Sunday, December 29, 2019

The Perils of Top Down Management to Your Organization

The Perils of Top Down Management to Your OrganizationThe Perils of Top Down Management to Your OrganizationYou may bedrngnis have heard of top down management, or bottom up management, but you are definitely familiar with the former, as its a traditional management style. Essentially, the boss makes all of the decisions and the employees carry them out. In a top down configuration, all employees know what they are supposed to do, and hopefully, they do their tasks responsibly. Granted, few businesses run exclusively on top down management with a dictatorial CEO, but many operate in a modified one, with each department run by a leader who directs (micromanages) the work of other employees. Perils exist to the organization when top down management is the method used for managing employees. Here are four problems with top down management. You Miss out on Great Ideas Yes, the boss knows the business and wants the business to succeed, but no one person knows everything. And, even if the boss knows everything about this business, remember your company doesnt operate in a vacuum. You have competitors who challenge you daily. You have clients that change over time. You have market forces going on that will impact your business one way or another. You need ideas and input from other people. Youre paying people to do the work you should listen to their ideas as well. You need to actively encourage their input so that they own the plans and progress. Diversity is hugely talked about these days, but diversity is mora than having people with different skin colors sitting in your office. Diversity is about hearing different ideas, honoring the background and experience of your employees, and encouraging respectful interaction for continuous improvement and change management. And, this broader view of diversity means that you need to listen to people who arent sitting in the corner office. But, if you operate with a strict top down management approach, the senior team di rects all of the work, and no one learns the skills they need to learn so that they are prepared for a promotion. It Kills Employee Engagement People work for three reasons the money, the challenge, and the sense of accomplishment. In a job that only fulfills one of these needs- the money- fruchtwein people will spend their time looking to move on. Or, they will look for engagement elsewhere. This is okay- each employee makes choices, and if you want a job where you can just go, do your job and come home and focus on your family and hobbies, thats fine. But, a wise company wants people who are engaged at work. For that to happen, your employees need a challenge and a sense of accomplishment. If your job is to simply do what youre told, it may challenge you, but its not going to challenge you as much as a job in which you have to figure out the details and plan. Youll experience a small sense of accomplishment when you complete any task, but youll experience a better sense of acc omplishment if youve had to figure out what to do and how to do it. Youre more likely to feel satisfaction when youve put some brain power into the work. Succession Planning Is a Disaster When most of the employees in the company just do the work, and a team of leaders comes up with the ideas,what happens when one of those leaders quit? You have to hire from the outside because no one who is lower in the hierarchy knows how to come up with ideas or lead. Its all been done by the management team. While it sometimes makes sense to bring in leadership from the outside, it is better to prepare people from within the organization. You want people to grow in their careers- it keeps them engaged and challenged and gives them a sense of accomplishment. When a senior manager quits, youre stuck. You have to look for an employee from the outside or promote an employee who has little experience in thinking, planning, or directing the work of other employees. Your Employees Are Micromanag ed There are so many things that dont matter. For instance, if you do task A first or task B. Sure, it usually makes sense to do task A first, but occasionally it makes more sense to do B first. In a top down management organization, employees are stuck doing A first even when B makes a lot more sense on this particular day. They cant make decisions for themselves. This micromanaging not only makes employees frustrated, it often hurts the business in the long run. Why? Because flexibility gives the employees the option to come up with the best solution for the situation. There is no right way to talk to an angry customer. There are plenty of identifiable wrong ones, but not a single right way. When you have top down management, an employee has to follow instructions from a boss who has never met this customer, doesnt know the exact situation, and cant judge the tension already in the room. Its not effective. Your employees should make the decisions when people are genuinely closest to the situation and the need for a decision. Can You Fix Top Down Management? You dont have to get rid of your hierarchy in favor of some trendy holacracywhere everyone functions as an equal. What you can do is give your employees power and influence over their own sphere. Managers still direct the work, but you allow the employees to carry out the work how they see best. This can grate on the nerves of managers who are used to their word being the equivalent of a commandment issued from on high. But, it can not only reduce the stress and pressure on the leadership team but increase the engagement and happiness of the employees. Youll need to ease into a change. For instance, you can start asking your team for input and then (this is super important) implement at least one of these ideas. You may think that your idea is better, but keep in mind that your team is closer to the actual work than you are- because they are doing it. Try it out. Then, when an employee comes to you w ith a problem, you can provide a few ideas or brainstorm and then say, but do what you think is best, and mean it. Remember, that even if the employees idea fails, you cant get angry or punish the employee. You can give feedback and work through why the solution didnt work out but you cannot provide punishment for the failure. And, the lack of punishment for failure is the key when you are attempting to break away from a strict top down management style. Remember, people arent used to failing because they arent used to succeeding. Its about learning and learning always has failure associated with it. You have to teach them that its okay to try and fail because otherwise, they wont learn how to try and succeed. If your business currently operates with top down management, begin fixing this perilous situation now. Youll experience a bit of a rocky road, but youll gain a better workforce for your efforts.

