Dr. Patricia Kapper

Veronica, Keeping employee satisfaction at a high level ensures that they won't jump ship once the economy improves either. Just as it is important to take good care of our students, the same is true of our employees. Turnover costs money. Therefore, keeping it to a minimum in a good or a down economy is important. Dr. Patricia Kapper

Earl, This is the perfect way to avoid close ended questions. Any time that you ask a candidate to share how they would or have handled a particular situation, you will get a sense of how that candidate functions. I really like your classroom observation technique. Now you can get a feel for what they value in an education setting and you might be able to listen for a passion in their voice. Dr. Patricia Kapper

Rey, You did very well in your response. The only item that I would add is to design a job description which clearly and thoroughly describes the position, identifies in detail the responsibilities, and states the specific qualifications. Then, as you create your interview questions, you can refer to the job description as a resource. Dr. Patricia Kapper

Sean, That involvement from other departments helps a new employee gain support early on in the tenure because other departments were involved in the process. I really like your idea of identifying positive and negative attributes in order to craft your questions. Those interactions once again build support and relationships. This level of involvement from other departments requires that you create a well designed job description so there are no misunderstandings what the position entails and what the position qualifications are. These minimizes differences of opinion regarding candidates. Dr. Patricia Kapper

Jeff Mann, Your comments make perfect sense. One cannot change the intangibles because they are really part of one's personality.An employee might try to make adjustments after becoming aware of an issue but typically they will revert back to what created the problems in the first place. Dr. Patricia Kapper

Lauren, You are right on target. We, too, are finding many more applicants for each position and many more who are not qualified. It seems that many people simply don't take the time to read the job description and, if they do, assume they are qualified if they meet some of the qualifications. I guess there are those who hope that we won't find anyone else so will accept them as that warm body to fill the position. That well written job description allows you to set the standard and maintain it. Dr. Patricia Kapper

David, Why have you chosen to use the structured interview process? As others have said on their posts, there are many types of interviews that have varying levels of effectiveness. One that some use effectively is the group interview. I, too, use a structured process but I am curious if your reasoning for doing so is similar to mine. Dr. Patricia Kapper

Lauren, You are the first to mention Craig's List for recruiting candidates. I guess that is another possible source for creating your pool. Although some will apply for anything, whether or not they have the qualifications, a well designed job description is key. That helps to screen those many applications and getting the number down to something more reasonable. Dr. Patricia Kapper

Gale, Great response, Gale. It shows that you have done this before and have established a process that works for you. To be as prepared as you indicate makes a statement in and of itself to the candidate that this is a quality place to work. Taking notes as the candidate responds to your questions is another part of the process as well. If you are interviewing multiple candidates, it becomes difficult to remember the details of each interview. Notes which have been taken during the interview helps to jog the memory a little bit. Well done! Dr. Patricia Kapper

Bernice, You are right on target with your response. I like the fact that you are using a set of questions which would then be used for all candidates. This allows you to compare candidates. Furthermore, it is important to have a job description which clearly specifies the job requirements and qualifications. Questions should be designed with the JD in mind. Lastly, those questions should be open ended so you are able to probe and really get to know the candidate anhisher ability to to the job. Past performance is a good indicator of future performance. Dr. Patricia Kapper