Hiring the Best and the Brightest phần 3 pptx

A leading management consulting firm distributed a letter to student boxessigned by the recruitment team, heavy on alumni or at least MBAs fromsister schools, with brief highlights of th

Phase Two: Best-in-Class Pre-Recruitment 49

margaritas, and pan-Asian finger food This allowed first years to interactwith the recruiting team early on in the process, creating highly favorableimpressions of the very ‘‘real,’’ eclectic people they’d be working with side

by side It was also successful in increasing the number of MBAs who wise might not have been interested in investment banking but who wanted

other-to learn more about the company and other-to talk frankly about some of themisperceptions Most were pleasantly surprised

Lauded as exemplary for its diversity efforts, for example with women

on Wall Street, the firm sponsored a women’s panel with the Women inManagement Club Substantive issues were discussed: the differences ofworking in fixed-income sales and trading, private client services, or corpo-rate finance, co-mingled with straight-up, lively conversation about what it’slike to be a woman in banking and work-life issues impacting both men andwomen today in the workplace In line with their commitment to diversity,Goldman Sachs also sponsored the Stanford Business School women’s con-ferences in New York and Palo Alto and a dinner for Harvard’s gay MBAstudents It took the employer information session to new heights when theteam presented its prized economist, Abby Joseph Cohen, to a standing-room-only crowd at Kellogg Its other campus presentations were also hits,especially those that included a description of its role in the eBay IPO.What did Goldman Sachs accomplish? It strategically conveyed that itspeople are interesting, stimulating, and diverse, with all kinds of back-grounds but with the commonality of being exceptional in whatever they are

or do; that it is world class in its business and execution, with a strongemphasis on people and relationships; that it is accessible and really caresabout MBA recruiting; that it is an overall superb place to work

Paul DiNardo, Managing Director, High Technology Group, ment Banking Division, notes, ‘‘We stress creativity and imagination in ev-erything we do We pride ourselves on having pioneered many of thepractices that have become standard in the industry For several years, wehave taken the approach of hosting or sponsoring several events prior toactual interviews, targeted both at the general student population and spe-cific groups within the student body

Invest-‘‘We plan a calendar that includes a large firm-wide presentation andthen drill down to smaller events that focus on the work of particular divi-sions Our focus is on a broad and ongoing commitment to the businessschools as an important source of talent.’’

Team-Fly®

L’Ore ´al.The ‘‘e-Strat Challenge’’ launched by L’Ore´al this year was afirst of its kind A global Internet challenge for graduate students and stu-dents in their junior and senior years of undergraduate study, it included 400teams of three students each from around the world Each team operated inits own virtual world managing a portfolio of global brands over six consecu-tive 6-month periods and competing against virtual, traditional bricks-and-mortar competitors as well as new economy e-competitors in a Web-based,simulated cosmetics industry environment Each team was evaluated on itsfinal share price index, calculated on a combination of profits, brand marketshares, number of registered customers, and level of customer relationshipmanagement Teams from forty-two countries took part The top threeteams, from Spain, Turkey, and the U.S., were announced with great fanfare

in April, flown to L’Ore´al’s Paris headquarters in May, and awarded as agrand prize an all-expense paid trip to London, Tokyo, or San Francisco.Notes Martial Lalancette, Director of HR, Corporate Strategic Recruit-ing, ‘‘This is the perfect illustration of a L’Ore´al initiative: ambitious andinnovative projects on a worldwide level The success of our e-Strat Chal-lenge reinforces our strategic orientation, especially concerning e-recruit-ment.’’

L’Ore´al achieved high-profile visibility, emphasizing its global reach andformidable marketing and strategy abilities

Charles Schwab & Co.In an interview with Shelly Anderson, former

VP of Corporate Staffing for Charles Schwab, she discussed the mix of vative pre-recruitment activities that made the company a standout on MBAcampuses that year Schwab hosted half-day sessions on-site at its offices withthe career center professionals from their schools so that they could learnmore about Schwab’s culture, services, and recruiting plans and could meetkey people within the firm Anderson notes, ‘‘This helps the career centerprofessionals understand our business and culture so they can refer the bestcandidates for Schwab jobs.’’ In a strategic move at several of its pre-recruit-ing events, Schwab used its CEO, Dave Pottruck, an impassioned speakerwho resonates with students At UC Berkeley, the firm put into action theidea of one of their summer marketing interns The intern served as thestudent ambassador and helped the firm’s Berkeley recruiting team host 175students for an investment seminar This proved to be a success in generating

inno-interest in both investing and employment opportunities at Schwab

Four-Phase Two: Best-in-Class Pre-Recruitment 51

teen different investment clubs co-sponsored the event To underscore itscommitment to diversity, it sponsored a ‘‘Diversity in the Workplace Con-ference,’’ which Anderson says ‘‘helped the firm dramatically increase thediversity of the candidate pool looking at Schwab on Bay Area campuses.’’The conference drew more than 100 student club presidents and officers.They were invited to Schwab for the day to discuss what diversity looks like

in American business today, how to evaluate it in potential employers, andwhat questions can be asked Sessions were led by the VP of diversity andthe diversity task force