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Top 10 tips for creating a great Studios video

Top 10 tips for creating a great Studios videoTop 10 tips for creating a great Studios videoTop 10 tips for creating a great Studios videoWhy post text-only job ads when you can post ones that include videos of you or someone from your team talking directly to candidates about the position youre trying to fill?Video job ads let you do mora than tell candidates about your jobs. They let you show what its like to work at your company, and describe in your own words, what makes this opportunity so fantastic.More than that, video job ads can increase response rates. According to a recent Wisteria study, visitors spend 2.6 more time on pages with video than without. Thats more time for candidates to investigate your open position- and to decide whether its the right fit for them.Since youre bedrngnis a professional video producer (dont worry, you dont have to be), were thrilled to share Monsters tool to help you make videos that you can add to your job adsStudios.If you havent done so y et,download the appand start recordingBefore you do,we put together a few tips to help you make the best-looking video job ads- right from your phoneTip 1 Write short scriptsOn the one hand, you want your script to be engaging and informative. On the other, you dont want it to sound like a doctoral dissertation.A short script can still convey a compelling message if you focus on just a few key points.Start your video job ad with a short, to-the-point intro like Hi, my name is Rosie Garcia here at the Acme Company. We have an open job for a project manager in our Cranford, NJ office.You can create your own script or make things really easy by using one of oursample scripts.Tip 2 Put it on a tripodPicture this. Youve set up the perfect shot. Youre in the frame, your scripts rehearsed, and youve done a great dry run. You push recordand you sneeze. Your phone goes flying and your perfect shot is gone. Ugh.For jiggle-free, sneeze-proof recording, always distributions-mix your phone secur ely on a tripod standing on a flat surface. Trying to record with a hand-held phone is a recipe for video disaster. One that can easily be avoided with a tripod.Tip 3 Use good lightingYoure not shooting a horror movie, so theres no need for eerie backlighting (i.e., standing with your back to a window).Youll also want to make sure the room youre recording in isnt too bright. The right lighting helps set the tone for the video. Make sure theres no glare or shadows on or around your speaker(s) when youre setting up to record.Another tip You could purchase an external camera flash to give your smartphone an extra light enhancer to use wherever you end up shooting your video job ad.Tip 4 Use clean backgroundsCandidates want to see younot the crumpled coffee cups from the morning meeting that somehow wound up on your desk.Eliminate distractions by using crisp, uncluttered backgrounds (but not blank walls thats too bland) so candidates can focus on you and your message.Tip 5Capture clear audioAvoid sounding like youre broadcasting from the moon or spitting into the phone.Standing too far from, or too close to the phone can detract from what youre saying, as candidates will struggle to hear you.To get the best quality audio, stand or sit about four to five feet from the phone. Speak clearly and pace your delivery.Tip 6 Use your own wordsCandidates look for authenticity in a prospective employer.Using your own words when you speak will go a long way to helping candidates gain confidence in you as an honest, transparent employer.Although you want to sound natural, remember to rehearse what you want to say before you hit record to avoid mumbling and stumbling over your thoughts.Tip 7 Follow your own brand guidelinesIt may be tempting to stray from your companys branding guidelines (would that really be so bad?), butdont do it.Your video is an opportunity to not only talk about your company and open job, but to also get your brand noticed.Brand recognition plays a criti cal role in attracting interested candidates who fit your job and company.Tip 8 Dont regurgitate the exact job descriptionThe objective is toaddto your Job Ad, not to repeat the description verbatim.Think of some creative ways to show off your culture (e.g., if your company is known for its highly collaborative culture, insert a clip of teams working together).By showing, not just telling what makes your company and the job so great, youll give candidates more reason to want to apply.Tip 9 Set candidate expectationsDont leave candidates hanging.Theyve invested the time to watch your video, so you know theyre interested.Give them something in return. Include in your script next steps for them to take, as well as a clear call to action like an Apply Now or Click to Apply button.Tip 10 Practice makes perfectIt may take just one take, or maybe a few more.The more you practice recording, the better the video. And the better the video, the more candidates will engage and respond.

