One of those
rare resumes passed across my desk not long ago. It came from
the right person at the right time. The candidate had broad knowledge
about an issue I wanted to focus on and had won prestigious prizes
for two outstanding pieces. His work was exemplary, showing thoughtfulness,
diligence and daring.
He should
have been perfect for the job, but when I met him for an interview,
my enthusiasm waned. For one thing, he seemed to think he had
already been hired by the time he walked into my office. He had
brought his wife along to check out the city they would be relocating
to. While he talked with me, his wife told my employees how lucky
I was to have the chance to work with him.
During our
nearly two-hour conversation, the candidate didn't look me in
the eye once. His gaze was fixed on a corner of the wall to the
right of my chair. I moved my face in an effort to catch his gaze.
He moved his focus to the wall on my left.
I wondered
whether he was simply shy or remote and inaccessible. My concerns
heightened when he failed to say anything positive about anyone
he had worked with or for in the past. Many of his ideas were
unfocused. "I like to work things out on my own," he said. "I
don't like to be second-guessed by superiors."
When I checked
his references, they spoke highly of his intelligence but said
he was a loner who not only disliked collaborating with colleagues
but resented direction and feedback of any kind. One former boss
described him as arrogant and stubborn.
I decided
not to hire him, concluding that for all his talent he would have
trouble working in a culture that expected considerable teamwork
among staff members. A colleague of mine, convinced he could train
him, scooped him up. He quit after just six months.
It's not
easy to pass these people up. Talent is hard to find. As a manager,
you may need some specific skills on your staff and so focus mainly
on the candidate's resume, overlooking the kind of worker he is.
That's especially true these days as the rapidly expanding Internet
economy creates more jobs than there are people to fill them.
You may also face pressure from superiors, who want some superstars
on their staff and don't have to live with the consequences.
But
looking only at credentials is a mistake. "Teamwork and getting
along with others is critical," says Pat Cook of Cook & Co., an
executive recruiting firm in Bronxville, N.Y. "You can't afford
to have a me-only employee who wants to always be first in the
boss's eyes and who alienates the rest of your staff," she says.
Today, rapid decision making and frenetic deadlines are forcing
more collaboration among staff members than ever before.
So how do you
spot the arrogant loners and prima donnas during the hiring process
-- before they have a chance to create havoc on your staff?
First and
foremost, trust your gut instincts on interviews. No matter how
good someone looks on paper or how highly recommended he or she
comes, nothing counts more than your own reaction when you are
sitting across from a prospective employee.
Ask yourself:
Does he engage easily in conversation, responding openly to your
questions and asking some of his own? Is she eager to show her
strengths but also receptive to suggestions you and your staff
might have to offer? Does he ever mention a former boss or colleague
who has helped him along the way, or praise someone else's work?
If the answers
are no, take note. Your job candidate may be someone who always
has to grab all the credit, and who soon may have you defending
your own capabilities as the boss.
Careful reference
checking will also help you avoid mistakes. Talk with at least
half a dozen people before making up your mind about a candidate.
If you get the same feedback about someone over and over again
from several people, listen and believe what you're hearing.
Ms.
Cook warns that you need to talk to peers as well as former bosses.
Prima donnas, in particular, can be good at dealing with superiors
because they feel they are their equals. But they don't relate
well to their colleagues.
Former
bosses can tell you how an employee "manages up," or works with
those above him, she says, "but peers tell you how they do on
teamwork."
She
asks both peers and former bosses to rate candidates on about
15 qualities, including getting along with others and teamwork.
"If I get consistent 10s on those qualities, I figure someone
must be a delight to work with, but if I get a lot of sevens I
know I have a problem," she says.
Also, involve
others on your staff in the decision making. Listen to the reactions
of others, especially from those who will end up working with
the person. Have some of your veteran and trusted staffers chat
informally with the candidates. If time permits, they might invite
the final candidates to lunch to get to know something of their
personality. Or they may just grab a cup of coffee with the candidates.
Respect their
observations. I wish I had trusted the impression some members
of my staff had of one very intelligent but egotistical employee
I hired. He told them outright that he thought he was more intelligent
and accomplished than they were. They, of course, resented him
and ultimately refused to work with him.
It turns
out that he also began to resent me, because I didn't treat him
as special and more privileged than others. He quit about a year
after signing on. No one was sorry to see him go.
