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January 2012, Leadership
Planning Effectively for the Hiring Process
As we are all aware the hiring season for coaches and administrators is upon us. The past few months have produced a considerable flurry of job openings, interviews and hiring decisions. Going into this period with a firm understanding of the hiring process is very important.
The hiring process involves many different steps, which should be fully coordinated. Listed below are the various steps in the search and hiring process with some advice to help ensure a successful outcome and a legally defensible process:
Identifying Job Duties and Responsibilities
The first place to start is to clearly define the duties of the position. The best way to do this is to identify the critical responsibilities of the position, which forces you to analyze and prioritize expectations. Try to limit this category to no more than five duties. Of course, most positions will have many more responsibilities, but they can be listed as secondary duties. Doing it this way allows you to stay focused on getting the right match of skills to ensure the critical tasks are met.
Establishing Required Training and Experiencing
Following the identification of critical duties it is important to identify the type of background required for success. What are the specific skills, knowledge and abilities required for success in this position? What are skills or background that may be preferred, but not essential? Is it permissible to substitute experience for training? Are you willing to allow candidates from atypical backgrounds to be considered if there is evidence that they can meet the job duties outlined above? Resolving these questions early allows you to make informed decisions about recruitment strategies.
Selecting Recruitment Methods
The key element in all successful searches is a broad and expansive recruitment and advertising effort. Having already identified what you are looking for in a candidate you can select recruitment strategies that are specific and targeted to that audience while still including other strategies to ensure an expansive search. Types of recruiting strategies include internal announcements, outside advertisements, direct sourcing, soliciting recommendations and nominations, and retaining search firms. The more effort you make in ensuring an expansive search effort the less likely the search will be challenged.
Screening Applicants
The first task in the screening process is to eliminate candidates who do not meet the minimally required credentials. Sorting these applicants very quickly will allow you to spend your time more productively in reviewing resumes. The best approach is to rely on the training and experience requirements you have outlined for the job as your review criteria. By referencing and applying these requirements you ensure that the search is being conducted fairly and legally. A simple scoring system that ranks the candidates can be an effective way to review the applicants and to demonstrate a fair review process.
Effectively Reading Resumes
Reading a resume quickly and effectively is an acquired skill, but there are some tips to keep in mind. Be on the lookout not only for the right training and experience, but also for a pattern of achievement. Assess the career trajectory of the candidate along with job stability. Look for someone whose career choices demonstrate a willingness to work hard and can show substantive accomplishments. Pay particular attention to gaps in employment or career stumbles. Further explanation of these circumstances may be required.
Interviewing Candidates
An effective job interview should be a discussion rather than simply a firing line of previously drafted questions. There is nothing more disappointing than a ten-person search committee each asking one question without allowing for creative follow-up questions or discussion. Nothing is learned in that environment. At the same time it is important that each candidate has the opportunity to address the same categories of questions. This can be accomplished without taking the life and spontaneity out of an interview setting.
Interview questions should focus on education, knowledge, experience, skills and accomplishments. In particular the interviewer should try to ascertain a candidate’s ability to learn, initiative, creativity, flexibility, organizational ability, problem solving skills, work standards and commitment to detail.
Interview questions should never focus on race, religion, sex, national origin, height, weight, marital status, children, age, economic status, medical condition or disabilities.
Reference Checks
Once the interview process is completed the search usually narrows to a small handful of candidates. These candidates are sometimes difficult to separate based on their credentials and their interviews. The only way to separate the candidates is to conduct a thorough background check. As a courtesy to the candidates and to protect you, let them know that you would like their written permission to check on their background. By speaking to not only their listed references, but also other individuals that you may be familiar with who can help you assess their candidacy, you will learn a lot about the candidates. Satisfactory references are crucial for candidates to advance in the job search.
Selection
With a well-run search the final choice among outstanding candidates will be very difficult. It is always important to be able to objectively cite why a particular candidate was selected, but subjective influences are permissible as well. The real test is to be able to articulate why one candidate was selected over another one even if that explanation combines both objective and subjective reasons.
Dave O'Brien J.D. has been a college sports executive and educator for over 25 years. He served as a Division I athletic director at Long Beach State University, Temple University and Northeastern University for 16 years (1991-2007).
O'Brien is currently the Director of the Sports Management Program at Drexel University where he also teaches at the undergraduate, graduate and law school levels. In addition to his academic position, O'Brien is the managing partner of the O'Brien Sports Group which provides a wide range of consulting services to the college sports industry, including NCAA rules compliance, risk management audits, business support services, executive recruitment, training workshops and more. He is also an editor of College Sports Business News.
O'Brien is active nationally in sports law matters as co-author of a monthly column on college sports law issues published in College Athletics and the Law and as a consultant on sports topics including pay equity, retaliation, harassment, Title IX, and coaching contracts.
Prior to becoming an athletic administrator, O'Brien served in a variety of roles in higher education, which included assistant to the president for legal and legislative affairs at Montclair State University and the assistant vice president for administration and finance at Long Beach State. He also served on the legislative staff of the New Jersey Senate and practiced law in New Jersey.
O'Brien is a graduate of Moravian College and Seton Hall Law School, and has also attained certification from the Sports Management Institute as part of its inaugural class. He can be reached at dobrien@collegesportsbusinessnews.com