Friday, December 20, 2019

Study finds that women dont spread catty gossip any more than men do

Study finds that women dont spread catty gossip any mora than men doStudy finds that women dont spread catty gossip any more than men doA new study from the University of California Riverside debunked the stereotype that women gossip negatively more than men. However, it did discover that everyone gossips nearly an hour a day about 52 minutes on average.Gossip was defined by the researchers as talking about someone who isnt there and isnt inherently negative.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThe study was the first to exhaustively examine conversational buzz. There is a surprising dearth of information about who gossips and how, given public interest and opinion on the subject, said Megan Robbins, an assistant psychology professor who led the study, in a release.For the research, the researchers used data from 467 people 269 women, 198 men who wore a portable listening device t hat samples what people said throughout the day. About 10% of participants conversations were recorded, and then listened to and analyzed by research assistants.In all, there were 4,003 instances of gossip. The researchers organized the resultsAbout 75% of the gossip was neutral.While women do gossip more than men, they do it primarily in a neutral way thats meant to shares information.The gossip recorded was overwhelmingly about a real-life acquaintance, not a celebrity.Younger people were more likely to gossip negatively than older adults.Another stereotype busted poor people dont gossip more than wealthy people.The next time you get a burning in your ear, you can rest easier. People may be talking about you but probably not in a bad way.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe w orst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Sunday, December 15, 2019

How to Choose the Best Job Offer, Part I

How to Choose the Best Job Offer, Part IHow to Choose the Best Job Offer, Part IHow to Choose the Best Job Offer, Part IWahoo You got an offer Your job search and interviewing strategies paid off. But wait ... whats that? You have two offers? Three? Holy cowIf this is the boat youre in, consider yourself lucky. While getting even one offer is great news, having more than one gives you a safety net, increases your negotiating power, and raises your sense of control over your future. You get to choose which deal is the sweetest, and ask for more of what you want if one offer isnt good enough to win you over.To give you an idea of how you can sort out the details, Ive created a handy chart to compare the terms of two hypothetical job offers.Offer 1Offer 2Personal NotesWage / Salary$42,000/year$46,000/yearBonuses / RaisesMerit increase probable after annual performance reviewMerit increase probable after annual performance reviewPaid Time Off2 weeks vacation, 5 sick days, 11 paid holiday s2 weeks vacation, no set number of sick days, 7 paid holidaysInsuranceHealth, life, dental, vision, prescription, reimbursement accountHealth, dental, vision, prescription, long- and short-term disabilityNeed life insurance to protect family401(k) ContributionsEnroll after 6 months, company match up to 6%Enroll after 90 days, company match up to 3%Tuition ReimbursementN/AN/AStock OptionsAvailable after one yearN/A (Non-public company)RelocationN/AN/ACommute25 minutes to downtown35 minutes to small townPotential for heavy morning traffic downtown - could take subwayOpportunity for AdvancementTitle change flexibility only, unless higher position opensNon-hierarchical structure but ability to move within departmentsLevel of IndependenceMainly independent, report directly to managerReport to senior level, who reports to managerCloser supervision with 2, not sure Id like thatCost of LivingManageableManageableWould be more comfortable with higher salary for higher 401(k) contributionsBut dont stop there. Other important factors to consider include Hours, work environment, boss and coworkers, job security, training and career development, and work-related travel, if any.So now that youve mapped out the differences, how do you determine what the best fit is for you?Identify Level of Importance Is a higher salary more important than life insurance? Is a longer commute to a small town that big of a deal? Is moving up the corporate ladder more important than zur seite hin gelegen transitions?Identify Most Attractive Offer Overall Which offer, before any negotiating, meets most of your needs?Identify Areas of Negotiation Lets say you consider Offer 2 more attractive overall, but you could really use employer-paid life insurance and would prefer more paid time off. With another offer to fall back on, you have the upper hand in negotiations and if the company really wants you, they just might step up to meet your needs.In the end, your decision may come down to something a s simple as which offer feels right. Think it through, weigh the pros and cons, and trust your gut.When youve made your choice, follow up with How to Choose the Best Offer Part II, in which I address how to reject an offer without burning bridges.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

