{"id":328,"date":"2014-03-01T18:18:47","date_gmt":"2014-03-01T18:18:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hanseckman.com\/guides\/?p=328"},"modified":"2016-10-06T21:00:48","modified_gmt":"2016-10-06T21:00:48","slug":"hiring-quality-project-managers-and-business-analysts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hanseckman.com\/guides\/hiring-quality-project-managers-and-business-analysts\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiring quality project managers and business analysts"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you are a hiring manager, you are probably sitting on a stack of promising resumes why looking to fill your open position. \u00a0Even using a staffing company to prescreen, it is still hard to prioritize the people you want to speak with. \u00a0Why? \u00a0Because most resumes are a horrible representation of how the person will perform. \u00a0Yes, a list of skills and positions does give some indication, but how do you know if they are a fit for your team and company culture? \u00a0Even in a down economy, I find that less than half (usually 25%) of candidates complete the questionnaire. \u00a0Is that the kind of person you want on your team. someone who won’t take an extra 10 minutes to complete a survey for a job they want? \u00a0What happens when you give them a hard assignment!<\/p>\n

Larger companies may use online skills profiles, which are great if you are hiring commodity resources. \u00a0I’m looking for leaders and problem solvers who are self-driven for my teams. \u00a0So to help me pull gems out of rock piles, I\u00a0recommend using a screening survey as part of your application process. \u00a0The survey should be part of your online application process, but can also be emailed out to each candidate. \u00a0I’ve provided sample copies at the end that you are welcome to leverage for your own use and needs. \u00a0The survey has several sections, each with a distinct focus. \u00a0The order of the sections does not matter.<\/p>\n

Role Proficiency:<\/strong> This section tries to quantify background skills and experience directly related to the BA or PM role. \u00a0My first priority is determining a candidate’s role expertise over domain knowledge. \u00a0Fill this section with the skills, tools and certifications you are looking for or use to determine the job grade.<\/p>\n

Domain\u00a0Expertise:<\/strong>\u00a0In some cases or companies, domain experience is as important as someone’s ability to perform a role. \u00a0Most of the time I feel that a strong person will be successful in any domain, but there are times where knowledge will improve productivity and value. \u00a0(For the teams I’ve assembled and worked with, I’ve found it to be true when you want linchpins<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Cultural Fit:<\/strong> This section uses antonyms to help determine a cultural fit for your team and organization. \u00a0Some companies operate better with innovative free spirits, while other places need people who will follow policy and procedures to the letter.<\/p>\n

Multiple Choice:<\/strong> This section is a trap to gauge maturity level. \u00a0The idea is to create a series of questions which have mostly right answers, with certain answers being tied to the person’s level of maturity, experience and accountability.<\/p>\n

Scenarios:<\/strong> Scenarios are one of the best interview approaches to learn not what someone did, but how they solve problems and apply their knowledge. \u00a0If you use these questions in your interviews, you may want to skip or limit this section. \u00a0Try to keep the questions focused, especially around opportunities or challenges you’ve seen similar people encounter on your team.<\/p>\n

Sample surveys:<\/strong><\/p>\n