The Bagg Group Blog

Picture this: An IT manager and his boss are interviewing a promising candidate.  As the manager provides some background on the IT department, his boss rolls her eyes and says, “For heaven’s sake, get to the point, nobody has all day to listen to this.”   

And with just that one sentence, a good candidate may be ready to speed out the door.   

Some might grumble that the candidate is too easily scared away.  But not so.  According to studies, research on the effects of rudeness in the workplace shows that it negatively affects those who observe it as much as those who are a target of it.  

Second-hand rudeness is not unlike second-hand smoke, it can harm everyone in the room.  And candidates interviewing for full-time positions, contract work or even temporary placements seek out healthier environments.

A few years ago, management professors at University of Florida carried out an extensive study on rudeness.  They found when employees just observed a boss browbeating a subordinate, their level of performance decreased.  The study concluded: “Simply observing discourteous behavior can erode the ability of fellow employees to think creatively, solve problems and act as team players.” 

At The Bagg Group, we have 40 years of helping clients at the best companies across the GTA interview the top talent that we refer to them.   When our clients set up interview panels, we offer these suggestions. 

Have a game plan:  Before the interview, all those in the room should be clear about who will ask which questions, and who is tasked to give what information.  Everyone should be aware of the length of time allotted for the interview. 

The reality is you may be unable to quell the rudeness of an abrasive boss or colleague.  But with a game plan, they will know what to expect and can decide when to come and go during the interview if they are impatient to be doing other things.  

Give interviewees a heads up:  Candidates want to prepare for interviews.  It is helpful to alert them ahead of time if they’ll be meeting with a number of people, and to give them the names and roles of each person.  Like any business meeting, people want to know who will be at the table before they walk through the door.  

Role model:  At The Bagg Group, we hold a long track record for great placements.  That’s because we never forget that a good fit isn’t just about getting someone with the right skills.   

The person also needs the right disposition for the relationship to be successful.  The way the members of your panel interact gives the candidate a sense of how people work with each other at your organization, and whether your company’s inter-personal dynamics are right for them.

While the Donald Trump blunt style of leadership may result in good ratings for The Apprentice, it wouldn’t do much for attracting and retaining great talent in the GTA.  

Browbeating just doesn’t help with the bottom line.  As management professor Amir Erez who co-authored the study simply says, “ Being nice to people has a lot of advantages.”

 Here’s a question you may never have thought to ask a job candidate: “If you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and put in a blender, how would you get out?”   Yet that’s what a hiring authority with Goldman Sachs asked when interviewing a candidate for an analyst position.

Or what about this question,  “What do wood and alcohol have in common?”  That one was put to a candidate for a staff writing job with Guardflex.

Those are just two of the 15 oddest questions, allegedly asked by top flight employers in the US in 2010.  The US job site Glassdoor.com sifted through 80,000 interview questions shared online by job-hunters to compile their list of stumpers.

With 40 years of interviewing candidates to successfully match people and organizations across the GTA, staffing experts at The Bagg Group don’t recommend peppering interviews with brain-teasers.  But we do suggest asking candidates some behaviour-based questions, albeit straightforward ones. 

We know that skills and experience aren’t the only factors to consider when hiring for a full-time position, contract work, or temporary placement.  The candidate also needs to have the attitude and approach that fits with the organization’s culture. 

We work with our clients across the GTA on developing attitude-based questions that make sense for the position.  The key when asking these types of queries is to put your own bias aside, and stay focused on listening for the traits that meet the needs of the team.  This can be trickier than it sounds.

Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, author of Great People Decisions notes that we all have a strong natural tendency to hire people who are like us, or make us comfortable.  But he warns, to make a good hire, we need to seek a match for the team’s personality, not our own. 

An interviewer might be a lone wolf who recognizes and appreciates another lone wolf when he or she meets one. But if the position involves a lot of team-work, then it’s the collaborative type who’s the best fit. And that’s where the behaviour-based questions come in. 

“Describe what a team environment means to you?”  and “What would you do if some team members reject your idea?” are examples of queries  that provide insight into a candidate’s approach to group dynamics, according to University of California research. 

Or you could take a more unique tact and pose the question said to have been asked by an interviewer at Capital One, “Rate yourself on a scale of one to 10 on how weird you are.”  But that might not tell you much.

An interviewer with Volkswagen in Germany allegedly asked a candidate who was vying for the position of business analyst, “What would you do if you just inherited a pizzeria from your uncle?” 

The interviewer apparently hoped to determine how the candidate would handle any project that she inherits.  At The Bagg Group, we maintain it would prove more helpful to ask the question straight up, just to be sure the answer isn’t influenced by a sudden craving for a cheese and pepperoni slice.

