Hiring the best people; there may be no foolproof system when it comes to hiring new employees, but three publishing companies have established techniques to improve the odds - Cahners Publishing Co., Cardiff Publishing Company Inc., Hart Publications Inc

"The most important thing we do," says a publishing company executive, "is hire good people." The president of another publishing house states, "I don't think there's anything more critical to our success than the people we hire. The only way our company can grow is if we find people who can grow, too."

Finding people with the right personality characteristics to grow in their jobs is crucial, they contend.

Yet these same executives freely admit that there's no foolproof system for 100 percent success in hiring the right editors, ad salespeople, production staff and circulation clerks--those indispensable people who make a publishing operation go. Nonetheless, the managers who seem to beat the odds when it comes to making good choices are those who have taken the time to develop a system for thoughtfully and objectively evaluating candidates.

Three cases in point are Cahners Publishing Co., Cardiff Publishing Co., Inc., and Hart Publications, Inc. of the London-based Reed Publishing Group, Cahners Publishing Co. is the largest trade publisher in the United States, putting out 31 trade and business magazines with titles such as Modern Materials Handling, Design News, Restaurants & Institutions and Mini-Micro Systems. Headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts, with offices in Des Plaines, Illinois, New York City, and Denver, Colorado, the publishing giant has found that "nothing is more costly than making a bad hiring decision," according to Harvey Wigder, vicre president of Cahners' Human Resources Department.

"If you think of someone who joins us in his or her twenties and works until retirement, Cahners is making a multi-million-dollar decision in terms of salary, benefits, training and so on." If the person doesn't work out, Wigder adds, Cahners stands to lose a great deal--not only in terms of money from salary and productivity losses, but also in terms of damage to the morale of both the staff and the individual.

To avoid these situations as often as possible, cahners uses a variety of selection strategies. For example, in 1984 the company formed the Human Resources Department, which Wigder heads, to assist Cahners' managers in the hiring process. One of the first things the new department instituted was a search procedure--an ongoing effort to be aware of available talent for the many positions at Cahners.

"Through our network of contacts, we have names of people inside and outside of Cahners who could be potential candidates if a position opens up. Some of these people might not even be actively looking, but we've identified them as capable individuals we would be interested in in the future," Wigder explains.

Wigder explains that his background is in the insurance and banking industries, where the organizations are usually large and have well-established procedures managers must follow when hiring. At Cahners, in contrast, each magazine is a profit center. This means each publisher has the authority to hire his or her own staff. The publisher is free to consult with the Human Resources Department, but is not required to use it.

The key to good selection, Wigder feels, is to take your time. "When a company is hiring, it has the advantage because the applicants want the job. The manager should feel free to take all the time he or she needs to make sure the organization and the candidate are making a good fit."

Pinpointing key characteristics

In terms of specific publishing jobs, Cahners has found that looking for particular characteristics for particular jobs is important.

* Executives/managers: Wigder says the intelligence, a desire for excellence and "solid human values" are crucial at the executive level. "We're a people business," he maintains, "and our executives should be sensitive to the human side as well as the business side of our work."

In terms of management characteristics in general, the test battery used at Cahners identifies people who show the ability to be quick learners, who have a good understanding of the needs of people as well as the requirements of various rasks, and who are generally independent and confident in their approach.

* Advertising salespeople: Wigder feels that ad salespeople who can sell consultatively and communicate well with the magazines' advertisers are very important. Other characteristics seen as important to success in the sales job, according to test data, are an understanding of how to develop a sales approach, good verbal skills, and an appropriate level of assertiveness and persistence.

* Editors: Miles Rowan, vice president and editorial director of Modern Materials Handling, a Cahners magazine, will consider both journalists with little or no technical knowledge of the magazine's subject matter (materials handling equipment and systems) and experts in the technology who have little or no business publishing background. "If they know the field, but aren't business writers, they usually have an interest in writing samples," he says. "If they have business writing background, they usually have good journalistic skills. In that case, they need to prove to me that they have an interest in the subject matter and will devote the time necessary to become an expert in the field."

