HTP Session 1-Effective Interviewing to the Moneyball Approach to Selection
1. Strategic Human Capital Leadership
Training Series—Session 1
Strategic Employee Selection:
From Effective Interviewing to the
“Moneyball” Approach to Selection
2. Introduction
Jonathan H. Westover, Ph.D.
Visiting Fulbright Scholar
Belarusian State University
School of Business and Management of Technology MBA Program
Assistant Professor of Management, Woodbury School of Business
Email: jon.westover@gmail.com; jonathan.westover@uvu.edu
About Me: about.me/jonathan.h.westover
3.
4. What we will Cover
This session will address proven best practices and principles of
effective employee selection with a focus on effective
interviewing and an application of the “Moneyball” approach to
strategically meeting your organization’s staffing needs.
We will:
1. Identify the elements of the selection process.
2. Define ways to measure the success of the selection method.
3. Describe the "Moneyball" Strategy for HR and Hiring Managers
4. Compare the common methods used for selecting human
resources.
5. Discuss how to conduct effective interviews.
5. How Are We Doing?
–We are confident that:
1. We consistently attract the best available talent to fill
our human capital needs.
2. We know who our most talented performers are and
that we hire “like talent.”
3. We have a handle on future needs for leadership and
an outstanding strategy for filling these needs.
4. All of our employee’s job assignments “fit” their
unique talents and skill sets.
6. The Challenge of Utilizing Human
Capital
• How can I get the right people into
the right job?
• How can I reduce employee
turnover?
• How can I improve my
performance management
process?
• How can I create a high-
engagement work culture?
• How can I best tap the full
potential of my employees?
8. Personnel Selection
• Personnel Selection: the process through which organizations make
decisions about who will or will not be allowed to join the organization.
• Selection begins with the candidates identified through recruitment.
• It attempts to reduce their number to the individuals best qualified to
perform available jobs.
• It ends with the selected individuals placed in jobs with the organization.
9. "Moneyball" Implications
for Managers
What they did:
• Billy Beane also used statistics to identify the
talents that really made the difference in
winning.
• He selected players based on hidden talents
and their talent "fit" within the ballplayer's
roster.
10. "Moneyball" Implications
for Managers
What you need to do:
• Managers who seek to fill their bench with talent need to first understand
the talents of their current staff.
• Next, they need to evaluate what talent they need to do the job and
accomplish the goals.
• Then, they should look at the difference between the talent and skills they
have and the talent they need.
• They can also assess what talents, skills, and other characteristics helped
employees work effectively in the roles in the past. Then, they need to find
the players who fill their gaps.
• This is the secret to hiring a superior workforce. It is not always the
individual player who must shine on your staff. The individual player must
bring your organization the skills and characteristics that are keeping you
from hitting your home run.
11. The "Moneyball" Strategy for HR and
Hiring Managers
1. What is your key element that your not looking at that could predict a
successful hire?
2. How can you better cultivate college graduates to become senior level
valued employees fast?
3. Look at your senior staff salaries compared to ROI both financial and
cultural for the company.
4. Devise a series of projects that are typically senior strategy, and give
junior staff a crack at a solution. (this could be a test run)
5. Compare an individuals pure level of production with successful projects
they've worked on within your company. (how many)
6. What individuals do clients or senior team members request the most
on average? (actually quantify this question)
7. Who actually touches or is involved in the most projects at your
organization? (top 5 or 10 depending on organizational size)
Source: http://www.shinyneedle.com/blog/moneyball-strategy-hr-and-hiring-
managers
15. Interviewing Effectively
1. Be prepared and take good notes
2. Assign responsibilities
Credentials
3. Start with a warm-up phase; Put the Experience
applicant at ease
4. Ask about past behaviors (use probing Skills & Knowledge
questions and behavioral questions Self Image
appropriately)
5. Be a good listener Traits
6. Figure out what your employees Motives & Values
do, and ask questions that look for
similar behaviors
7. At the end of the interview, make sure
the candidate knows what to expect
next
16. Competency Examples
• Problem Solving: Defines Problems and causes; Applies Problem Solving
Techniques
• Tenacity: Ability to persevere over an extended period of time, overcoming
significant obstacles to achieve an objective.
• Interpersonal Sensitivity: Accurately interprets others feelings and attitudes;
Effective listener
• Efficiency Orientation: Concern for getting things done with a minimal use
of time, money, and resources; Awareness of cost v. benefits, and able to
find ways to do things more quickly and easily at a lower cost.
• Analytical Thinking: Analytical Thinking; Ability to break down complex
problems, identify causes and develop recommendations.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to analyze an organization’s strengths,
weaknesses, and competitive position in the marketplace and to develop
strategies based on a long term future perspective.
• Flexibility: Adapts to situations or assignments; ability to alter plans
• Influence: Ability to develop and use effective strategies to gain others’
support and commitment.
• Customer Oriented: Takes the perspective of the customers in planning and
decision making. Seeks the suggestions and feedback of customers;
Anticipates and is assertively responsive to their needs.
• Initiative/Results Orientation: Originates action; Finds ways to get things
done.
17. Competency Examples
• Self Control: Shows grace under pressure; the ability to keep ones emotions
under control in difficult circumstances
• Detail Orientation: The ability to keep track of significant amounts of
information and logistics; Does the little things well; Does error-free work.
• Judgment: Maturity in decision-making; a sense for the appropriate in work
situations; professionalism
• Self Confidence: Belief in one’s own ability to accomplish a task and select an
effective approach to a task or problem; Willingness to trust one’s
independent judgment.
• Directing Others: Ability to use one’s position in an effective way to enforce
rules, confront performance issues, set boundaries for behavior or tell others
what they must do.
• Calculated Risk Taking: Able to weigh the costs, possible benefits, and
likelihood of success of a course of action and to commit oneself to that
course of action.
• Motivating Others: The ability to motivate people individually or in groups by
actions such encouraging people, giving recognition, creating symbols of
group identity and using group meetings to inspire and instill pride in the
work unit.
• Teamwork: Effective at Working in team situations.
• Customer Responsiveness: Responds well to internal/external customer
needs.
• Global Thinking: Makes the effort to learn about and modifies behavior in
other cultures; Is able to conduct business effectively in other cultures.
18. Competency Questions
1. Tell me about a time in your work when you needed to show leadership (initiative, strategic
thinking, influence skills etc...)
2. Tell me about a time when you were asked questions to which you did not have answers.
3. Has there ever been a time when you challenged a policy or procedure?
4. Tell me about a time when you had difficulty with a team member. Why do you think that
was?
5. Give me a specific example of a time when an employee objected to an assignment you
asked her to do. How did you handle the situation?
6. Describe your responsibilities when it comes to…
7. Describe the most challenging aspects of your responsibilities in …
8. Tell me some things you did to…
9. Tell me about your role in implementing…
10. Describe how you …
11. You said ‘we.’ What did you do specifically?
19. QUESTIONS?
Jonathan H. Westover, Ph.D.
Visiting Fulbright Scholar
Belarusian State University
School of Business and Management of Technology MBA Program
Assistant Professor of Management, Woodbury School of Business
Email: jon.westover@gmail.com; jonathan.westover@uvu.edu
About Me: about.me/jonathan.h.westover
