Issue 25(2)

Hiring the Best Person for Every Job Facilitator's Guide and CD, and Participant Workbook. (2002). DeAnne Rosenberg. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 152 pp. and 73 pp.  ISBN 0-7879-5896-4, 0-7879-5897-2.  

 

Review By: Cherie R. Hatlem

Registrar

Albion College

 

Rosenberg wrote Hiring the Best Person for Every Job to provide fundamental and detailed step-by-step directions for anyone who frequently hires or trains others in hiring practices. And, this is exactly what the Facilitator's and Participant texts provide. Rosenberg 's list of clients is impressive as is her 25 years of professional work in this area. She conveys knowledge gained from her experiences in a simple manner that is clear and concise.  

             

The Facilitator's Guide addresses five areas: position description, performance standards, skills needed for standards, soliciting evidence of skills needed, and a format for doing all of this. The one and two day workshop formats include for training charts, seating locations, day agendas and twenty transparencies. The guide is a valuable resource for anyone who wishes to improve their skills and prevent costly mistakes in hiring.  

             

Of particular value is the section on Resume Analysis. "Studies done by the Society for Human Resource Management have shown that 80 percent of the resumes that cross your desk will contain some untruth in them" (page 51). The section on Legal Restrictions and Related Issues provides important information for an interviewer. Role-Play Activity and Video Feedback Procedure information is of value to those training others in hiring practices. Readers can easily choose material relevant their situations from chapters that are clearly marked and succinct. For example, a lesson learned by many through trial-and-error, is phrased as "In order to create a good 'fit', it is important to place a task person in a task-oriented job; an affiliate in an affiliate-oriented job; and a power person in a power-oriented job. This is a matter of hiring to strengths" (page 88). With the detailed interview method described in this guide and the identifiers provided, one can easily see how it is possible to accomplish this in a brief interview.  

             

The Participant's Workbook is just that.a workbook complete with exercises and quizzes from the Facilitator's Guide. While useful for training a large group in hiring practices, these tools are also valuable for individuals seeking to identify the strengths and weaknesses within their own hiring practice.  

             

Rosenberg provides a useful map for interviewing in a consistent manner. While nothing is fail-safe, if followed, anyone expecting to interview (or be interviewed) will find this material to be of value.