A Publication of Lighthouse Consulting Services 3130 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 550, Santa Monica, CA 90403 (310) 453-6556
How to Use the Form The most important consideration in using the matrix is this: Do Not, Under Any Circumstances, Put Off Completing the Form After Each Interview. Human memory fades rapidly four to six hours after an event. Once details are gone from short-term memory, they are lost forever. You absolutely must ensure that your hiring process does not fall victim to procrastination and memory loss (“Er, gee, I think this was the guy with the orange tie who used to work at Enron, yeah? Or was that Exxon? Shoot, I don’t remember…”) The hiring team leader must make sure each interviewer sits down immediately after the interview (or by that same day’s end, at the latest) to complete the sections for which they have gathered enough information. It is almost certain that no interviewer will be able to fill out an entire matrix after just one interview. That’s fine—they should leave blank any sections that require more information, and make notes regarding what questions to ask in the next interview in the “Comments” area. We highly recommend that somebody on the interviewing team—preferably the hiring manager him- or herself—be charged with distributing and collecting the Eight-Point Success Matrix forms before and after each round of interviews. When people know they’ll be held accountable at the end of the day, they won’t put off what needs to be done. While there are few rules about using the Matrix, there are several tips to keep in mind. ·         The form should be explained and discussed fully among the team before interviews begin. ·         Each interviewer should understand the difference between a score of 0, 1, 2, and 3. ·         Each interviewer should understand what each of the Factors is intended to measure. ·        A candidate who rates Zeros in any category is probably not the best choice for the job. ·        The “sweet spot” on the Eight-Point Success Matrix form is a ranking of “2.” Not too hot or too cold—just right.		·         Depending on the job, it is possible that a candidate with one or two ratings of “1” might still be up to the job. ·         A candidate whose Matrix scores are consistently “3” across the board is likely overqualified. At a minimum you might encounter a fair level of difficulty retaining this individual. He or she would probably become bored with the job and is therefore NOT always a good choice. ·         Your hiring team should discuss their rankings of the final candidates in great detail to make sure no questions or concerns are left un-addressed. Permission is needed from Impact Hiring to reproduce any portion provided in this article.  © 2005    Barry Deutsch (Barry@impacthiring.com ) is a veteran recruiter, national trainer, and hiring coach to CEOs across the country. Barry is Senior Vice President of both CJA Executive Search and Impact Hiring, a hiring portal, training, and hiring systems consulting company. His industry career includes general management positions within Westinghouse Group W Cable organization, as well as senior-level financial management positions within Beatrice Foods and Mattel. Barry can be contacted at (310)378-4571. If you would like additional information on this topic or others, please contact your Human Resources department or Lighthouse Consulting Services, 3130 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 550, Santa Monica, CA  90403, (310) 453-6556, dana@lighthouseconsulting.com  & our website: www.lighthouseconsulting.com   Lighthouse Consulting Services provides a variety of services, including personality assessments for new hires & staff development, team building, interpersonal & communication training, conflict management, workshops, and executive & employee coaching.  To see the form, please go to the next page.  Or you may download this form in Word format from, www.impacthiringsolutions.com .   If you have additional questions please feel free to give Barry a call at 310-378-4571
Lighthouse Consulting Services  3130 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 550, Santa Monica, CA 90403 (310) 453-6556