More on Hiring: Part 3- Setting Expectations
March 19, 2008 – 7:18 pmAs I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m going through the process right now of expanding staff, and that means the time-honored tradition of interviewing candidates.
The other day, I interviewed a candidate that asked a blatantly obvious question- one that no one had ever asked before. It’s so obvious that I plan to incorporate it into all future interviews. He simply asked “What do you envision my first 90 days to be? What would I be responsible for?”
We all know from project management that setting expectations at the beginning of a new project is vital. The sponsor and business owners need to know what they will receive. Team members must know what they are expected to do. Why would we not begin a permanent relationship like a new hire the same way?
If I present what my expectations are in the first 90 days during the interview, I do a number of things, including:
- Allow the candidate to get a better grasp of what the job will be about
- Set expectations about how fast the candidate will need to be up to speed and on what things
- Create a sense of direction before the candidate has even started to work for me
- Grant the candidate confidence in my ability to lead and to provide vision and direction (they know already that I have a plan)
- Force myself to plan out the new hire’s future before they arrive (how many times have you hired someone, and you know you need them, but you’re so busy and there’s so much to do that you’re not sure where to point them first?)
I think that this is a terrific practice. Kudos to the candidate to think to ask this question. I highly recommend fitting this into your own practice.
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