By the way, as to what we’d do if we were reduced to the size of a pencil and stuck in a blender, most of us agree with an online commentator who said, “I’d take a job with a different company.”

The popular TV series Lie to Me is inspired by the scientific discoveries that the face, body and voice provides clues to hidden feelings. 

As recruiters who are experts in the art and science of in-depth interviewing, at The Bagg Group we know that people send non-verbal cues.  But as many behaviour experts warn, the show Lie to Me oversells the point.  Making snapshot judgments can be unfair to candidates.

For example, psychologist Kevin Ochsner noted in an ABC TV interview on the subject that a person who is concentrating can be mistaken as angry. In both cases, people tend to narrow their eyes and furrow their brow.

That said, we can’t help but pick up signals from each other.  And certain signals can instantly put people at ease which is useful for the interview process.   

In his book Louder Than Words, Joe Navarro, a former special agent with the FBI and leading expert on nonverbal communications, talks about the power of what he calls “movement to action.” This includes the simple gesture of getting up to greet someone which sends a message to the person that they matter. 

Mr. Navarro writes that when bank managers or account managers get up to greet new or old customers, the customers rate the encounter as more satisfying.

He adds that his study shows that clients enjoyed a positive effect for a day, and even longer, when they were welcomed by a receptionist who stood to greet them, rather than by one who remained sitting behind a desk.

“It makes sense, we feel special when people move to action on our behalf and it makes us feel appreciated,” says Mr. Navarro.  He notes that parents instinctively use “movement to action” when they run to greet a child with open arms, which causes delight in the child.  

Writing in Psychology Today, Mr. Navarro notes, “We even find that jurors tend to look upon attorneys with greater empathy when those same attorneys stand as the jurors come into the room. This rise to action, which demonstrates respect, can and does influence individuals and not just in business or the courtroom.”

Conversely, failure to move to action can send a message that you are indifferent to the person coming to see you.  Such a signal can skew an interview. Interviewees may feel immediately defensive or nervous, believing that they have to turn cartwheels to make an impression.

That’s why after forty years of listening and “reading” candidates to ensure successful placements,  all of us at The Bagg Group urge hiring authorities across the GTA to pay less attention to the oversimplified claims of Lie to Me, and more attention to those small gestures that set the stage for an open conversation.

For more on nonverbal communications, Joe Navarro’s newest book is Louder than words: take your career from average to exceptional with the hidden power of nonverbal intelligence. He also co-wrote the 2008 book, What Every Body Is Saying: An Ex FBI’s Guide to Speed Reading People.

Recently, an A-level candidate met with a staffing solutions expert at The Bagg Group and said he was seeking a change because his boss’s negativity brought down the entire team. That’s certainly not the first time that a toxic workplace has prompted the departure of an excellent employee.

Candidates who have much to offer choose upbeat work environments.

With four decades of successfully placing people in full-time jobs, contract work and temporary positions, recruiters at The Bagg Group know that the saying, “birds of a feather flock together” holds true when it comes to attitude. Hiring authorities who think positively attract and retain positive thinking employees.  

Similarly, there’s truth in another cliché…misery loves company.  An employee who is easily defeated by problems will align quickly and comfortably with a boss who sees only doom and gloom.

But in an interview, everyone tends to be on their best behavior.  With that in mind, hiring authorities at  top companies in the GTA have asked how The Bagg Group staffing solution experts discern between negative thinkers and positive ones when meeting with candidates.  We do it by listening closely to what people tell themselves, and others.    

Negative thinkers complain and judge; positive thinkers assess, consider and explore possibilities with curiousity.     

The following chart from the Mayo Clinic offers some examples of the differences between negative and positive talk.

Negative self-talk                              Positive self-talk

As experts in interviewing, we know that a funny thing happens to you when you listen intently to determine if someone approaches work from a positive or negative perspective.   You start to notice your own communication patterns. 

Are you being upbeat or unenthusiastic? Our staffing experts say the minute they feel they are being negative, they change their  tone because every good interviewer knows the golden rule, established by Confuscius, “Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.”

After 40 years of interviewing candidates to ensure they are the right fit for our clients, The Bagg Group has a well-known reputation for conducting insightful interviews. That’s why hiring authorities across the GTA often consult us on the subject.

One key piece of advice is to use of your limited time effectively. We know you have busy days and can’t afford to spend hours with each candidate.   A good rule of thumb is to ensure the candidate does 75% of the talking.  At a first meeting, it’s critical for you to spend most of your time together listening so you can assess the person’s potential.

