of that; if we went to the same school, I remember that. I look for any shared experience that we might have. Whatever the hook, I use it to make the person feel more comfortable. Then, before starting the questions, I refer to the thing we have in common, often by making a joke about it.

Joking and using appropriate humor are ways to encourage others to lower their guard. For instance, I usually start by offering candidates something to drink: “Water? Do you want that on the rocks?” “Coffee? Leaded or unleaded?” “A coke? Want rum with that?” It’s not hilarious stuff, bu

Bad hiring decisions cost organizations, both in dollars and lost opportunities. But getting the right people in the right places doing the right thing is not easy. It requires painstaking efforts and objective information. Mergers, acquisitions, downsizing, and growth all require an unprecedented need for information about how to hire top performers and a framework for assessing the competencies required to lead people during extraordinary times. Therefore, hiring the right people involves more than guesswork and subjectivity. The formula is simple but not easy: know what a squirrel is and set a trap to catch them.

“Russian Doll” management, the phenomenon by which managers repeatedly hire and promote miniature versions of themselves, will not take organizations where they need to go. Instead, diversity of thought and creativity will be required to offer the ingenious solutions to tomorrow’s complicated problems. Finding these superlative leaders of tomorrow requires hiring the best and brightest people now. However, many organizations continue to hire squirrels instead. What is a Squirrel?

Simply put, a squirrel is a creature that does not belong in your organization. It is a creature that, no matter how much you try, will for now and always be a squirrel. You can’t fix squirrels. Trying to do so is a little like marrying a person and hoping you can change him or her. It just doesn’t happen. Squirrels are uncooperative, aggressive, destructive creatures that will cost you company significant sums of money. In fact, some researchers estimate that a squirrely hire can cost your company up to four times that person’s yearly salary. So, if you are hiring someone for a position that earns $100,000 a year, you are quickly facing the loss of a million dollars of damage if that person doesn’t work out. Clearly, organizations want to avoid hiring squirrels, but how can you tell a squirrel from a non-squirrel? Set the Squirrel Trap

The first step in setting the squirrel trap is to put the person at ease. One of the things I do before an interview is the same thing that most interviewers do. I look at the resume. But in addition to looking for the usual things like experience and education, I search for something that we have in common. If the person has lived in a part of the world that I have, I make note of that; if we went to the same school, I remember that. I look for any shared experience that we might have. Whatever the hook, I use it to make the person feel more comfortable. Then, before starting the questions, I refer to the thing we have in common, often by making a joke about it.

Joking and using appropriate humor are ways to encourage others to lower their guard. For instance, I usually start by offering candidates something to drink: “Water? Do you want that on the rocks?” “Coffee? Leaded or unleaded?” “A coke? Want rum with that?” It’s not hilarious stuff, but

l is and set a trap to catch them.

“Russian Doll” management, the phenomenon by which managers repeatedly hire and promote miniature versions of themselves, will not take organizations where they need to go. Instead, diversity of thought and creativity will be required to offer the ingenious solutions to tomorrow’s complicated problems. Finding these superlative leaders of tomorrow requires hiring the best and brightest people now. However, many organizations continue to hire squirrels instead. What is a Squirrel?

Simply put, a squirrel is a creature that does not belong in your organization. It is a creature that, no matter how much you try, will for now and always be a squirrel. You can’t fix squirrels. Trying to do so is a little like marrying a person and hoping you can change him or her. It just doesn’t happen. Squirrels are uncooperative, aggressive, destructive creatures that will cost you company significant sums of money. In fact, some researchers estimate that a squirrely hire can cost your company up to four times that person’s yearly salary. So, if you are hiring someone for a position that earns $100,000 a year, you are quickly facing the loss of a million dollars of damage if that person doesn’t work out. Clearly, organizations want to avoid hiring squirrels, but how can you tell a squirrel from a non-squirrel? Set the Squirrel Trap

The first step in setting the squirrel trap is to put the person at ease. One of the things I do before an interview is the same thing that most interviewers do. I look at the resume. But in addition to looking for the usual things like experience and education, I search for something that we have in common. If the person has lived in a part of the world that I have, I make note of that; if we went to the same school, I remember that. I look for any shared experience that we might have. Whatever the hook, I use it to make the person feel more comfortable. Then, before starting the questions, I refer to the thing we have in common, often by making a joke about it.