What did Schwab accomplish? It convinced candidates that, in addition

to its extraordinary reputation as an innovator in technology and a model

in corporate philanthropy and community outreach, it takes time to buildrelationships with the career centers and students, and that it values its sum-mer interns in recruiting effectively

Eli Lilly and Company.The health care/pharmaceutical company vided a cool-looking cart offering international coffees, cafe´ lattes, biscotti,and functional, fun commuter mugs for Stanford’s International CareerForum The cart was at the entrance of the job fair and open to both MBAstudents and the fifty companies participating Lilly successfully conveyedone of its core messages: Although based in the Midwest, it is a global com-pany with an impressive international management team, and contrary towhat some may perceive of health care/pharmaceutical firms, employees havefun and flair

pro-General Mills. The Stanford recruiting team hosted a breakfast ofchampions complete with its cereals and yogurts The company set up acentral meeting place for students in the courtyard, where the team couldmeet and greet interested students This is a tradition at the school, and thestudents come away with positive impressions of the company’s expanse ofexciting products The company also demonstrated in action its winningteam approach to working together, the leadership it values in its people,and its organizational abilities

Ta r g e t a n d C o m m u n i c a t e w i t h Yo u r M B A

C a n d i d a t e s

Before you host your employer information session and other recruitment activities, you will want to do some marketing communication

pre-to generate some intrigue and interest among students as well as pre-to startbuilding your presence This is a perfect time to do some en masse commu-nication to create visibility, and to target and communicate with the candi-dates you are interested in Here are some tips:

• Find out how the career center already advertises or can help you to Itmay list your events in a weekly update on its Web site, or it may postone of your flyers on its bulletin board

• Think about announcements or invitations by e-mail with a ‘‘click here

to add to your Outlook calendar’’ or as hard copy for distribution tostudent mailboxes

• Create some cool posters that are catchy but not cute

• Send special e-mails to targeted student clubs Keep it short: key points,with dates for pre-recruitment and recruitment, or e-mail the wholeclass, if that option is available, or send something home (their re´sume´shave their addresses)

• Take a look in the class re´sume´ book or do some advance searching ofthe online database for the kinds of candidates who match your desiredprofiles Communicate directly with this targeted subset Personalphone calls can make an impression

• Capitalize on the word of mouth by former employees who are nowstudents, or ask a faculty member you know well to announce yourevents in class

Companies have used the gamut for their marketing communication

A leading management consulting firm distributed a letter to student boxessigned by the recruitment team, heavy on alumni or at least MBAs fromsister schools, with brief highlights of the recruiting plans for the year; keydates for summer events, career interviews, and pre-recruitment events; andcontact information for each team member so that students could call onany one of them with questions

A top investment bank convened a breakfast for former associates whowere now at the business school to keep them informed on recruiting plans,

to get their input, and to ask that they help get the word out

An up-and-coming consulting firm gave the first-year class, right beforetheir first midterm exams and way in advance of their interviewing, a carepackage including highlighters, aspirin, a deluxe street map of nearby San

Phase Two: Best-in-Class Pre-Recruitment 53

Francisco, and movie passes It printed on a Post-it pad the dates of itsplanned interview and pre-recruitment activities

A Midwest manufacturing company sent out a three-part e-mail leading

up to an invitation to its employer information session and to visit its table

at an upcoming school-sponsored career fair In part one of the e-mail, itemphasized some recent product innovations and business successes In parttwo, it noted its recognition as one of the most admired companies to workfor and other positives about its culture In part three, it showed a humorousexample of two houses side by side, illustrating what $200,000 could buy inthe Midwest versus Silicon Valley

You’ve Got Mail.E-mail can be one of the most effective mediums formarketing communication for the obvious reason that it is quick, efficient,and low cost Effective recruiters make theirs grab attention by carefullycrafting what goes in the subject line and including links and the ‘‘mail to’’option for easy replying