If you find you’re doing more than 25% of the talking, you may be falling prey to one of three common pitfalls. 

1. Recounting the history of your organization:  Telling the history of anything takes time, more than you likely have to spare.  Moreover, it’s not essential information that you need to impart.  This is research that the candidate can do on their own time, and should have done before the meeting

2. Detailing your own career path:  It’s not unusual for a candidate to ask how long you’ve been with the company.  One anecdote leads to another, and soon you may find you’ve talked more about your experience and less about the candidate’s than you’d like.

3. Swapping industry gossip:  It’s hard for people in the same industry not to talk shop, especially if they have people and places in common.  

A little chit-chat is great, and recommended to put the candidate at ease. But it’s easy to lose track of time and have little left for the nitty gritty of the interview.

Also, keep in mind that what is said in the interview room doesn’t necessarily stay in the interview room.  When you trade war stories, it’s easy to make off-the-cuff comments that you may not want the candidate to repeat later. 

Two other common pitfalls to watch out for:

Letting first impressions rule:  We all make snap judgments.  Before a person says two words, we can be wowed or unimpressed by their personal style.  

However, as staffing solution experts who have successfully placed hundreds of people in full-time positions, temporary jobs and contract jobs, we know that first impressions can be wrong. 

The candidate who wears an eccentric tie can prove to be a fantastic team-player.  The one with tattoos may not look likes the sales rep you had in mind, but could have the best people skills you’ll ever come across.

Allowing the candidate to have an easy ride: At The Bagg Group, we ask our candidates hard questions, and only recommend those whose answers satisfy us. But we know that a candidate can be nervous in meeting with a hiring authority.

You may be feeling so sensitive to a person’s case of the nerves that you don’t want to add to their stress by throwing them a curve ball.  Sometimes, being too nice doesn’t do anyone a favour. Ask challenging questions as you need and allow the candidate to rise to the occasion.

The art of writing a good resumé is taking on renewed importance as unemployment rates remain high and the number of candidates vying for the same job increase. Yet many job hunters are making mistakes that eliminate them from the short list, say recruiters.

“It is a very competitive landscape,” says Jackie Chua, general manager of the Full Time search arm with The Bagg Group in Toronto. “There are lots of resumés to be reviewed.” Spelling and grammar mistakes, fluffy or vague language and bad formatting are still prevalent when sifting through a stack of resumés, so many recruiters say there is a need to get back to the basics….

Many organizations use applicant tracking systems that will automatically search for certain keywords used in the job postings. If those words don’t appear in a job hunter’s resumé or cover letter, they could be weeded out, so make sure to read the posting carefully.

Tailor your resumé to each organization and align it and your cover letter with the needs of  the organization and the posting, demonstrating you have done your research. It all starts with the first document a recruiter will see.

Cover letters should be no longer than three concise, succinct paragraphs outlining your skills, education and experience in relation to the job posting. In the last paragraph, outline why you are interested in the job and the company by showing you have done your research on the firm.
Most recruiters advise against using a functional resumé that groups skills; instead, utilize a more effective chronological resumé that highlights jobs individually. Professional experience and education should be first and second on the resumé. Avoid using corporate job descriptions, since your job has likely evolved or expanded during the time you have worked there. Instead, use concise language to be as specific as possible about key roles and the achievements you have reached, such as milestones and performance targets.

In both cover letters and resumés, make use of white space to avoid clutter. Similarly, avoid long bullet lists and compress the points into smaller groups that are easier to read.

The standard format is Microsoft Word, but pay attention to the job posting. There has been a trend toward using Adobe Acrobat (.pdf ) documents, but Word is preferred unless an alternate format is requested in the posting.

Stick to the past 10 years, other than any very important previous experience, since you can elaborate on older experience if asked.

Use positive language and make sure all dates are accurate, since recruiters often verify this information. If you fudge a date, it could come back to haunt you if you get the job…. it’s more important than ever to keep in mind most resumés are not just submitted electronically, but also viewed in that format. Too many people leave the spelling, grammar and formatting functions turned on when submitting a document, only highlighting and magnifying mistakes and generally cluttering the document.

Job hunters can set themselves up for success long before they even start looking for a job if they keep their resumé current. It’s easy to forget key information as time passes, so keeping a document updated on a regular basis will help ensure it stands out and includes all relevant information.

Finally, check with references that they are OK with you using them, but don’t list their names and contact information on your resumé. Just note that references are available upon request, and tell your references what you are applying for so they can have some thoughts prepared if contacted.

