To make recruiting more efficient and effective, keep in mind:

• Lack of consistency in evaluating candidates results from inadequate training.
• Partner interviewers often talk too much during interviews.
• Asking all candidates the same questions is ineffective.
• Using resumes as a guide to interview questions limits the input you receive.
• Poorly designed evaluation forms cause hiring decisions based on inadequate information. Checking boxes like “excellent,” “above average,” “poised,” etc. are the result of subjective determinations without standardized definitions.
• Partners often don’t provide information on what was learned in the interview, but instead provide questionable information like “looks good,” or “enjoyed talking to.”

The opportunity costs of hiring the wrong people are enormous. Here are some tips:

• Grades may not be an indicator of future success.
• While it’s important to sell the firm to the candidate, the primary purpose of the interview is to help reasonably predict candidates’ probability of success in the firm.
• It’s difficult to determine candidates’ intelligence during interviews. It is, therefore, more important to evaluate how they use their intelligence. Are they organized? Detailed? Do they communicate well? Will their personalities be compatible with others in the firm?
• Find out what motivates candidates. Money? Personal growth? This will help you determine how to best market to them.
• Use recruiting technology. See http://www.zoominfo.com/Search/.

To read the complete article, click here.

From Accounting Office Management & Administration Report, March 2006, p. 1. For subscription information contact Institute of Management & Administration, Inc., 3 Park Avenue, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10016-5902. One-year subscription $349. 212-244-0360, [email protected].