The Crystal Ball.In a brainstorming session with some recruiters whowere on campus for a recruiter briefing, we discussed what we’re seeing onthe horizon for pre-recruitment Although many companies still host din-ners, receptions, and lunches, these are being de-emphasized in favor of

smaller, more focused events What’s in for pre-recruitment activities? An

alumni panel followed by an informal wine and cheese reception or pagne dessert buffet; a barbeque at an executive’s house; light snacks at abilliards watering hole; cruises on the bay; a brunch or tea; a football gamewith a tailgating event before; small groups of seven to ten students hosted

cham-by company managers at a smattering of favorite local restaurants; a bowling

or casino night; and business plan competitions

Some activities on the horizon predicted to be hot and which someone,somewhere is probably already doing include a golf tournament, a scavengerhunt, a party, weekly online chats with a different manager in the companyworking on interesting stuff, renting out a movie theater In addition tobeing pre-recruitment activities, most of these could also be used for call-backs or sell weekends

Phase Three: Interviews

D R I L L - D O W N
6 SELECT AND TRAIN YOUR

cam-cruitment activities and interviews are the company to them That’s why it’s

so important to choose wisely the people who will represent you for yourcampus recruiting You’ve done your research at this point and you knowthe nuances of the school Utilize your knowledge to make smart choicesabout the people who will resonate with the specific school and its MBAs.Involve those who will be impressive emissaries for you on campus

C o n s i d e r t h e Te a m A p p r o a c h

Many companies use a team approach per school They involve alumni

of the school, when they have that luxury, and a senior manager who can becalled on for high-profile efforts, such as performing as the lead relationshipmanager, speaking at the employer information session, building relation-

Phase Three: Interviews 55

ships with the dean and faculty, or closing the deal on the offers the companywill make Additional team members typically have recruiting experience,are role models and stars, or are enthusiastic and want to help

You ‘‘are’’ the people you send to the schools, so choose your ers wisely, using these guidelines:

interview-• Don’t focus on titles; rather, choose those who are enthusiastic aboutworking in the company, are good with people, and can be effective inmarketing your organization

• Use a mix of backgrounds, levels, functions, groups and departments,gender, ages, and ethnicities Ideally, call on people who have MBAs oradvanced degrees themselves

• Select people who embody your culture and your company’s personalityand energy

• Put your best foot forward This is the time to call on your role models,stars, and those with interesting backgrounds and careers to date

• Balance those who are experienced in recruiting with some comers who have ability and potential, thereby doing your successionplanning and building bench strength for future recruiting leadership

up-and-• Make sure to have at least one person from HR on each team Onecould be assigned to a group of schools, for example five to ten schools

on the East Coast Ideally, one senior HR manager who is responsiblefor MBA recruiting (e.g., a VP or director of global MBA recruiting,campus recruiting, or university relations) could work up front withevery team to develop a consistent strategy and integration across allteams, but could appoint a staff member to handle the day-to-day activ-ities

HR or whoever is driving MBA recruiting can name a school teamcaptain, someone could volunteer to be the leader, or the team chouldchoose amongst themselves—whatever works A team captain who is chosenbefore the team members can be called on to recruit others

If you are using a team approach, the people who do pre-recruitment(plus or minus a few) should also be involved in interviews If it’s not possi-ble to have the same pre-recruiters and interviewers, then at minimum some-one needs to be responsible for the hand-off of ‘‘intelligence’’ and progress

to date so that your company’s efforts are coordinated In other words, one needs to debrief on the pre-recruitment activities for the school and let

some-the interviewers know how things went (level of participation, types of tions and issues that the students raised, and the competition and recruitingpicture at the school).

ques-W h e n t o U s e H R

Although I have a deep respect for HR, individuals from HR shouldnot as a general rule interview MBAs There are two main reasons: (1) Typi-cally, HR is either misunderstood or less respected by MBAs than the line-function executives who are central to the action of the business (2) Thestudents will want to interview with the managers (or ones like them) forwhom they’d be working

The exception for HR doing the interviews is when an interviewer cels at the last minute and you need a knowledgeable replacement The HRperson does come from a line position as a banker or a consultant or amarketing director or has knowledge about the business

can-Also, for summer intern interviews it may make the most sense for HR

to conduct the interviews, especially if there will be only one interview andyou need someone with broad knowledge of all your company’s departmentsand groups that have intern openings Someone from HR can recruit onbehalf of all the managers who have openings

A Sample of the Team Approach.When I was VP of corporate versity relations at Bank of America, we invited the top seventeen executives(our CEO, COO, executive VPs) to be the relationship managers at our topseventeen (of fifty-two) schools Based on a needs assessment, we knew wehad about thirty different groups in the company with overall hiring needs

uni-of 350 to 425 undergraduates and MBAs Although the bank was goingthrough a major downsizing, the senior team had the vision and foresight tosupport and even strengthen campus recruiting efforts to keep building thepipeline of the best talent for the future

