Take the Hassle Out of Hiring
Peter Dods
Resume
Initial Hurdle
 No
Job Applications
 Resume
– 1st initiative test
 How
does resume look
 Is
the resume geared towards working at your
store?
 Email?
 Ask
Around – Music Community in our area is
small….
Email
Determine Non-Negotiables ASAP
 How
 Can
flexible is your schedule?
you work 40 hours a week?
 How
knowledgeable are you with gear?
 What
gear are you most familiar with?
 Do
you drive?
 Do
you have a criminal record?
Cut your losses short as quickly as possible!!!!!!!!
Email
Follow Up
 Response
to “Non-Negotiables”?
 Professional?
 Do
 How
 Bleh?
they capitalize?
fast do they respond to email?
Email
Diagnostic – Initiative Test #2
You don’t need to answer back to me with the answers to the
questions below. Please read the questions and indicate on a
scale of 1 to 10 (1 knowing nothing and 10 knowing the answer
completely) how well you know the answer to these questions. I
would recommend looking up the answers to these questions
after you read them so you can give an accurate 1-10 rating. You
may think you know the answer well, but after researching the
answer, you may find out otherwise. Send me back the 1-10
rating of what you knew, and be honest.
Between the resume, the non-negotiables, and the scores on the
diagnostic (do they follow directions?), you should have a good
idea of whether someone deserves an interview. Cut your losses
short….
Interview
Interview Step 1
 Be ready!
 Do
they show up early or at least on time?
 How
are they dressed?
 Talking
to employees, playing with gear, or sitting
nervously?
 How
do they shake your hand?
Interview
Interview Step 2
 Diagnostic
 Did
– Initiative test #2
you read the directions to this request?
 Really?
So you looked up the answers to these
questions then?
 Run
through questions with their responses in hand.
 Are
their 10s really 10s
 Did
their 1s become 10s?
 Continue?
I’ll continue with a person who had 1s and
now has 10s any day of the week….Someone who had 5s
and still has 5s….
Interview
Interview Step 3
 Real
Diagnostic
 Our
diagnostic covers a huge range of MI combo store
questions
 Setup
on a computer in Google docs to output instant
answer
 True
 Parts
 Results?
False
of the guitar
Continue? How do they stack up?
Interview
Interview Step 4
 String
Box Test
 Attention
to detail
 Composure
under pressure
 Accuracy
 Legible?
 How
do they stack up?
 Continue?
Interview
Interview Step 5
 Customer
Response
 Problem
 How
Solving
do they really write?
 Warmth?
Below is a sample email from a fictional Easy Music Center customer. Please
respond to them.
Hello - I am looking for a beginner acoustic guitar. What should I keep in
mind when looking for one?
Mahalo ,
David West
Interview
Interview Step 6
 Play
Baby Play

Skilled enough?

Skilled as they make themselves out to be? – More important

Decisive? Grabbing guitar test?

Can you tune a guitar?

If they play with a pick, do they have one on them?

Multiple player?

Can they walk the walk and fit the part
Interview
Interview Step 7
 Sell
me this ukulele

Looking for body language

Any of the 4 golden sales questions

Do they build a relationship?

Nervous?
Interview
Interview Step 8 – More Traditional Interview Mode


Crazy Questions

Do you think Human Beings are inherently good or inherently evil?
Qualify…

Master of your own fate?

Values Challenge – How did you fix it?

What is your life philosophy?
Traditional Questions

Greatest Strength/Greatest Weakness?

5 year plan?

Why do you want to work here?
Interview
Interview Step 9


Questions for me?

How this place works

Ideal employee

How did you get here

How did I do
Get a few more takes

Other Managers

I have two other people passively listening to interview

Other employees
Data
Work it, work it, work it, but…

Compile it and use it. It helps differentiate similar applicants

If you hire, use the data and what people saw and observed to set a
chance of success percent. Evaluate later to see how well your system is
working

There is no perfect system…of the people our system rejects, I’d like to
think 100% of them would not have worked here. Of the people it
accepts…

SHARE THE DATA WITH YOUR CREW!

What position were you looking to fill?
Hired
Start them on the right foot


Entrance Conversation

A good employee

A great employee

Non-Negotiables

Harmony

Core Values

Benefits

Role of resources

Engaged Vs. Disengaged
Go through their interview