Reference Interviews, Preventing Arthritis, The Love Dare
Business
Reference Interviews
Reference interviews are painful. It is hard to get the person that you need on the phone and even harder to get them to open up and be honest about the candidate. Why even bother?
Because they are probably the most important interview you will do. If you have followed our hiring process so far, you have learned a lot about the candidate through an extensive interview process. They have spent significant time with the hiring manager (the person who will be their boss) and time with peers and even the hiring manager’s bosses. We have done everything we can do in an in-person interview to determine if this person has the skills and character needed to excel. But, sometimes we can still get snowed.
That is why so many of us revert to hiring people we know or people that are known by people we trust. It is very difficult to really figure a person out in a day and a half. But, only hiring friends and friends of friends can create its own host of problems including not getting the best person for the job. This is where reference interviews really help tilt the odds in favor of hiring the best candidate. We are who we are and change is difficult. Therefore, odds are that we will continue to behave in a manner similar to how we have behaved previously. Habits are hard to break. That is why getting a clear understanding of how the candidate actually performed in previous positions makes reference interviews one of the most effective tools in the hiring process.
Here are four steps to overcoming the barriers most often associated with reference interviews:
1 – You Pick the References – Do not rely on the candidate’s list of references. You have thoroughly reviewed their list of experiences and spoken to the candidate about each of them. Which experiences are the most pivotal to success in the position they are applying for? Your goal should be to speak to seven references, so make your list and give it to the candidate. Aim to speak to 3 bosses, 2 peers or customers and two of their subordinates.
2 – Candidate Sets the Appointments – Having the candidate call their previous bosses and request them to speak with you is the best way to get the calls scheduled and to actually have the person open up about their experiences with the candidate.
3 – Split the Duties – You are shooting for 7 reference interviews. As the hiring manager, pick the top 3 or 4 that you want to speak to personally – usually the bosses. Have the peers who have gotten involved in the interviewing process call some of the candidate’s peers and subordinates.
4 – Use a Set List of Questions – Again the book, “Who” by Geoff Smart and Randy Street offers a great set of questions to start with it. Personalize them for your organization and stick to the list once you finalize it. Here are the 5 questions recommended by Smart. 1 – In what context did you work with the person? (kind of an ice breaker and memory jogger); 2 – What were the person’s biggest strengths?; 3 – What were the persons’ biggest areas for improvement while they worked at this position?; 4 – How would you rate his/her overall performance in that job on a 1-10 scale? What about his or her performance causes you to give that rating?; 5 – The person mentioned that he/she struggled with ____________ (fill in the blank from your interview of the candidate) in that job. Can you tell me more about that?
Once the reference interviews are complete, you’ll need to go through the Consensus process to come to a conclusion about what you learned. Use the data from the reference and in-person interviews to determine which candidates have the skill (ability to meet the job’s objectives), will (motivation to achieve the job and company objectives) and character (culture match) to excel.
If you have multiple “A” players rank them and decide who to extend the offer to. The next step is to sell the candidate on your company and the position. We’ll cover that next week.
Health
Preventing Arthritis
Arthritis is the number 1 cause of pain in older Americans. There are over 100 types of arthritis, but the most common is osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is not completely preventable, but doctors are learning more about how to prevent it every day. Here are the top tips I found that we can all be doing to help us live a longer, pain-free life.
- Lose Weight – We have an incredible obesity epidemic in America and obesity is a leading factor in most of the causes of death and long-term disability. If we are overweight, we simply are not as healthy as we could and should be. Losing weight reduces the pressure on your joints and will greatly reduce the severity of arthritis related pain.
- Exercise – Our muscles support our joints. I am 45 and I can already see this happening to me. My left knee is now known as my “trick knee.” If I am not doing my leg exercises my knee will give out when I put weight on it past a certain point of flexion. It makes me feel terribly old and forces me to stay on some form of strength training regimen for my legs. Running does not seem to help. Apparently, I need the muscles to make my knees strong enough to run. Doctors recommend low impact exercises like biking, swimming, lifting weights and yoga.
- Injuries – Avoid them and get them treated if you have them. If you have an injury make sure you complete your full rehabilitation program. If you don’t the likelihood of re-injury increases. Multiple injuries to the same joints are a leading cause of arthritis. As we grow older we simply cannot do all the moves we once could. I am not saying give up your Wednesday night basketball league, but be careful. And if you injure yourself, it might be time to find a safer form of exercise. Also, watch your biomechanics. Watch how you lift things, your form when exercising and your everyday posture.
- Eat Right – Again, this one will save us from multiple ways to shorten our healthy lifespans. Get in healthy fats, Vitamin D (most guys are deficient) and avoid inflammatory foods like sugar, trans fats, vegetable oils (high in omega-6), refined flour, dairy. Of course, most fast and processed food is killing us, so try to eat as close to the way God made the food as possible.
- Supplements – Research has not kept pace with the popularity of supplements, but many are proving to be effective. Here are the top 6 recommended by the Arthritis Foundation for osteoarthritis – Sam-e, Boswellia Serrate, Capsaicin, Tumeric/Curcumin, Avocado-soybean Unsaponifiables (ASU) and Fish Oil (Omega-3, EPA, DHA).
Being pain-free with great mobility will be keys to a long and healthy life. Now is the time to invest in your joints for the future. Don’t wait until symptoms occur.
Life, Fun, Whatever
The Love Dare
This is my all time favorite marriage and life success book. It is a companion book to the movie, “Fireproof” produced by the Kendrick brothers out of Albany, Georgia. I have read it multiple times and find myself going back to it in my quiet time regularly. Why?
Because I am selfish. I am me focused and love is not. The first 3 chapters are based on love is patient, love is kind and love is not selfish. Every time I crack the book open those chapters floor me because they are the basis of love and I am so bad at them!
So, while the Christmas season has us focused on the greatest example of love ever in our savior Jesus Christ, I thought recommending my favorite book on love would be a nice add. You should really check it out. If not for you, for your wife, children and everyone you encounter.
Filed Under: