Questions That Get Results: Innovative Ideas Managers Can Use to Improve Their Teams' Performance

Chapter 6. Questions That Hire

Just the thought of hiring a new employee makes many managers shudder! Sifting through endless resumes, fielding phone calls to make appointments, and then sitting through interview after interview takes its toll on even the most dedicated among us. Many managers dread having to spend even one more minute on the hiring process.

Does that sound like you? If so, I have good news and bad news. The bad news: There is no quick, easy process to follow if you want to hire the right person. The good news: By using the techniques described in this chapter, you will learn how to hire employees who will be amazing assets to your company, those who will not just "fill positions" but who will benefit your company now and in the future.

In 2004, a well-known financial services company hired Phil Fenton ^[1] as its sales director. During Fenton's nine months on the job, the company paid him $90,000. But in 2005, his employers fired him because he had not done his job; specifically, they claimed he spent most of his time at work making personal phone calls or listening to music. Following his termination, Fenton's employers went a step further: The financial services company sued him for $300,000— $90,000 for his salary plus $210,000 in lost revenue. The company realized, after the fact, how vital the position of sales director could be. Its lawyers calculated just how costly it had been to employ someone who did not perform his duties well, and that total came to three ...