We just hired a new office manager at TriLibrium. We had one position and over 200 applicants. Given the economy and the time of the year, I wish I could hire them all.
I want to share with you some of the ways we brought our triple bottom line values to this process.
First, we did an EEOC hiring by widely announcing the position. We advertised on Craigslist, with the State of Oregon Employment Division, and on the Portland Green Drinks, B-Corp, and BGI websites. We also posted this on our company's Facebook page and tweeted it as well.
We used a very sophisticated, objective process that used an assessment tool, somewhat akin to Myers-Briggs, to help us identify the type of candidate we were looking for. Each applicant was given an opportunity to take the 5-10 minute online assessment and received a very detailed report about themselves as a result.
As opposed to sifting through 200+ resumes, we only looked at the resumes of the dozen people whose assessment score matched our profile and eight of these people were invited in for an initial 45-minute interview. (Please contact me directly if you'd like to speak with me about our process).
Upon meeting these eight candidates, I was amazed at how well the assessment tool helped us identify people who would be perfect for the position we identified. Most, if not all of these would not have been selected for interviews had we simply relied on their resume.
After the initial meeting, each candidate was invited back for a second, 90-minute interview. Each team member at TriLibrium was given an equal opportunity to interview and provide input in the selection process. It was OUR decision, not just MINE, and I know this openness leads to better buy in and decision making.
To eliminate bias, we used a weighted decision matrix with each team member voting. This process really helped us with our final decision as we struggled to decide between the top two candidates. Without this objective process, we might not have reached the same decision.
Finally, we sent a note of appreciation to each person who applied, took the assessment, and/or interviewed. This just seems like the decent thing to do and I got at least ten sincere emails and cards, from applicants, thanking me for letting them know they wouldn't be selected. It seems fewer companies are doing this anymore so the applicants send off resumes never to hear another word. I think this small gesture may end up leading to new customers as more and more people learn about us and the triple bottom line values that make us unique.
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