking for
Refreshes skills

First Steps

This can be implemented anywhere in the hierarchy. Just set it up and run with it.

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November 4, 2010 at 4:54pm

David Sims

This is an interesting idea, and I can clearly see the advantages from the manager's point of view. Wondering if the interviewee sees it the same way. I mean, given that job interviews rank right up there with trips to the dentist and buying used cars in the list of activities that normal people dread, what's the incentive for an employee to take the time to do this. Unless, of course, it's mandatory, in which case it seems like a variation on the performance review.

Jason, I'd be interested in hearing whether you've done this or seen this done at organizations?

November 14, 2010 at 2:09pm

Jason Bernstein

My company encourages people to learn what they do well and what they don't and work on both.

As a manager, I am interested not only in producing the most I can from my team, but developing them so that when (not if, but when) they choose to move on to another team or another company, they are prepared. By being open with them about my intentions, I earn the trust and they are more likely to stay with me, and be more competent as a result.

So, I agree - interviewing is not a fun experience. Wouldn't you like it if your leadership team actually encouraged you to get better at it?

The experience gained during interviews is incredible - being able to think on your feet, tackle problems outside of your current scope of work, speak clearly, etc. - are applicable not only in interviews but in any meeting in which you nee to get your point across. By working with my team to develop these skills, I make them better employees and people all around.