What You Need to Know About Communication Resume Examples

What You Need to Know About Communication Resume Examples What the In-Crowd Wont Tell You About Communication Resume Examples Your cover letter is a good chance to elaborate on your communication abilities. To create the best usage of your communication skills, its important to think about your audience and the best format to communicate with them in. The absolute most apparent sort of verbal communication is oral, and a range of examples of oral communication are easily available. Developing appropriate communication within the workplace can be rather challenging, especially whenever the language barrier becomes a situation. Communication is an indispensable part of daily life. Folks will appreciate your thoughtful method of communication and will be more likely to react positively to you. Communication skills are important for nearly every position. They allow you to understand and be understood by others. Maybe youre interested in a particular industry. Most jobs require that you have a fundamental comprehension of computer programs including Excel and Microsoft Office, in addition to skills in internet navigation, social networking sites and email systems. The Good, the Bad and Communication Resume Examples Effective communication revolves around the concept of trust. A superb speaker is additionally a great listener, so learn how to remain attentive when conversing with other individuals. Giving presentations indicates you can engage with large audiences. Superior communication demands time and effort to attain, and its your responsibility to work your way to becoming that kind of individual. You cant spend your entire life avoiding each and every issue that arrives by, and that means you must discover how to handle it through proper communication. At work, individuals are more inclined to respond to ideas that are presented with confidence. The entire point of setting an aim is to increase your identity, alongside the perception others h ave of you. The Communication Resume Examples Trap Youve got to specify the amount of profit and telecommunication sure its accurate Effectively managing social networking platforms will be a crucial part of your position. Naturally, you need to understand telecommunication is valuable to the business you wish to join. You are able to also state education position youre applying for and the explanations for why telecommunication applied. The Fundamentals of Communication Resume Examples Revealed For instance, if youre communicating with a possible employer, its far better to send a formal email or call them on the telephone. Based on the circumstance, you might even should send a formal, typed letter over other kinds of communication. Regardless, direct communication plays a main role in establishing credibility, together with a crystal clear message and a precise language. Of course communicating on behalf of another person is much simpler than doing it for yourself. L ying on your CV may look like a very good idea at the time but its only going to end badly. Before you buy a chance to discuss your qualification in a work interview, you will want to write about them in a CV. April 23 2016 24 comments in regards to writing a cv it can help to have a good instance of a fantastic cv to benchmark your own cv against. Locating a job doesnt need to be hard. Irrespective of the job that youre applying for, employers will expect you to have excellent written and verbal communication abilities. Recruiters might not allow you to know what it is wholly wrong with the file, so making to locate the best is imperative. A graduate nurse can be somebody whos recently graduated and prepared to input the technical field. Communication Resume Examples - Dead or Alive? You presently have the skills you must compose an excellent resume. Maybe youve employed your listening skills to comprehend how youre able to employ your understanding and experience to enhan ce the operation of others on your team still attempting to learn the ropes. If youre able to clearly reveal that youve got strong communication skills on your resume you will improve your likelihood of obtaining a very first interview since they are some of the greatest skills to put on a resume. There are some fundamental communication skills that are important for most positions though some jobs require some particular abilities. You could also understand the learning targets. You can also understand the wertmiger zuwachs targets. Communication goals can consist of a selection of long-term objectives and short-term targets. Possessing smart communication goals ought to be part of the criteria in determining what you would like to achieve in the long term.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