Technical expertise is necessary, says Rowan, because senior-level editors at Cahners are expected to become prominent, well-respected authorities in the industry their magazine covers. They must be able to speak at industry association meetings, participate in association committees and seminars, and carry out other good-will-building functions.

Looking for the right attitude

In addition to solid writing skills and technical knowledge, Rowan looks for "work attitude--that is, are they organized? Will they be able to follow the magazine's procedures? Can they work independently and with minimal direction, and yet within the frame work of the magazine's structure? Second, are they motivated--do they have the desire and the self-confidence to get things done, and done well?"

Rowan makes these determinations by examining resumes, holding a series of interviews, and relying on the test battery. "People take a big step when they give up one position to take another, and we want to make sure they have a better than average chance of succeeding. The tests help us increase those odds."

Test data show that candidates who are likely to succeed as Cahners editors are individuals who tend toward a "get-the-job-done" approach and who are organized, patient and practical in orientation.

* Production staff: Cahners divides its production people in two segments: advertising production staff and graphics production staff. The advertising production staff works with the ad sales force and agencies to meet advertising deadlines, dummies the ads into the magazine, and works with the printer to guarantee quality reproduction. The graphics production staff typesets and pastes up the editorial copy.

"Advertising production people are under a great deal of pressure and work with very tight deadlines--in fact, they're usually trying to make up for missed deadlines and still get the magazine printed on time," says John Sanders, director of production and manufacturing for Cahners' Newton-based magazines. "So we look for people who can hold up well under pressure and will not be oppressed by detail work. It takes the kind of person who knows that Murphy's Law is in effect at all times. Things will go wrong, so the ad production people need to have more than one plan in place to overcome problems."

Sanders says the entry-level people he considers are often recent college graduates who are attracted to publishing and who are also comfortable with business and math skills.

Ron Walinder, who holds the same position for Cahners as Sanders and is in charge of the Des Plaines opertion, adds that he looks for young people recently out of school who have taken general courses, rather than applicants who have specific journalistic or graphic design goals. "My hope is that, if hired, the young person will be exposed to an aspect of publishing he's never seen before, will enjoy it and will stay," Walinder says. "I try to stay away from people who want to be journalists, graphic artists or designers because they will continue to pursue the profession they've studied."

The graphics production staff are Cahners' typesetters and paste-up artists. Sanders and Walinder agree that because typesetting has become more automated, with editors typing stories directly into computer terminals, strong typing skills are not as important in the production department as they once were. Instead, graphics production people need to show an aptitude for coding the copy for computer typesetting.

"Some of the coding can get very comples, so I look for someone who can solve problems," explains Sanders. "I'd describe the person as someone who likes to solve puzzles." Often, Sanders and Walinder will hire people who have prior experience operating the technical equipment used at Cahners.

When selecting paste-up artists, Walinder and Sanders have found that the person best suited to the job is someone who gains satisfaction from following the pattern laid out for him or her on the magazine dummy and is dependable and hard working.

"I might hire someone out of high school who is completely inexperienced," says Walinder. "We look for a person who has some drafting or drawing capabilities, and then we teach them the technical skills necessary to do the job in the paste-up department."

Selecting production people

The testing firm used by Cahners does not test production people at the staff level. However, it has collected data on production positions that indicate that the characteristics important for success include above average numerical learining abilities, attentiveness to organization and detail work, and a task-oriented, slightly dependent approach.

* Graphic designers: Tony Pronoitis, director of Cahners' art department in the Des Plaines office, has structured his department into senior art directors, associate art directors, assistant art directors and staff artists, the latter being the entry-level positions. At the entry level, Pronoitis is interested in the applicant's formal education and prefers graphic design over fine arts, especially if the emphasis has been in publications design rather than just advertising design.