Our HR group developed a short list of possible team captains—alumnifrom the school and our stars with really interesting careers The seniorrelationship managers also had a say as to who was appointed team captainfor the school We had a kick-off with all the senior executives for thoseteam captains, and then asked them to help recruit team members whowould be involved on the campuses

Phase Three: Interviews 57

HR’s Core Function.In this case, we, as HR, provided expertise to theteams in several ways: formulating overall strategy for campus recruiting;providing information and research on the schools; assisting in development

of an individual action plan per school; making sure that all efforts andactivities were integrated; managing the budget; briefing all who were in-volved on campuses so they were well-informed; and ensuring that all in-volved knew the big picture and had the tools, resources, and administrativehelp on the campuses that they needed

We also took on all the operational activities so that the teams couldfocus on the personal interactions and critical activities at their schools Forexample, we handled all the scheduling and logistics of the pre-recruitmentevents and interviews This included developing invitations to events; choos-ing the venues and planning the menus and set-up for receptions; workingwith the hiring managers to write the job descriptions; ordering and distrib-uting the school re´sume´ books to the team; organizing the second rounds;developing the offers with input from the compensation group and hiringmanagers; all tracking and reporting by school (metrics and results vis-a`-visgoals); managing the applicant tracking system and re´sume´ database; andworking through any issues between the schools and our recruiters or amongdifferent departments that wanted to pursue the same candidates

• Your CEO or a senior executive kicks things off with opening remarksabout the importance of MBA recruiting to the company, followed byintroduction of team members and their critical roles in this endeavor

• The senior HR executive or someone with broad knowledge of all

re-cruiting activities paints the big picture: overall plans for rere-cruiting,number of openings and groups within the company participating,schools selected, highlights of what’s planned and when on the cam-puses; plans for second rounds, key themes you are trying to communi-cate at your schools, timing of when you’ll get packets to them, and

HR team members’ roles and responsibilities

• Q and A period

• Interview training: what to expect on campus the day of the interviews;advice for conducting the interviews; sample questions; evaluation crite-ria (fit and job-specific), which can be discussed in broad terms if theseare not defined; and the legal, illegal, and PC (politically correct) ques-tions they should be aware of

• Hands-on learning for those newer to interviewing:

Role playing One person plays interviewer, another interviewee, and

a third an observer who gives feedback Give each triad a job scription and have them brainstorm interview questions Rotatethe three roles until each person has played each one

de-Dramatizations Act out a good interview from start to finish, fromgreeting to close, and then a bad one Discuss and evaluate.Bringing in an interviewing expert or organizing a panel discussion

of your more seasoned interviewers to share lessons learned andgive advice

Handy Handouts. Handouts should be included in binders for theteam members The information you give them needs to be organized forease of use You can also put a copy of the handouts on your Web site foreasy access and updating If you really want to go the extra mile, your hand-outs for all the teams will include:

• Master time and action plan in chronological order for MBA recruiting

• List of schools targeted

• Target numbers and specific job titles being recruited for by each sion and group, with copies of job descriptions

divi-• Interviewing team members’ names and pictures (perhaps with schoollogo) and contact information

• Recruitment materials, including anything the students will see, andyour McKinsey 7 Ss or key themes and messages

Phase Three: Interviews 59

• Plans by school: key dates and names of pre-recruitment activities; campus interviews; and follow-up (i.e., when someone will get back tothe candidates about next steps or with a rejection)

on-• Sketch for second-round plans on-site, with timing and a rough agenda

• Sample interview questions, evaluation criteria, and a rating sheet (ifyou have them) There is a template in Appendix D

• For each school team, add to the above school-specific research: Website printouts; key people; the academic and recruiting calendar; anypertinent rules and policies; recent hires from the school and where theyare now in your company (title and group); organizational chart forcareer center staff; recruiter guide; placement report; student club list;admissions information and the school annual report; and to go theextra mile, your written findings on the fifteen dimensions of the schoolfrom your research (see Chapter 3, Drill-Down #2)

Ta r g e t C a n d i d a t e s O n e M o r e T i m e

As a last push before your schedules become available for students tosign up, do some further outreach Contact those who were at your employerinformation session or other pre-recruitment events; review the re´sume´ bookand target candidates from there; and ask former employees who are now inthe school to help with word of mouth Use the sign-up list from youremployer information session to invite those students to a more personalactivity, like a visit to your local office Send e-mails to club leaders withsome reminders about your interviews and ask them to pass these on to theirmembers

D R I L L - D O W N
7: LEVERAGE THE INTERVIEW

Team-Fly®

American Management Association at www.amanet.org Other resources areyour HR department; a colleague outside or inside your industry who hasdone a lot of interviewing; your local library, bookstore, or HR professionalassociation, such as the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)

be filled in with actions, such as used creativity, solved a complex problem, influenced a difficult group of people, dealt with a crisis, conceived an idea and quickly put it into action, or faced failure.