A Deadly Mistake Uncovered on Skills and Qualifications for Resume and How to Avoid It

A Deadly Mistake Uncovered on Skills and Qualifications for Resume and How to Avoid It The Foolproof Skills and Qualifications for Resume Strategy If your aim is to be the top applicant for any specific position, you should touch upon both of these regions in your resume. While you would like to include your skill set, make certain that you present the data in a chronological fashion. The ideal distributions-mix to promote your skills is inside this section. The ability to keep a level head, or more to the point, to demonstrate restraint and exhibit calm when ones head isnt so level is an integral qualification. The organization is searching for somebody who has just the skill set they will need to acquire the best out of that position and you have to use your resume skills section and the remainder of the resume to show them that you are that person. For instance, say youre applying for the place of dump truck driver. While bank teller jobs can act as a great way to enter the discipline of finance, its important that you demonstrate that you have the required skills to serve as the surface of the branch. The Appeal of Skills and Qualifications for Resume Marketers dont have to have any distinctive certifications, but there are lots of optional certifications generally accepted in the business as indicating an applicant is committed to the area. There are 400 freelancers on the website, which makes it the UKs biggest team of mobile wellness and beauty professionals. If youre really motivated to land a specific job, interview professionals in the area and ask them what it requires to excel in their job. For instance, if youre looking for employment in the medical care business, listing your yoga certification indicates that youre likely a health advocate and leader. The Unexpected Truth About Skills and Qualifications for Resume My role is to keep a world class customer experience on the internet that will achieve loyalty and retention. The capac ity to remain patient with complaints or even aggression is crucial to supplying great care. When creating an effective resume, you want to understand how to compose a skills section as it is but one of the very first things a possible employer will start looking for to find a fundamental comprehension of what you, as a prospective employee, can bring to their company. Takes initiative to recognize fhigkeit issues and take the required steps to resolve them. If you would like to learn more about the items listed in the resume of a particular status in the area of sales, you can browse through our Sales Associate Resumes. When you compose a list of Core Competencies, you are going to want to include about 10. One reason you are going to want to do this is something named Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Resumes concentrate on your prior job experiences. Simply take the opportunity to critique the job posting, so youre acquainted with what the employer wants. Some are brief , while some include additional information about the job and the provider. 1 day is never enjoy the next, and no circumstance is the exact same. For instance, a graphic designer needs both soft creativity abilities and tough adobe photoshop skills to do their job well. You are able to look on the internet for a list of soft abilities or hard skills to offer you a few ideas. The very best additional skills for resume writing are the ones that are linked to the job. Bear in mind, the majority of the distinctive skills that you place on your resume ought to be job-related skills taken from the work description and your best transferable skills. At Flynn, it isnt only a job, it is a career. If youre still not positive if one of these skills are suitable for your situation, one quick approach to check which skills the employer is seeking is to confirm the work description. You should also possess the key soft skills employers search for. Get ready to answer questions regarding your interpersonal skills in the work interview. If you dont have one of these skills, it may be time for you to acquire a couple. Perhaps your skill set is wholly different. Soft skills can help you get the job that you want, but only as long as you own a standout resume you can trust. Therefore, its a versatile skill to include. Skills and Qualifications for Resume Features The main reason for this is that ATS software is intended to read through resumes to be able to discard any which do not incorporate the keywords which were programmed for that specific position. You may use a number of the subsequent statements in your resume. Read through it a couple of occasions and youll probably spot three or four vital skills mentioned many times throughout the document. You ought to use decent judgment when including additional info on your resume.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Hiring Top Talent Best Methods for Sourcing, Screening, and Interviewing

