Monday, July 16, 2007

The Hiring Process

One of the things I have to do, as a manager, is hire staff. While you may think it’s fun, it’s actually a very difficult and timely process.

Right now, I am interviewing for an open multimedia content coordinator position. Finding the right person to hire is not easy task. Often times your first impression of a person is based on their cover letter.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many cover letters I get that have my name or title wrong. I love when people give me a promotion. I received a resume the other day with my name on it and the title “news director”.  Where do those resumes end up? Trash can.

One of the most important things you can do is make sure you spell the hiring manager’s name correctly. If you don’t know how to spell it, call the station and ask. If you don’t know how to pronounce the name, call and ask for the person’s voicemail so you can hear them say it themselves.

As a hiring manager, once I read thru the cover letter I go for the resume. It’s not uncommon for a hiring manager to fly in candidates for further interviewing.  When I was hired, the station paid to fly me in from Boston. Background checks, drug tests, negotiating money and start dates are all part of a timely process.

You have a short amount of time to gain as much information about a prospective candidate, as possible.