Mark Your Calendar Now!
The 2003 statewide Healthcare Human
Resources Conference is scheduled for May 8-9th in East Lansing
at the Kellogg Convention Center on the campus of Michigan State
University. Our keynote speaker is Bruce Tulgan from New Haven,
CT, author of Winning the Talent
Wars and other books on the
subject of the Generation X and Y employee. His keynote will
launch the conference and promises to be an enthusiastic and
entertaining presentation.
This exciting day and a half event is
loaded with excellent topics and an impressive slate of
national speakers. The topics include diversity, compensation,
career pathing, retention,
benefits trends and HR metrics. We've
assembled three vice presidents of human resources from
hospitals in Connecticut, Texas and Michigan and consultant
speakers from Wisconsin, Virginia and Illinois. In addition, a
four-member panel discussion will be presented on the topic of
school-to-work/poverty-to-work. The panel will consist of a
university professor from North Carolina, a high school
counselor, an employer and the president of
Goodwill Industries and will focus on
exemplary programs, which facilitate the transition from school
and poverty to the workplace.
The conference brochure will be mailed in
March so plan to register as soon after that as possible.
If you would like any information prior to that time, call
Steve O'Connor at the MHA at
1-800-747-5755. Don't miss a minute of
this exciting opportunity to reconnect with your healthcare
human resources colleagues from around the state and to learn
the latest trends in your profession. All of this while
enjoying the unique beauty of the campus of Michigan State
University in the spring. The campus trees will blossom and so
will new professional relationships for you at the 2003
Michigan Healthcare Human Resources Conference.
See you in East Lansing in the spring!
Steve O'Connor SPHR
MHA-Lansing
Conference Planning
Committee Chair
1-800-747 5755
Open Up Job Candidates with These
Questions
Interviewing job applicants should be more
than a rehashing of resume facts. Here are some questions that
may reveal more important insights:
• “What
do you think it takes to be a good worker? Why?”
• “If
I called three of your coworkers, how would they describe you?
What do you think they would say are your three biggest
strengths?”
• “If
I called your previous boss, what do you think he or she would
tell me you need to do better?”
• “What’s
the best way to make friends on a new job?”
• “What
kinds of people do you have difficulty working with?”
• “What
kinds of decisions are most difficult for you?”
• “What
professional accomplishments are you proudest of?”
• “What
do you think you can offer this organization that no one else
can?”
-Adapted from Hire
Tough: 267 Proven Interview Questions for Hiring the Best
Employees, by Mel Kleiman (HTG
Press)
Follow These Suggestions
When Choosing New Hires
Recent layoffs have made it a
buyer’s market for employers in some industries. But
having a wider field from which to choose new staff
members makes it that much more
challenging to choose wisely. Max Messmer, CEO of staffing firm
Robert Half International, offers these pointers for selecting
good hires:
• Make a list. Determine
the skills and competencies you’re looking for, then
devise a system that will enable you to objectively compare how
well each candidate meets your needs.
• Go on the offensive.
Don’t assume that because more people are unemployed Mr.
or Ms. Perfect Hire will come to you. The candidate of your
dreams may still be employed elsewhere. Before settling for
someone who doesn’t quite measure up, “shop”
trade and professional associations or use a search firm to
zero in on the person you really want.
• Don’t go too fast. Sometimes employers make the mistake of spending
a great deal of time with the first few people they interview,
then becoming bored and rushing through the rest. If
you’ve decided applicants are worthy of an interview,
then try to give each of them equal consideration.
• Don’t go too slow. Once you’ve made your decision,
don’t dally over the offer. If you think this person is
ideal, chances are some of your competitors will think so, too.
Adopt This Strategy to Avoid
Hiring Mistakes
Leaders are conditioned to make important
decisions in a snap. But when it comes to hiring, wise managers
take their time. Try this strategy:
• Forget
conventional wisdom. First
impressions are important — they tell you whether a
person is nervous, well groomed, on time, and adequately
prepared. But those aren’t the only issues to consider
when looking for the ideal employee. You’ll need a bit
longer to gauge whether someone is a good cultural fit for your
organization, has a personality that will mesh easily with the
rest of your staff, or possesses the experience and know-how to
perform the job.
• Suspend judgment. Consciously
avoid giving a mental thumbs up or down to any candidate until
you’ve concluded the interview and reviewed your notes.
If, say, you hate a candidate’s hairstyle or accent, you
may unwittingly dismiss everything else that person says or
does in the interview-and rob yourself of a crucial talent.
• Err on the side of experience. While intangibles such as personality and camaraderie
are important, past performance is still the greatest
indicator of future success. Give more weight to a
candidate’s demonstrable skills than to perceived
potential.
• Remember you’re not infallible. Finally, don’t assume you can simply
will yourself to remain objective throughout the interview. If
you tend to make quick decisions in other areas, it will be
hard to keep from doing the same here. By striving to achieve
self-awareness, you can rein in your unconscious impulses.
-Adapted from “First Impressions:
SuspendingJjudgement for Smarter Hiring,” by Laura
Gassner Otting, on ExecSearches.com