Hiring Top Talent Best Methods for Sourcing, Screening, and InterviewingThis post is part of a series of articles that will be written in a mora personal format from Spark Hire CEO, Josh Tolan. These articles will reference specific questions asked on Quora.Question What are the best methods for sourcing, screening, and hiring top talent?Im going to approach my response with the assumption that youre a growing startup thats starting to scale to 10, 20, or even 100 people. It also sounds like youre solely responsible for recruiting (most likely a founder) or have a limited amount of recruiting resources. So the key here is to be lean and agile while also being highly effective to enkoranvers youre ending up with the best people for your open roles. There isnt going to be a single method thatll drive your recruiting success, but you can put together a stack of tools and strategies thatll drive meaningful results. Ill outline certain strategies, processes, and some tools thatll help you execute them below.When I suggest certain tools and strategies for sourcing, screening, and interviewing, Im keeping the following in mindSpeed Why? You cant afford to get bogged down by your hiring processBudget Why? Youre operating on a small budgetConvenience Why? Youre short on time because of limited resourcesEffectiveness Why? You need to be effective at scaleBarrier to entry Why? You cant get caught up with something that takes too long to implementHiring PrepGo through these steps before you start recruiting and youll have a strong foundation for recruiting success. Before you start hiring for a position, come up with a clear description for the job. What are the requirements? What are the responsibilities? What is the opportunity for growth?How does this position fit within the organization?What does the team look like?Next, determine how youre going to evaluate candidates.What are the most important skills?Who is on the hiring team for this position?What interview qu estions are you going to ask at different points in the process?Now its time to create your hiring process.What are the steps?What is the timeline for each step?What is your target hire date for this position?Lastly, youll need to create a job advertisement based off the description. They keyword here is advertisement. This is whats going to sell the job.Why should people apply? Why should they want to work for you? What is the potenzial?You can drive as much traffic to your job advertisement as you want, but it means nothing if the ad doesnt convert so make it good.SourcingInbound getting your job advertisement out there to create an engine for inbound applications.Launch a careers page on your websiteTake advantage of free job boards (dont forget about the niche ones)Make it easy for candidates to apply to your jobs no matter where they are postedYoure going to need to test out a few paid job boards to determine your best candidate sources.Leverage your network and the network of your employees ask for referrals and offer incentivesOutbound reaching people who you want to target directly or those who arent actively searchingWrite an outbound message template or series of templates (sequence) that youll cold message to candidates. Keep it short, relevant, and personal. Make sure theres a call-to-action at the end.Research where your candidates are most active online. More specifically, where are they most likely to be searching for jobs or promoting their qualifications? In most cases, this will be LinkedIn and thats a good distribution policy to start.Ensure youre tracking the candidates you reach out to.At a high level, coming up with an inbound and outbound sourcing strategy is going to start getting your applications coming in. Id expect to spend a few hundred dollars (give or take) on getting your job advertisement out, but youll quickly discover which sources work best for you.From a tools perspective, I really suggest getting an applicant tracking s ystem. It must be easy to sign up, use, and cost effective. At Spark Hire, we partner with a bunch of applicant tracking systems and they are all awesome for different use cases. For a startup/small business, here are a few that offer a self-service signupApplicantPro (applicantpro.com)JazzHR (jazzhr.com)Recruitee (recruitee.com)RecruiterBox (recruiterbox.com)Workable (workable.com)Applicant tracking systems offer a lot of functionality, but for your purposes, theyll help you launch a careers page, post to a bunch of job boards, manage your inbound applications, keep records of which candidates youre reaching out to, provide you with analytics on your best candidate sources, and track your candidate through the different stages of your hiring process.If you decide to not use an applicant tracking system, I suggest first posting your job directly onIndeed (indeed.com) broadest reachZipRecruiter (ziprecruiter.com) pushes your job to a bunch of boards at onceCraigslist (craigslist.co m) cheap and local, but will drive applicantsScreeningOnce youve received applications and sorted through your resumes, its time to start screening your candidates. This step is critical because its where you determine who youre going to invest a lot of time and effort into during the interviewing process.There are really three ways to go herePhone ScreensMany debate the effectiveness of phone screens, but they are pretty standard in the hiring process. If you decide to do phone screens, the key to