Make the Best Hire through an Effective Coaching Interview

1. Make the Best Hire through an Effective Coaching Interview Tim Graham, CMAA Tumwater High School Tumwater, Washington

2. Your success as an Athletic Administrator is simply the result of how good you are at hiring and mentoring the people around you. • Finding the right people is one of the biggest challenges in athletics today. • Hiring outstanding coaches has great impact on our students, school and community. • “You win with people” – Woody Hayes QUICK THOUGHTS

3. Great Teacher • High Character • Proven Winner • Role Model • Promotes Academics • Promotes Team • College Placement for All Players • Builds Programs • Builds Pride in Program, School & Community • Promotes Sportsmanship • Supports Other Sports • Knowledge of Strength Training & Conditioning • Works Well with Athletic Administrator • Coachable Sampling of What We Look For When Hiring Coaches

4. Job Description • Job Posting • The Candidate Pool • The Interview Committee • The Interview • Review and Selection Steps to Hiring the Right Person

5. Should Include the following: 1. Skills 2. Abilities 3. Education 4. Experience 5. Reporting relationship 6. Program priorities and expectations 7. Responsibilities and duties 8. How performance will be measured 9. Compliance statement - Equal Opportunity Employer Job Description

6. An accurate, detailed job description leads to a full understanding of the job requirements, qualifications and expectations. • The stated qualifications will provide the basis for the selection criteria used in the final decision. • Job descriptions will help avoid wasting time describing the position during the interview. Job Description

7. Internet Postings – Facebook, Twitter and other Social Media • State Department of Education • State Athletic Association • College Placement Offices • Referrals from other professionals – Principals, Athletic Administrators, Coaches • Clinics and Coaching Associations • Direct Mailing of Job Posting & Job Description The Job Posting

8. Sell Your Program Candidates are checking up on your program, school district and community. 1. Materials from city, Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce 2. School district information 3. Athletic program information 4. Website – District, Athletic and Team The Job Posting

9. Develop a reputation for hiring great coaches, training them and promoting them. • Referrals are the best source • From current employees • From other professional contacts • From friends • Recruit all of the time • Don’t wait until you have an opening. Know who is looking for jobs and who the future stars are. The Candidate Pool

10. You are identifying most suitable candidates and rejecting unsuitable ones. • Screening conducted by Principal, Athletic Administrator, Human Resources, etc. • Must meet minimum standards set in job description. • Talk to as many people as possible on the telephone to briefly assess qualifications. • Look for “red flags” – but don’t jump to conclusions – probe deeper 1. Unexplained gaps in employment – account for all time 2. Excessive “job hopping” – want stability 3. Is their current position described accurately by title? 4. Typos, misspellings and grammatical errors 5. Overly ambiguous phrasing (“familiar with”) 6. Lack of professional advancement or growth 7. Resume clear concerning education The Candidate Pool

11. Objectives of a selection interview 1. To assess competencies and skills that fit with the situation and program. 2. To assess personal chemistry and cultural/values fit. 3. To identify past behavior as an indicator of future behavior. 4. To predict success in job and district. The Interview

12. “Major” sport vs. “Minor” sport • Multiple interviews • One person • Committee • “Hometown” visit • Interview committee and training • Board members • Superintendent • Principal • Athletic Director • Coaches • Parents • Students • Community Members / Boosters The Interview

13. Things that need to be explored in an interview 1. The name of employer, the location and the dates of employment. 2. The job title. 3. Starting and final levels of compensation. 4. Responsibilities and accountabilities. 5. What was going on when you arrived? What challenges did you face? 6. Results, successes and accomplishments. 7. Major mistakes: What would you like to be able to do differently? The Interview

14. Things that need to be explored in an interview 8.The most enjoyable and rewarding aspects of the job. 9.The least enjoyable and least rewarding aspects. 10. Talents you inherited and changes you made. 11. Reasons for leaving. 12. Supervisor’s name, title and contact information. 13. What was it like to work for this person? 14. What were his or her major strengths and shortcomings as a supervisor? 15. What would your supervisor say about your strengths, weaknesses and general performance? The Interview

15. Things that need to be explored in an interview 16. What do you want in your next job? 17. What other jobs are you considering and why? 18. What is your ideal position? 19. Rate this job in terms of your ideal position. 20. What are your strengths, assets, and things you do well and like about yourself? 21. What are your shortcomings, weaker points, and areas for improvement? 22. Describe your leadership philosophy. 23. How do you think your subordinates view you? 24. How might you modify your approach to dealing with subordinates? The Interview

16. Five major mistakes when interviewing job applicants 1. Too Busy. 2. “Winging” the interview process. 3. Talk too much – 20% is too much. 4. First impression – appearance, credentials. 5. Ability to “read” is great, but don’t seek out subconscious meaning. The Interview

17. Do your prep work • “If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my axe” – Abraham Lincoln • Ask the right questions and vary style • Open, closed - factual, hypothetical • Pay attention • Rephrase questions to get complete answers • Don’t rush to judgment – wait until end of interview • Take notes • End on a positive note The Interview

