Hiring? The most important time to spend with an employee is in the interview process. Get it wrong and you have to start all over again. Get it right and you are well on your way to building a great team!
When I was hiring technology consultants for our organization, our face to face meeting was really the first opportunity that I got to meet the candidate and get to know them. Prior to that they participated in rounds of technical interviews primarily held over the phone. I recall one instance of a female candidate that was technically gifted and passed all the technical tests wonderfully. However, when it came time for the in person interview, she was 15 minutes late, was casually attired, had a tongue ring and slouched in her chair while conversing with me in a formal office environment. I could have saved myself time, energy and frustration by knowing more about her ahead or instead of a face to face interview. Today with social media avenues such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, we have a plethora of opportunities to get to know candidates prior to a face to face meeting and to affirm or deny our impressions about the candidate.
I have the opportunity to work with many clients on their hiring needs for IT talent. I am amazed at the hiring managers and Human Resource managers that haven’t researched the candidates that they choose to interview face to face. While I consider Facebook a purely family and social network and Twitter, way too casual, LinkedIn has provided a host of information that is vastly relevant to hiring the best talent for my team and for my clients.
LinkedIn can be a powerful, professional tool when used to its full potential. It can also be a testing ground for how solid a candidate’s resume is. As a Hiring Manager, you now get the opportunity to see a side of a candidate BEFORE they walk in your door and to determine if their profile fits well within your organization. Here are a few suggestions that you can use as guidelines with your future candidates to interview:
1. When reviewing resumes of potential candidates, prior to bringing them on board check out their LinkedIn profile.
2. Is the profile professional? Does it relate and match the resume that you have?
3. If they do not have a LinkedIn profile –what does that say to you? Are they not keeping up with the latest social networking trends? Is that something you value?
4. Is their profile picture professional? Everyone likes to have fun, but do you really want to see them in their swimsuit or with their 4 dogs and 2 cats?
5. Did they provide a brief description of themselves that appears right behind their name in search results? It should make a professional statement like “Application Architect with enterprise experience”. Did they highlight their specific expertise? “EPIC In-Patient Certified Specialist”.
6. Make note if the candidate utilized the Summary field as well as the Specialties field –make sure to check for any certifications, unique qualifications and industry expertise that would relate to your business. Are there any missing specialties that SHOULD be there?
7. Check out the number of connections they have, too many may indicate they link into anyone, OR they are job hunting: too few may mean they don’t value staying networked with people.
8. Evaluate their previous positions and companies – do they align with the resume you have? Have they highlighted their accomplishments and responsibilities throughout their career?
9. Resumes are dull, passive and lifeless. LinkedIn is much more active… how they describe themselves, does the profile convey a passion for what they do?
10. Some individuals use LinkedIn to voice very strong opinions about past work environments, political happenings, etc. Do any of these pose problems for you or your environment?
11. Is everything spelled correctly on LinkedIn? Did they treat their Internet profile too casually to suit you and your company?
12. Do they have recommendations? Are there too many? Do they recommend those that recommended them…. You know the mutual admiration society, “I’ll do it for you if you recommend me.” Is that really the endorsement you are seeking?
13. Is the candidate involved in groups outside of work? .NET Users, Executive forums, SharePoint and charitable groups, all of these can give you clues as to where the candidate’s true interests lie. Do they pose thoughtful and meaningful questions to the groups?
14. Are they LinkedIn to someone you know that can give you a recommendation that you trust? (you can’t always see who they are LinkedIn to, so this may not be valid).
Following these tips will not prevent you from interviewing the candidate. However, it could raise red flags, answer some questions or get you extremely excited to meet the candidate. Be prepared, it will save you time and effort in the long run!