making them effective is 1) consistency and 2) the questions you ask. Make sure youre asking all of the candidates the exact saatkorn revealing interview questions and come up with a worksheet so you can easily evaluate and compare them. The challenge with phone screens is that its a big investment of time for not a whole lot of insight. Therefore, its critical that you are efficient with your time.Look into scheduling tools which will allow you to easily book times with candidates. Thes e tools will let you send a scheduler link to a candidate and they can select a time from your calendar based on your availability. No more back and forthSpark Hires Interview Scheduling SoftwareCalendly (calendly.com)YouCanBookMe (youcanbook.me)ScheduleOnce (scheduleonce.com)One-Way Video InterviewsIve seen some people mention video interviews when answering this question so Im glad to see that being mentioned.A one-way video interview is asynchronous meaning you come up with interview questions that a candidate records video responses to on their own time. Think of it like a selfie interview.I came up with the idea for Spark Hire because the company I welches previously working for was scaling fast and we were limited on hiring resources plus wasting a ton of time on bad in-person interviews as a result of misleading phone screens.The great thing about one-way video interviews is that candidate are interviewing 247 and as a busy startup founder/SMB owner/recruiter on an overworked team, you gain that time back in the day. In addition, all of your candidates are answering the exact same questions so its easy to compare them.CombinationIMHO, the best screening process is a combination of a quick phone call and one-way video interview. In my hiring process, I like to book a 5-10 minute phone call to give the candidate an overview of our hiring process and info on the job. Its actually more of an opportunity for me to pitch them on the position. I then outline how the one-way video interview fits into the bigger picture and what they can expect in our hiring process going forward. Sure it takes a few more minutes of time, but it sets up a better candidate experience and youre more likely to convert candidates later in your recruiting funnel as a result.Whatever screening method you choose, you should be collaborating with the hiring team to ensure youre asking questions that lead to better decisions being made about who advances in your hiring process.Interviewi ngIm referring to face-to-face interviews here. If youre hiring remotely, this can include live video interviews.Come up with an interview kitWhat questions are you going to ask and why?How does an answer to an individual question factor into your overall evaluation?Breakdown your interview questions by category. For example, when I conduct face-to-face interviews, I have it broken down to questions related to things such as experience, skills, personality/cultural fit, potential, etc.Structure the order in which youre going to ask your questionsPrepare for commonly asked candidate questions (e.g. compensation, benefits, typical day, etc.) so you can answer them when the candidate asks. If you expect your candidate to prepare for interviews, you better be prepared tooCome up with an administrative/organization planWho is involved in this process?How are you scheduling your interviews?Ensure the logistics are on point. Nothing is a bigger turn off to a candidate when youre unorganize d. The biggest compliment Ive received when doing a face-to-face interview was a candidate telling me that our interview process was more structured than any other company they were interviewed with.Come up with a win the candidate planWhat are the highlights of working for your company? You need to make sure you hit on these when youre meeting face-to-face.Is the interview taking place at your office? Take them on a tour and introduce them to people. Help them picture themselves walking around the space and interacting with co-workers.Remember, candidates are interviewing you just as much as you are interviewing them.Come up with a post-interview planThis comes back to your hiring team. If youre collaborating with others on this hire, make sure you have a set process for how youre going to review candidates that you interview face-to-face. Hiring processes get dragged out when hiring team members arent held accountable to a plan.When are you going to get back to the candidate? Whet her its good news or bad news, whats the plan?Be ready to jump on the opportunity to hire a rockstar candidate. Top candidates wont stay on the market long so if you dont waste time get the offer out if the candidate is the right fit.HiringWhen its time to make the offer, make sure you communicate effectively with your candidate. Re-convey the benefits of working for your company, talk about the potential for growth in the position, etc. Give candidates a realistic deadline to get back to you and make sure you send it in writing. Dont stop recruiting/interviewing for this role until the candidate accepts the position. Youve built a lot of momentum at this point and you dont want to have to start over if a candidate declines your offer.Follow these tips, strategies, and processes and youll be in a good place as you start to ramp up your hiring efforts. Let me know if you have any questions. Connect with me on LinkedIn here https//linkedin.com/in/joshtolanView the original question o n Quora