18. Problems with interviews 1. First impressions 2. Stereotyping 3. Comfort with similar people 4. Situational influences 5. Interviewer differences 6. Tendency to be unstructured 7. Tendency to forget 8. Tendency to remember only negatives 9. Pressure to hire 10. Interviewing order in which applicants appear 11. Interviewer’s mood The Interview

19. Solutions 1. Attentiveness (privacy, no interruptions). 2. Objectivity (suspend judgment). 3. Active listening (encourage applicants to talk). 4. Arrange setting to put interviewee at ease. 5. Structure the interview. 6. Take notes. 7. Ask the same questions in the same order. 8. NEVER hire after one interview; ALWAYS get several opinions. The Interview

20. Interviewing Strategies • Don’t talk too much • Put candidates at ease, be friendly • Probe for specific, detailed answers • Ask situational questions • Concentrate on past successes and skills, not on experience or education • Do not respond to negatives – keep an open mind • Look for strengths – not shortcomings • Find out why applicants want to DO, not HAVE, the job • Don’t clone yourself The Interview

21. Competencies to look for in the interview • Intelligence • Motivation • Past performance success • Job skills, knowledge, and experience • Positive self-image, confidence, and optimism • Emotional maturity, realism, and self-control • Integrity, honesty, and dependability • Energy and personal impact • Conscientiousness (work ethic) • Flexibility and adaptability • Chemistry and cultural fit • Action oriented, proactive The Interview

22. Competencies to look for in the interview • Organization, planning and discipline • Teamwork and cooperation • Independence • Passion • Curiosity, need to understand • Coachable • Communication skills • Listening skills • Strategic, long-term thinker • Team oriented (“we” not “me”) • Persuasive • Efficient • Analytical skills • Attention to detail • Persistence The Interview

23. Other thoughts: • Prepare an itinerary for multiple interviews in the same day, tours of facilities, meetings with various groups (boosters, support staff, faculty, students, etc.). • Give each candidate ample time to share his or her philosophy of sport and to ask any questions that he or she may have for any of the groups. • Reference Check – begin at the interview, do it yourself, ask the right people. • Confirm employment history, job titles, responsibilities, strengths and weaknesses, interpersonal skills, work ethic, ask who else you can talk to about candidate, would you rehire the applicant. The Interview

24. Other thoughts: • Watch your expression – you are evaluating the candidates words, gestures, hesitations, etc., but you must not show any reaction to those things. • Don’t interrupt – listen carefully and don’t break the flow of the applicant’s words and thoughts as long as they are relative. • Pay attention – most people tend to let their mind wander while someone talks – sit UP and listen. • Be consistent – Ask all candidates the same questions. • Control silence – it is okay to let silence build as most candidates will fill the void with a second thought which could prove valuable. The Interview

25. Other Thoughts: • Use yes and no questions sparingly. • Use direct questions that deal with what, where, when , how and why. • Open-ended questions are useful in finding out how well applicants organize their thoughts. • If using situational questions, make sure the question doesn’t require knowledge of specific operating procedures that they may not be familiar with. • Avoid “run of the mill” questions as candidate will probably have a stock answer ready. • Avoid leading questions which suggest proper responses. • Structure the interview so that you have a measurable yardstick for comparison. The Interview

26. Other Thoughts: • The interview process is pure communication. • 7-38-55 • 7% from spoken word. • 38% from how the message is sent (intonation, inflection, etc.). • 55% from the associated facial expressions and body language. • You can glean a ton of information being sent by the interviewee that is beyond the words actually being spoken. • The interviewee gleans the same from you. The Interview

27. Go back to the job requirements. • Intangibles count. • Beware of the “halo effect” – don’t be so impressed by one aspect that it changes overall perception of candidate. • Don’t let first impressions form biases. • Trust your instincts. • Track record of accomplishment and growth is a much better indicator of future success than just experience. • If your candidates are NOT up to your high standards, it is better to re-open the position than accept a candidate with whom you are not completely satisfied. Review and Selection

28. Should you hire internally? • Advantages: • Familiar with school district, its function, stakeholders and culture. • Proven track record – no guesses on experience or work ethic. • Training time may be minimal due to experience in district. • Less complex hiring process. • Person is likely dedicated to school district – less likely to leave. • Demonstrates districts commitment to employees. • Disadvantages • Salary may be out of alignment. • More emotionally difficult to turn down someone internal. • Familiarity with school district may limit creativity and innovation. Review and Selection

29. The Ultimate Hiring Rule • Everything else being relatively equal, always hire the smartest person. • You can teach people almost anything, but you can’t teach them to be smart. • The only thing that can overcome a deficiency in intelligence is MOTIVATION (but you can’t motivate people, they come motivated, and all you can do is provide an atmosphere that unleashes their desire to succeed, their need for mastery). Review and Selection

30. THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING THIS WORKSHOP SESSION. THIS POWER POINT WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE NASPE WEBSITE. CONTACT INFORMATION: Tim Graham Tumwater High School 700 Israel Road SW Tumwater, WA 98501 360-709-7611 tim.graham@tumwater.k12.wa.us THE END