Throughout the process, keep in mind the person reading the document. And remember the document’s purpose.”A resumé isn’t to get you a job, it’s to get you an interview,” Ms. Chua says.

excerpts from the National Post, FP Careers, Wednesday November 16, 2009

In our business, an interview is a science and an art.  With a long track record of successful placements, we have learned a thing or two about how to conduct this very unique assessment tool. That’s why many hiring authorities across the GTA consult our staffing solution experts on how to interview effectively. 

Everyone knows that interviews are nerve-wracking for candidates, but the fact is that they can also be challenging for those doing the interviews.

Those with a responsibility to fill full-time positions, contract opportunities and temporary positions have a lot at stake. At The Bagg Group, we only send excellent candidates to be interviewed, so for our clients the challenge is to choose from our well vetted short list.

Those who aren’t supported by expert recruiters have it much harder.  A wrong hire typically reflects poorly on the person who did the recruiting. 

Whatever the situation, here are a few proven tips from interview experts at The Bagg Group:

Start with an ice-breaker.  Open the meeting with a little friendly chit-chat, a stroll to the kitchen to get a coffee, or quick tour of the facilities.  In making the candidate feel more comfortable, you are setting the stage for a candid chat.

Take jot notes:  It is common practice to sit face-to-face and just talk, without any props. But it’s advisable to jot down questions, as the candidate speaks, on areas you want to probe.  If you don’t, there’s a good chance these may slip from your mind altogether. Also, notes help you remember key details, and pluses and minuses to discuss with your recruiter or colleagues after the interview.

Let your feelings be your guide:  An interview is an assessment, not only of qualifications but also of corporate fit.  Picture this person talking to a client, or in a weekly department meeting. Cut the candidate some slack for being nervous, but a person fails to sit up in the chair and make eye contact, you are right to be concerned. 

Stick to your agenda:  It is so easy for an interview to slide into an informal, friendly chat between two people getting to know each other and their work situation.  But it’s a good idea to avoid getting too casual.  

Remember, anything you say is fair game to be repeated to outsiders, or if this person is hired, to colleagues. The interview isn’t a case of what is said in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas.  Also, you will want to be positive about your organization, or you risk turning off a top candidate.

Consult your recruiter for input with questions: All questions should be “why, how and what” questions. At The Bagg Group, we partner with our clients to help them devise insightful questions that will elicit useful information.

The key is always to ask questions that determine how they would handle specific work situations and how their approach and values align with those of the organization.  Asking the candidates to walk you through actual relevant examples helps you determine their problem-solving process. 

Give your recruiter feedback: Check out our May 12 blog (In Giving Feedback- You’re Doing Yourself and the Candidate A Favour) for tips on debriefing following an interview. You’ll see why feedback can make all the difference to the search process.

At The Bagg Group, we meet many highly skilled new Canadians who have enthusiasm to burn and yet who tell us they have a hard time getting any employers to talk to them. A study that came out of UBC last fall confirmed that those with foreign names were less likely to be interviewed for job opportunities. In fact, the research conducted by economics professor Philip Oreopoulos said that people with English names were 40% more likely to get an interview than those with the same education and experience who have Indian, Chinese or Pakistani names.  

The study also showed that Canadian experience matters to hiring authorities. Resumes that showed foreign names and education but had one previous job in Canada listed got almost double the number of calls than those resumes that showed no Canadian experience at all.

To quantify the realities of foreign skilled workers, a team at UBC sent out more than 6,000 mock resumes to 2,000 online postings by employers in the GTA.

Time is right to make a difference.

Interestingly, the time has never been better to give skilled immigrants a chance to get some domestic experience that can make all the difference to their lives.

It’s well-known that economic adversity sparks creativity. And now the recession is also proving to be an opportunity to increase diversity in the workplace.

In these days of downsized staff, many top employers in the GTA are turning to temporary workers and contract workers to help balance the workload of overburdened employees. And these temporary workers and contract workers include highly skilled new Canadians seeking experience in Canadian offices.

They are a proven resource. For example, IT professional contract workers, who often have diverse backgrounds, have been important contributors to companies for years.

And recently, human resource professionals across the GTA have reported these two finding to The Bagg Group:

• Post cutbacks, full-time employees are often stretched thin, doing the job of two and losing a chunk of their day to tasks that don’t require their skill level. Offloading activities to temporary workers significantly improves productivity and morale in the workplace.
• Contract workers are the solution to completing projects that full-time staff no longer have time to tackle. As one successful client told us, moving projects off the backburner in a recession can give a company a competitive edge when they need it the most.

At The Bagg Group, we live the values of a fair society. We focus only on ensuring all the candidates on our roster have strong up-to-date skills and the right attitude. These are the requisite attributes to get the job done, and to do it well. That’s all that matters to us and we know that’s what matters to our clients.

And wherever workplaces can demonstrate that the skills of high-performers can be transferred not just from department to department, but from country to country, so much the better for all who celebrate Canada’s values of diversity.

If you are not working with temporary workers or contract workers, consider talking to staffing solution experts on how they could make a real difference to your company’s productivity, to the morale of your employees, and perhaps to some new Canadians.

The other day I stumbled on the blog of an IT specialist in the UK that got my attention. Phil Bennett is a job-seeker with an all-too common gripe.

He writes that after being sent out on interviews, his recruiter failed to return his calls or emails to let him know how he’d fared. Phil adds, “Perhaps the company left valuable feedback for me that I’m not receiving and could further my chances next time.”

I sympathize with Phil. Firstly, it’s unprofessional for recruiters to not communicate with candidates post-interview. And just as importantly, it’s unkind to leave someone on pins and needles, waiting and worrying by the phone.

At The Bagg Group, debriefing isn’t an option, it’s essential. What’s more, we need to know the impression of the candidate, and the client, to ensure a good fit for both.

But job-seekers like Phil might be shocked, and disappointed, to learn that it’s not uncommon for hiring authorities to neglect to give recruiters feedback on interviewees.

And that’s a missed opportunity, not only for candidates but also for companies. Every bit of feedback from a client helps us refine our search.

I can’t emphasize enough how honesty truly is the best policy. In speaking with your recruiter, you have the freedom to be blunt about your impression of a candidate without worrying about impact. It’s our job to ensure we pass on useful notes to job-seekers in a constructive, respectful way.

To get the best staffing solution, information that is extremely helpful to know includes:

• What did you like about this candidate?
• Did the person have the right skill set for you?
• Did you feel they had the right personality for the job?
• Did you feel they had the right attitude to fit in with your team?
• What didn’t work for you? 
• What mannerisms irked you about this candidate?

I remember that in 2006 when Starbucks was in a hiring frenzy, the New York Times ran an article on the company’s “candidate bill of rights.” As a show of respect for applicants, hiring managers were encouraged to respond quickly to candidates with personalized notes or phone calls rather than form letters. Plus, as a gesture of goodwill, all interviewees were to receive Starbucks gift cards, in nominal amounts, regardless of whether they were hired.

I was impressed that Starbucks recognized that today’s candidate is tomorrow’s customer. That holds true for all of us, recruiters and clients alike. And is there any better way to respect the customer than by giving them information that can help them succeed?

Trivia question of the day… Who coined the phrase, “Honesty is the best policy”?

(And no, it’s not a Bagg Group recruiter, although we live by those words)

The answer: Miguel de Cervantes, the 17th Century Spanish novelist who wrote Don Quixote. I quote his words whenever hiring authorities ask me how to get the most out of their recruiting agency.

If you were a fly on the wall at a meeting between a hiring authority and a recruiter from The Bagg Group, you might be surprised by the breadth and depth of the conversation.

Asking questions on a range of issues is how recruiters help you build your best team. So, for example, when a staffing expert inquires about the pet peeves of the position’s direct manager it’s not to judge or critique. It’s because they know that little things can make the difference between success and failure on the job.

Here are just a few questions that you can expect from recruiters who are experienced in providing top-notch staffing solutions for you:

• Tell me about people in your firm that have worked out the best, and why?
• What are the direct manager’s pet peeves?
• How would you describe your company’s customers?
• What are their expectations and issues?
• Who are the internal clients that new employees must serve?
• What are their characteristics?
• What are their challenges?

I recommend that clients meet staffing experts face-to-face and take them on a walk about. A tour helps recruiters get a feel for the people and the energy of your organization. Again, this is contributes to finding the best fit.

And here’s an important tip: make sure you are having a two-way conversation with your recruiter.

The best employers use recruiters as their staffing coaches. Experienced recruiters have a wealth of knowledge to share about hiring and retaining employees. And our clients are right to make the most of it.

The guidance and tips they receive from our staffing experts are based on facts, figures and thousands of discussions with managers and candidates over the years.

(For a good article on retaining employees through engagement, check out Gerard Seijts and Dan Crim’s article in the Ivey Business Journal, The Ten C’s of Employee Engagement. )

So – to help your recruiter be the best solution provider possible, sit down with him and her and tell it like it is. I can’t tell you who originated that turn of phrase, but I can assure you that it’s one well worth remembering the next time your recruiter calls.