What your hiring practices say about your company - tips for interviewing - Folio: Special Sourcebook Issue 1998

The competition for top talent will only intensify as advertisers and publishing companies hit their strides in this upbeat market. Already, low-handicap, "like me" sales executives are being replaced by business-driven people who can grasp the client's business dynamic and form true partnerships with advertisers and other organizations to open up new profit-making opportunities.

Many publishing companies do not have such people. To some, that may seem an immediate prescription for promoting or "selling" the company in an effort to attract a wide range of talented people. In fact, the opposite is true. How completely and accurately you portray your company, its culture and the opportunities available to each candidate you court will largely determine whom you are able to attract and the level of commitment those people will usher in. Your honesty will also define and enhance the company's credibility in the eyes of future management prospects.

It's vital that your company know what it's getting in a new hire, and that the candidate know what he or she is getting into. Trust is on the line. And as far as the candidate is concerned, the recruiting process can be a full dress rehearsal for the job. It's not enough to have a "script" for fielding tough questions in the interview (although being prepared with specifics for answers to tough questions is not a bad idea). What's called for is open communication. How you are with candidates will shout louder than any one thing you say. Following is a checklist for communicating the right message, inside your company and out.

Know what you want. The old adage "Know thyself" applies here in spades. Are you beguiled by your own press releases and ad campaigns, or do you clearly see your position in the marketplace? Your expectations, the company culture and internal politics largely determine how any new manager will perform. Therefore, you need to be completely clear about the role you want to play. That's not nearly so easy as it sounds. One of the most revealing -- albiet uncomfortable -- exercises is to ask a few senior managers you trust what it takes to be effective within your company. If they trust you, you'll hear back what you need to share with candidates. (If they don't trust you enough, you may get valuable warning signals that your problems won't be solved by a hire.)

Know what colleagues and direct reports expect. All too often, executives fail to consider the future employee's colleagues when they are hiring. Yet what these people expect of a new hire will create the climate for the employee's debut. If you're looking for a maintainer, or a manager, or a change driver, whatever -- communicate this to all senior people, direct reports and colleagues before you start the recruiting process. Make sure they've signed on to what you are doing. Otherwise, candidates will get mixed messages when they contact senior-level executives or their friends within the industry to ask about the company and the proposed job.

Create relationships with key candidates. There is no substitute for trust, and there is no shortcut to building a strong relationship. Adjust your focus to the long term. Think of candidates as future allies and perhaps industry friends. Only one will get the job, but the rest may well be people you will want to know. Be totally honest. Take time to concentrate on some of the things that tell the candidates the kind of person you really are.

Share your long-term vision for the company upfront. Smart candidates are bound to know plenty about the forces reshaping publishing, and many are in a position to know a lot about your company -- problems and all. What the smart candidates don't know, they will soon find out.The single most important thing you can communicate is a clear-cut, unvarnished vision of how you view changing market forces and what you plan to do to capitalize on the opportunities out there.

Give a frank and open appraisal of obstacles to overcome. Remember, the manager you hire inherits politics and public perception. The best way to demonstrate that you're on his or her side from the start is to provide an accurate assessment of the political challenges inside your company, and the perceptions in the marketplace. Get these out in the open before the candidate starts to voice concerns about recent changes.

I once worked with a long-term client to seek out two senior managers. The company was one of the industry giants whose notorious CEO had just retired. Long-time perceptions that this company was one of the worst places to work were not going to go away early. The smartest thing we did was admit that, yes, there were problems and a cultural holdover. But the trust was that this was a dynamic company that presented a tremendous opportunity for the right person with plenty of ambition. Smart, able people understand that uncertain conditions can provide unusual opportunities. For those willing to take a risk, the challenge was actually enhanced.

Tell them what you do and don't know. "I've heard the magazine is for sale. "Those seven words are guaranteed to make you gulp. Be careful not to promise what you can't predict or control. If you are not in a position to know, admit it. You would not be the first senior executive to find out about his career change in the newspapers.

A candidate for the top marketing post at a multimedia company had second thoughts about his "dream job" because of rumors that the company was in play. "Say they do get sold," I told him. "Part of this package will be a handsome severance agreement. This position represents a major career advancement. What's the worst that can happen to you? You'll have established yourself at a higher level."

The point is this: Just make the candidate aware of all sides of the opportunity.

Don't hire a search firm to disguise a danger job. You'll only be cheating yourself. In fact, one mark of a recruiter's professionalism is the willingness to turn down an assignment that's obviously covering up an abusive situation. Good recruiters will always show candidates the full picture of the position as it relates to their personal career goals, and will help them make an informed choice. Recruiters take the long view: Candidates may influence or become clients. If you operate out of the same understanding, you'll increase your appeal to top-notch talent.

Turn the obstacles to your advantage. You can cut to the end game -- seeing the candidate "in action" -- by presenting the challenges he or she will face and evaluating the reaction. You'll know sooner than you might think just how well the candidate will be able to deal with challenge and risk. If the candidate starts talking about contracts, guaranteed bonuses, vacations, pensions and vesting, you'll have learned a lot about what underlies his or her desire for a challenging job.

Allow open access to your management team. Researching the company and the position is the candidate's responsibility. Someone smart enough to grow your business will probe for the information and may want talk to some key people in the company. If you restrict access to the people the candidate may be working with, or for, the candidate may assume that you have something to hide -- and that's a disincentive.

Act like a leader. It's no accident that the leaders we admire didn't shy away from thorny issues. Jefferson, Lincoln, Truman, Eisenhower -- these men based their actions on sound moral values. They didn't rationalize their way out of doing the right thing. Today's popular cynicism doesn't diminish the fact that truth is truth. When all is said and done, the only thing you keep in this business is your name. And you can't put a price on a good reputation.

John W. Malcom is the partner in charge of publishing at Johnson Smith & Knisely Accord, a New York-based executive search firm.

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