For the preliminary on-campus interviews, behavioral questions related

to job content and general cultural fit with the company are most commonlyasked Questions probing technical areas and qualifications can be focused

on later, on site during the second rounds

In Chapter 6, ‘‘Interview Lessons Learned,’’ extraordinary managersfrom several companies share their broad and deep experience in recruitingMBAs and managerial and executive-level candidates, offering their favoriteinterview questions, approaches, and philosophies

To refine your list of interview questions, review what you covered inyour interviewer briefing; think about the questions you’ve been asked overthe years from great interviewers; and consider what you are trying to evalu-ate and how you can best draw out that information Interview questions are

as different as interviewers Some interviewers are more formal and have aset of questions they’ll ask each candidate so they can calibrate the results.Others treat the interviews more like a conversation There’s no magic for-mula Typically, since the on-campus interviews last 30 minutes, you willhave time for both the more general behavioral and fit questions The prob-ing and technical questions are for the second rounds

S t a r t e r L i s t o f O n - C a m p u s I n t e r v i e w Q u e s t i o n s

The first ten questions are designed to gauge the MBA’s motivations,ambition, and maturity; intentional versus haphazard choices in life; ability

Phase Three: Interviews 61

to communicate and think on his/her feet; self-awareness; and what the son values:

per-1. Why did you decide to get your MBA?

2. What have been the best and worst parts of the experience? What haveyou learned the most from your experience? Favorite class and why?

3. What do you consider special about yourself ?

4. Tell me in 2 minutes or less what you’re most proud of in each of thejobs you’ve had, and why you made the moves you did (It will becomeevident quickly if this person can synthesize their 3 to 5 years of experi-ence and decisively cut to the chase in prioritizing what to emphasizefor you.)

5. What would your boss, peers, and staff tell me about you?

6. What are your top three work-life priorities?

7. If the applicant went to a school for undergraduate education that youare not familiar with, ask about the selectivity of the school: What wasyour GPA? What kinds of courses did you take and your class rank?You may also want to ask about GMAT scores, where the MBA ranked(percentile), and current grades Note that this is off limits at someschools

8. What do you think you want to be doing in the next 2 to 5 years?

9. What are your top three criteria for evaluating among your offers?

10. What’s important to you in a company? Culture? Your job content?The people? The senior team? The products or services?

The second set of questions uses a behavioral approach designed toassess how the candidates have behaved, acted, and performed in the past,which is one of the best predictors of future performance:

11. Describe a time you failed How did you handle it?

12. Tell me about a time when you had to influence people who did notreport to you

13. Give an example of a time when you took a risk

14. Tell me about a time you had an idea and implemented it

15. Give an example of a time when you had to become an expert night

over-16. Give an example of a time you had to make a major decision withminimal information What did you rely on to fill in the blanks?

17. Describe a time when you broke the rules or had to support a policyyou did not agree with

The last set of questions is for evaluating fit—fit with the job, with yourcompany, level of interest:

18. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

19. Why do you want this job? Our company? What could you contribute?

20. What do you know about us that you like? That you don’t like? Assessour recruiting efforts so far How could we improve?

Ta x o n o m y o f a n I n t e r v i e w

There are five distinct phases of an interview:

Phase I: Break the ice and put the candidate at ease

Phase II: Confirm what job you’re interviewing for

Phase III: Ask questions, then circle back to cover areas you need moreinformation on to evaluate

Phase IV: Give the candidate a chance to ask you questions

Phase V: Close, next steps, and thanks If you know you want to pursuethe candidate, do some soft selling End on a positive note

In Phase I, try to get the person to relax Introduce yourself, extendyour hand, make some small talk to put the candidate at ease

In Phase II, reiterate the job title you’re recruiting for and the group.You can add something warm like, ‘‘We’re delighted to be here, and I aminterested to find out more about you and your background.’’

In Phase III, ask your behavioral interview questions and take notesthroughout for jogging your memory later After the fifth interview, thecandidates could begin to blur together Be sure that after you’ve asked thecandidate a question, if there is a silence, you do not try to fill the awkwardvoid by talking Give the candidate time to think

It is useful to rank and prioritize the candidates continuously out I attach my notes to the corresponding re´sume´ and rank their order