Joking and using appropriate humor are ways to encourage others to lower their guard. For instance, I usually start by offering candidates something to drink: “Water? Do you want that on the rocks?” “Coffee? Leaded or unleaded?” “A coke? Want rum with that?” It’s not hilarious stuff, bu

in your organization. It is a creature that, no matter how much you try, will for now and always be a squirrel. You can’t fix squirrels. Trying to do so is a little like marrying a person and hoping you can change him or her. It just doesn’t happen. Squirrels are uncooperative, aggressive, destructive creatures that will cost you company significant sums of money. In fact, some researchers estimate that a squirrely hire can cost your company up to four times that person’s yearly salary. So, if you are hiring someone for a position that earns $100,000 a year, you are quickly facing the loss of a million dollars of damage if that person doesn’t work out. Clearly, organizations want to avoid hiring squirrels, but how can you tell a squirrel from a non-squirrel? Set the Squirrel Trap

The first step in setting the squirrel trap is to put the person at ease. One of the things I do before an interview is the same thing that most interviewers do. I look at the resume. But in addition to looking for the usual things like experience and education, I search for something that we have in common. If the person has lived in a part of the world that I have, I make note of that; if we went to the same school, I remember that. I look for any shared experience that we might have. Whatever the hook, I use it to make the person feel more comfortable. Then, before starting the questions, I refer to the thing we have in common, often by making a joke about it.

Joking and using appropriate humor are ways to encourage others to lower their guard. For instance, I usually start by offering candidates something to drink: “Water? Do you want that on the rocks?” “Coffee? Leaded or unleaded?” “A coke? Want rum with that?” It’s not hilarious stuff, bu

e loss of a million dollars of damage if that person doesn’t work out. Clearly, organizations want to avoid hiring squirrels, but how can you tell a squirrel from a non-squirrel? Set the Squirrel Trap

The first step in setting the squirrel trap is to put the person at ease. One of the things I do before an interview is the same thing that most interviewers do. I look at the resume. But in addition to looking for the usual things like experience and education, I search for something that we have in common. If the person has lived in a part of the world that I have, I make note of that; if we went to the same school, I remember that. I look for any shared experience that we might have. Whatever the hook, I use it to make the person feel more comfortable. Then, before starting the questions, I refer to the thing we have in common, often by making a joke about it.

Joking and using appropriate humor are ways to encourage others to lower their guard. For instance, I usually start by offering candidates something to drink: “Water? Do you want that on the rocks?” “Coffee? Leaded or unleaded?” “A coke? Want rum with that?” It’s not hilarious stuff, bu

of that; if we went to the same school, I remember that. I look for any shared experience that we might have. Whatever the hook, I use it to make the person feel more comfortable. Then, before starting the questions, I refer to the thing we have in common, often by making a joke about it.

Joking and using appropriate humor are ways to encourage others to lower their guard. For instance, I usually start by offering candidates something to drink: “Water? Do you want that on the rocks?” “Coffee? Leaded or unleaded?” “A coke? Want rum with that?” It’s not hilarious stuff, but it does serve the purpose. It causes a smile or laugh, and the ice is broken.

The second phase of trap setting is to interview smarter. There are volumes of books written on the subject of good interviewing techniques, but here are a few that you may not have considered

· Ask why they left their last job. This is not revolutionary. Most seasoned interviewers make this a part of their protocol. The words of the candidate’s answer are not as critical as the nonverbal responses, however. The candidate will have rehearsed a good reason for leaving: The position was eliminated; opportunities for growth were minimized; a merger caused redundancy in positions. All of these are valid reasons for leaving, but you have to be sure the answer is true. Instead of looking at your notes or reading from a resume, look at the person’s eyes when you ask this one. Is the person looking you in the eye? Did the eyes dart left or right? Any facial touching? Fidgeting? Touching other objects? All can be an indication that the person is not telling the truth.

· Ask why they want to work in your organization. This one will show whether they have done their homework. If they are just looking for a job, that will show too.

· Give hypothetical scenarios and ask what they would do in each. No one can prepare for these kinds of questions, so you will get a glimpse of the thinking patterns of the individual. Most interviewers already do this one, but examining your scenarios and asking yourself whether they really get to the heart of what you’re trying to discover can help you improve the value of the questions.

· Finally, ask about their areas for improvement. Everyone asks this one, so applicants anticipate it and prepare the malarkey responses. But you can push back and catch them off guard when they answer, “I expect too much from myself.” By saying, “Oh come on. Every applicant since the Pharaoh hired pyramid workers has used that one. What’s a real one? What would your direct reports tell me? What would your boss tell me?” If, after some serious probing on your part, the person still can’t come up with any areas for improvement, the person is either unconscious or seriously dedicated to impression management.

Finally, gathering more and better data can help avoid hiring squirrels. Most interviewer