MATCHING PEOPLE TO THE RIGHT POSITION


     	People like to kid Donna Isaacs because she insists that every
one of the nearly 100 positions she hires for is different, even though
many of them have the same job title.

     	But Donna is serious about variety.  She herself, for example, is
staff personnel director for Phoenix law firm Meyer, Hendricks,
Victor, Osborn & Maledon.  But she also helps run two different
businesses with her husband.  And she's an author of children's
stories and business articles.  [And, unlike some of the
composite characters featured elsewhere in "Stump the Mentor,"
Donna is a real person (of outstanding character.)]

     	Donna's zest for variety helps her discern differences among
same-named positions like legal secretary and records clerk.  In a big
law firm like hers, the ability to place people properly is crucial,
because high stakes and tight deadlines demand the best teamwork
possible.

     	The approach Donna takes is simple, and it works.  "We have a
higher-than-normal tenure among our staff," she says, "and it's not
just because this is a great place to work.  It's also because we try to
get people doing what they like doing"--in roles that make the most
of their skills.

     	Here's how Donna matches people to positions, and how you
can do it, too:

	1.  GET BEYOND THE BASICS.   Although the law firm has
stringent standards for its staff, Donna often has 30 candidates who
can fulfill the demanding requirements of an open job.  To determine
who will really fit and function well, she considers the people who've
filled the job in the past, taking steps like these:

	* Asking who has been an outstanding past performer in the
job, and what made that person so good
	* Reviewing what went wrong with workers who didn't
succeed, and how to prevent similar mistakes
	* Reading evaluations to see what kinds of performance really
matter to each supervisor
	* Performing exit interviews with departing employees, asking
what are the critical features to look for in a replacement

     	Taking these steps will refresh your memory, supplement your
intuition, and help you develop a very specific picture of the worker
who will excel in the job.

	2.  EXPLORE EVEN FURTHER.   Probe for qualities that don't
show up on job descriptions, but matter in how the job gets done.

     	By observing employee performance, for example, Donna
discovered a clerk who stood out.  While other clerks shared her
command of details, this employee could not only give attorneys and
other staff members the information they needed, but also make
them feel well taken care of.  Donna knew there'd be an expectation
for similar treatment from anyone who replaced that clerk, even
though customer service wasn't a formal part of the job description.
     	You can also get vital information about most jobs by asking
the people who'll be working alongside a new employee about the
kind of worker they'd like that employee to be.

	3.  AIM FOR THE TARGET.   Once you know all you can about
the ideal candidate for a position, advertise for someone with exactly
those qualifications.

     	Donna writes very specific ads.  "If a job requires someone who
can work a lot of overtime, I'll say that directly in the ad, hoping that
people who can't meet that need will choose not to apply."

     	She screens applicants further by taking time to talk with them
on the phone.  "I may spend 10 minutes with them in a preliminary
discussion, so I don't waste their time and mine by having them
come in, only to discover we have very different needs."

	4.  PUT THE PIECES TOGETHER IN THE INTERVIEW.   Help
applicants decide with you if they're really the best match for the
job.  Answer their questions about the organization as candidly as
you can--and look for equal candor from them.

     	Donna probes for applicants' preferences with questions like
"What are you most proud of in your previous job?" and "Who was
your most difficult boss to deal with?"  The answers help her
determine whether the person and the position are right for one
another.

     	Don't gloss over fundamental differences.  Few positions,
however rewarding, are magical enough to make people feel happy
about a work situation at odds with their personality or
circumstances.  "If someone says, 'I work full-out while I'm on the
job, but at five o'clock I have to go home to the other important
things in my life,' I know he's not going to be a happy camper in a
position with 10 hours of overtime per week."

     	Deal with basic conflicts in otherwise fully qualified candidates
before you hire them.  Otherwise, you and the employee are both
likely to become dissatisfied before long.  Donna says, "If we find out
during the interview that a position doesn't sound compatible, that's
okay.  We've accomplished something important by getting to know
each other--and the firm may very well have something come up in
two weeks that will be perfect for this person."

     	Donna herself is well-suited to her position because "people are
absolutely fascinating" to her.  "Communicating with people, and
helping them work well with each other in a challenging work
environment--to me, that's a big part of what it's all about."

Does that help? YES or NO