The art department is responsible for designing the covers and editorial content of the magazines, or redesign in total if necessary, as well as for any promotional material the magazines might sponsor. Pronoitis expects his staff to design the magazines within a set budget, to understand the content of the story and the editorial objectives before beginning the design work, and then to be able to explain the rationale of the graphics to the magazine's editors.

Seeing editors as clients

Out of the 100 percent that makes up the total job description, Pronoitis says, "51 percent is creative and 49 percent is business. I want designers who will approach the editors as their clients and work with them to satisfy their needs. Good design is the result of good planning." He also says that he draws on a pool of freelancers for illustrations and photographs.

* Circulation staff: Cahners' Denver office handles circulation for 31 of the company's 34 magazines. Anthony Pertusi, vice president/circulation, oversees the circulation operation, composed of about 135 clerks and managers who keep circulation files on approximately two million names.

Pertusi says the clerical applicants are given a skills test developed by Cahners that gauges the applicant's abilities to do simple arithmetic and handle tasks such as matching Zip Codes or sorting names. He admits, however, that it is difficult to test whether or not the person will adapt to the routine, very detailed work. To compensate for this unknown factor, Cahners has a three-month "probation" period. At the end of three months, the company evaluates the new hire, and the individual evaluates the job.

Pertusi says another indication of a person's level of interest in the job is whether they mail or deliver their resumes. He favors those who take the time to bring their resumes personally into the personnel office.

Pertusi notes that he might hire clerical people with a high-school education or less, and that he makes a point to show Cahners' organization chart to applicants so they can see the potential for promotion. Most of the circulation supervisors and managers, for example, have been promoted from the clerical ranks. In fact, Pertusi states, "If we look internally and don't see a person qualified to be promoted, we feel that is 'shame on us' for not bringing people along like we should."

Circulation managers are assigned to one or more of Cahners' magazines and are responsible for supervising the clerical staff and working with the editorial and sales departments to provide demographic and other circulation information. "In the management position, we look for people who are detail-oriented and yet can see the broad picture--they understand why circulation is important to selling advertising," Pertusi explains.

As is true of other potential managers at Cahners, candidates for circulation manager are given a battery of management tests to determine their aptitude for the job. They also go through a series of interviews at Cahners before being selected.

Cardiff Publishing Co.

A subsidiary of Argus Press, Cardiff Publishing Co., Inc., prints six trade journals and sponsors four national and international conventions in the areas of communication, electronics and industrial data processing. Two of their largest and oldest magazines are Cable Television Business and Communications Magazine.

Cardiff is smaller than Cahners (about 70 employees in its Denver location), but the same concern for good hiring practices is evident. For example, Bob Searle, president, says he tries to have more involvement in selection decisions than in almost any other operational area because of the importance he places on a qualified staff.

The hiring procedure used at Cardiff is begun by drawing up a description of the position, including the technical skills and personal characteristics needed. With this profile in mind, Cardiff screens resumes and conducts brief initial interviews with the top contenders. Those who stay in the running then meet with the Cardiff manager who would be the new hire's boss, and usually someone else in Cardiff management who has a good understanding of what is needed in the position. Finalists are then given the same test battery used for Cahners' prospects.

Tests as tie-breakers

"The tests are often used as a tie-breaker," says Searle. "We have great confidence in their validity--we understand clearly what the test results tell us, how we can use the results to make a hiring decision and, later, what training and supervision approaches we should take."

How does Searle justify the cost of using the tests? First, he notes, they are given only to the finalists. Second, he says, "Compare the costs of giving three finalists the management test battery--about $1,300 total--with the expense of hiring the wrong person at the management level, which can run into many thousands of dollars. I would use almost any tool for any reasonable amount of money to let us do a better job at hiring."

When asked what general characteristics he feels are important in job applicants, Searle responds, "I want to be challenged by the people we hire. I realize that takes some self-confidence on the part of the person making the selection because it means they are choosing people who might be good enough to take their jobs away from them. But these are the kind of people we need if we are to build a successful future for our company."

