What do former NASA spokesperson George Deutsch, former FEMA director Michael Brown, former Notre Dame football coach George O'Leary and former Radio Shack CEO David Edmondson all have in common?
The word "former" in front of their titles for starters, but the reason for the prefix is really the icing on the cake: Each senior-level manager/executive became a "former" for lying on his resume
and getting caught red-handed, prompting firestorms of criticism and necessitating large-scale damage control by the PR team.
These four big-wigs aren't outliers when it comes to resume-padding. As reported by ABC in February 2006, experts estimate that 25 percent of Americans embellish their credentials when it comes to
job applications. But while these examples and statistics specifically point to lapses in moral judgment on the part of applicants, not all bad hires betray standards of transparency and honesty.
Sometimes it's just a matter of misaligned needs and qualification or poor chemistry between employer and employee.
Whatever the reason for a hiring faux pas, communications professionals become inextricably linked to its causes and its effects on business, reputation and the bottom-line. But for
PR/communications professionals who are trying to fill a position (or who are working with HR to ensure that an exercise in hiring doesn't become an exercise in crisis communications), there are
steps that can be taken to minimize risks and maximize rewards.
Do Your Homework
Before setting out on the road to recruiting, communications executives must establish an ideal profile against which to compare each candidate so the hire is based on qualifications and not
convenience.
"You need to have a very clear idea of what you are looking for in a candidate, with expectations spelled out to both the applicant and your own team," says Jeffrey Sandman, CEO of Hyde Park
Communications. "Generalities hurt more than they help."
With that in mind, Michael Herman, managing director, global development for The Catevo Group|LCI Group|LCI Entertainment, wrote a white paper for the Counselors Academy titled "Reaching
Individual Potential In The Workplace: Hiring The Brightest and Training Them To Be The Best." In it, he suggests the following questions to keep in mind when interviewing candidates:
- What is the individual's educational background? Given the rash of senior executives listing credentials from unaccredited universities (and lying in general about where they graduated from),
it is important to ask the question - and confirm the answer.
- What is the applicant's understanding and application of ethical principals? The tumultuous business climate begs for executives in any industry to exercise the utmost credibility.
- Where does the individual rank on the analytical/personal interaction scale? If the person isn't a team player, he or she shouldn't even be in the running.
Make Them Do Theirs
Once the applicant has passed muster in the initial interview and appears to meet requirements on paper, he or she should prove their skills in practice. Sandman and Herman both tout the
importance of issuing writing tests, case study analyses and mock client meetings. Each exercise will allow the PR manager to pinpoint the candidate's strengths and weaknesses, ability to adapt to
unpredictable situations and comfort level with handling pressures that often arise on the job.
"The ability to think strategically and communicate superbly, both orally and in writing, is essential for any [PR professional]," Sandman says. "But I also want to see that they have an interest
in the business."
Indeed, a lack of passion for what one does can often lead to burnt-out or flaky employees that don't come through in the clutch.
Conduct A Background Check
Depending on the structure of the organization, this can be done by HR, PR or a combination of both; either way, it is essential to avoid getting stuck with a bad egg. "If it's a critical hire, no
time or expense should be spared to examine all aspects of the candidate's personal and business life," says Dennis Spring, president and founder of PR search firm Spring Associates. "Interview
thoroughly. Delve deeply into the psyche of the candidate. Get a real feel for their common and business sense. Do background checks."
There are many ways you can uncover less-than-ideal characteristics:
- Credit checks: There is a difference between "I'm still paying off my college loans" and "I haven't paid my credit card bills since 1989." Don't end up with the latter category of spender, as
his or her freewheeling habits can transfer over to work ethic.
- Reference checks: Don't just assume that providing a list of references is enough; call them and confirm their own positions. The more conniving breed of applicant could try to cover for himself
by having a friend pose as past employer.
- Google checks: It's a new day, and communications professionals can't forget it. Googling a candidate can uncover salacious information (or, hopefully, just reconfirm that the resume is
accurate). Then, search Myspace and Facebook for online profiles. If the person does have a presence in an online community, does he/she use it to post pictures of friends or to write acidic
diatribes about past employers, former boyfriends/girlfriends, parents, etc.? Such profiles can offer insight into an applicant's personality, for better or worse.
"A Myspace profile doesn't give validity on its own," Sandman says, "but it does add pieces to the puzzle."
Follow Through
So you've hired a candidate with ideal experience, glowing references and a closet void of skeletons, but that's just half the battle. Communications professionals must train new hires so they are
in line with organization-wide goals.
"Once the best people are on board, the foundation of any effective training philosophy should be that of a shared effort in which the ultimate responsibility for continued growth and education
lies with the individual employee," Herman writes. "There exists, however, a concurrent responsibility on the part of the firm to provide opportunities and support that are in line with the firm's
growth goals."
Limited financial resources are no excuse to skimp on training and instead assume that the newcomer should be a fast learner; any good business person knows you have to spend money to make money,
and a botched hire down the line is far more expensive than a well-trained one up front.
As the old (and jaded) adage goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and the same holds true for companies. It is in PR executives' best interest to give ample attention to hiring,
lest their decisions lead to monetary losses or crises. As Herman writes,
"Without a clear vision of the type of individual who will be compatible to the firm's philosophy in terms of client service, work ethic and both individual and organizational growth, one can too
often end up with a "show horse" instead of a "work horse" and, in some cases, a "lame horse" or even a "mule."
Contact:
Jeffrey Sandman, jsandman@hydeparkcomm; Michael Herman, 919.855.5301, [email protected]; Dennis Spring, [email protected]