In terms of Cardiff's editorial staff, for example, Searle says his company looks for the following;

1. A person with broad interests and growth potential.

2. An ability to get along with others, both within Cardiff and outside of the company.

3. Motivation to achieve.

4. Communication skills.

5. Writing samples.

6. A good resume, with no spelling or grammatical errors.

"The person who wants to work a straight nine-to-five day and then go home and forget about the job won't fit into our culture," Searle says.

He also notes that although technical expertise in the magazine's subject matter is helpful, Cardiff will hire writers who have the interest and ability to learn about the subject matter. And, whenever possible, the company promotes from within.

As for the greatest mistake made in hiring, he says it's to "feel pressure to hurry. That can happen when you get a group of applicants and none of them stands out. The danger is that you will go back and hire someone you originally said you wouldn't."

Hart Publications, Inc.

Hart Publications, Inc., is another publishing house that gives careful attention to its hiring procedures. Located in Denver, the company's 60-member staff publishes a group of five regional oil and gas trade journals called Oil World Network, a sixth magazine titled Oil and Gas Investor and several annual directories.

At Hart, ad salespeople must do more than sell space, says Jim Blecha, advertising sales director. "We get a lot of advertising from companies that don't use an ad agency, so we need people who can combine sales ability with a high degree of creativity. Our salespeople are often in the role of advising our clients on advertising layout and copy, and might even do the photography needed."

To hire this type of individual, Blecha looks for people who have sales experience combined with creative ability and a willingness to work independently. He notes that this combination makes Hart's salesforce somewhat different from space salesforces at larger publishing houses where working with ad agencies and handling a few big-dollar accounts predominates. At Hart, by contrast, an ad salesperson might have 400 to 500 small accounts.

On the editorial side of Hart, Dave Webster, executive editor and vice president of magazine operations, says that a key part of the hiring process for his editors is a work sample the company has developed. He explains that the sample, which takes two to four hours to complete, gives Hart a comparative view of applicants--and it gives the job candidate a better idea of what the position involves. The work sample includes the following:

* The candidate is given two news releases and is asked to rewrite them into one short article.

*The candidate is shown several releases about personnel in the oil and gas industry and asked to arrange them in order of importance.

* The candidate is asked to edit a galley of poorly written copy.

* The candidate takes a 20-minute proofreading test.

* The candidate completes a five-minute typing test.

Webster says he not only looks for technical accuracy when reviewing the work sample, but also assesses the ability of the applicant to organize the material well and write it to the needs of the magazine's audience.

A multiple interview procedure is used at Hart, and often candidates are asked to participate in a group interview with several staff people. After the applicant leaves the interview, the staff fills out an evaluation form on the candidate, answering questions about factors such as ability to communicate, relevance of prior experience, attitudes and so on.

In addition, Webster says he considers favorably applicants who have generated a lot of copy in their previous jobs--for example, reporters for daily newspapers. "This indicates to me that they have experience in writing and editing and can handle deadlines," he notes.

Webster also adds that Hart prefers to hire journalists and train them about the oil and gas industry rather than to hire oil and gas experts and try to teach them writing skills. And, he notes, he has the best results when he is able to promote from within the company.

Webster, too, believes that hiring in a hurry is one of the biggest mistakes a publishing manager can make. In fact, he says, if Hart does not find a suitable candidate, the company gets a temporary replacement while it keeps looking.

"I feel that if a company takes care in its hiring, it will get people who respect it for its thoughtfulness," he says. "Then, these people will take the same care when they get on the job."

A system for success

As the publishers quoted here have indicated, choosing the right person for the job is made possible by a well-designed selection system that relies on not one, but several steps and checkpoints. Within that system, each component of interviewing, reference checking, testing and comparison must be fair and consistently applied. This ensures a selection program that meets EEO requirements, is valid, and produces the expected results--a successful employee.

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