1. Initially, position profiles should key in on what's most important to the hiring body and not be a generic list of every possible and desirable attribute. The search team’s role is to make sure any candidates presented for consideration have the core skills, traits, and experience required for the position. Applicants are then better able to determine if they are a good fit for the job and to focus their preparation on determining if and illustrating why they would be a good fit. The responsibility of the search team consists of two phases.

First, the search team generates a comprehensive list of position duties and major issues, along with professional skills required and personal characteristics desired, through one-on-one and then group discussions with elected officials, key staff, and community leaders.

Second, the search team resolves differences and uncertainties and boils these down to the primary and secondary duties, issues, skills, and personality traits that are sought. This list is then approved by the hiring body and included in the application material.

Much of this work can be completed by e-mail with several meetings to sort out and finalize any remaining criteria. Some helpful techniques include:

• Starting the recruiting process by reviewing basic “do’s and don’ts” for successful recruiting with decisionmakers. Many are noted in this article and are to be combined with experience and other literature on the topic.
• Providing the hiring body with a list of potential selection criteria.
• Helping panelists define the subjective fit-and-feel assessments they make during discussions and interviews so they can discuss their accuracy and appropriateness among themselves.

2. Pay attention to the search team’s initial winnowing or “recruiter’s cut.” Applicants and decisionmakers sometimes overlook how the search team narrows down the ample list of applicants to the few who are presented to the hiring body.

The basic review looks at some combination of these items: cover letter, resume, references, requested supplemental material, Internet search, criminal background check, psychological screening, phone interview, DVD of applicant answering preliminary interview questions, and so forth.

The search team’s personal knowledge of the applicant can also influence decision making. Perhaps, team members and the applicant have been involved in the profession and have talked at conferences, worked together on a committee, or know each other from past searches. All this is tied together by the experience and intuition of the search team.

Determine how the search team members will examine applications for the particular recruitment. The hiring body can discuss this with the search team during the process of determining which attributes are most important in a candidate. Applicants can do this by contacting the search team prior to sending in an application.

Ask if the search team can describe any key considerations that will help secure an interview for those candidates who have met the requested qualifications listed in the hiring advertisement or recruiting brochure. Search team members might not know until they have reviewed all the applications. Any information, however, that can help insure that decisionmakers’ expectations are being met or that can help applicants in targeting their applications is useful. 

3. It’s also helpful to develop and employ formal evaluation checklists to rank all the candidates. Search teams generally use them simply to manage all the applications. It would be extraordinarily helpful if decision-making bodies used them, too.

Providing elected officials with a checklist of potential criteria based on earlier discussions would help speed and formalize the process. Providing examples of borderline criteria that should not be included can be an effective way to help frame the discussion. The search team should share summary information from these checklists with any requesting applicants at the end of the process.

Keep in mind, even with checklists, participants are human, and many factors will likely influence the selection process:

• Governing bodies may not agree among themselves, creating an oversized laundry list of everything each of them is looking for in a candidate. Without a strong consensus, each member of the governing body will have a different vision of the “perfect” candidate.
• Elected officials can place too much emphasis on experience in communities similar in size and demographics to their community rather than on skill sets.
• Elected officials are volunteers. Few probably have the experience or training needed for effective recruiting, and it can be difficult for some personalities to stay focused on the process.
• It is part art and science. With multiple qualified candidates, it often comes down to subjective but often legitimate “fit-and-feel” gut assessments.
• Interviewers might mask their true intentions or feelings about candidates. A decisionmaker’s mind might already be made up as to whom to hire, and so he or she doesn’t want any type of checklist to impede that intent. Another person just doesn’t like being constrained by methodical procedures. Some people are uncomfortable having to explain their reasoning to anyone, and others become nervous if they feel their comments might make it back to applicants.
• Local governments and recruiters have to be wary of the time and cost of being sued. Local attorneys might counsel their employer to not provide written feedback about their decisions for fear of litigation—evaluation documents could become discoverable. Signed waivers by applicants could reduce but would not eliminate lawsuits.
• Be aware that employers are not career coaches and legally owe applicants nothing other than fair consideration. Recruiting firms are the employee of the hiring entity. Yet both require self-aware candidates for a successful search.
• Some candidates might misuse the opportunity for feedback by trying to debate the decision or by getting irritated rather than looking for what they can learn from the constructive criticism.

4. Don’t forget the applicant. For a “best fit” to occur, both parties must be satisfied. Applicants are able to present a better picture of themselves and their availability to potential employers when they receive feedback from applications they have submitted. They prefer not to waste their own or future search teams’ time applying for positions when there is not a strong fit. More time is required preparing feedback, but the result is more professional and more effective.

• Common courtesy is always appreciated. Keep applicants informed of the timeline, updates, and any changes to the recruitment process in a timely manner. Don’t leave them wondering where they are in the process. Let them know as soon as they are no longer being considered. Add a caveat if there is a realistic chance of being reconsidered.
• Set aside more time during the interview process for applicant questions and two-way dialogue.
• The search team should use available evaluation checklists, take notes during the entire process, and solicit feedback from the decisionmakers to provide every legitimate applicant, whether interviewed or not, with constructive summary feedback if they request it. This feedback can be brief and if greater insight is not possible, simply stating how other candidates had more of skills x, y, or z can be helpful.
• The search team can invite unsuccessful candidates to contact them for feedback.
• Clearly unqualified applicants who ignored the requested qualifications or application instructions need not receive more than a form letter at the end of the process.

How to Be a Successful Applicant

The typical recruiting process will not improve overnight. So what are the key tips for successful applicants? Remember the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared.

• Ask a recruiter or a Range Rider to review your resume and cover letter or provide a mock interview.
• Follow the application instructions provided, key in on the desired skills specified in the job ad in your cover letter, and double-check grammar, spelling, and how the document appears. They are often part of the test of the applicant’s skill level and eye for detail.
• It is prudent to be aware of and address any potential shortcomings. To shorten their list of qualified candidates, search teams and governing bodies will tend to look for information to disqualify a candidate from further consideration.
• Check whatever information is available electronically about yourself. Explain anything negative in the cover letter and discuss it with the search team. In addition, a record of short tenures, especially if due to terminations, can be hard to overcome. Some personal soul-searching about the profession or a separate explanation, either in the cover letter or as a separate document in the resume materials, is advised.
• Be comfortable and relaxed in the interview. You may have been without full-time work for some time and do not want to come across as intense or desperate. Speak slowly, clearly, and concisely. Show genuine interest and excitement about the position and community. Be able to say why you want the job.
• Know the community. Do your research. Review the community’s website, meeting minutes, news articles, and, if possible, visit the community prior to your interview. Talk with neighboring managers or consultants you know who are familiar with the organization. Ask several questions at the end to demonstrate your knowledge.
• Focus on the key criteria listed in the recruitment brochure and how your skills address specific issues facing the community.
• Remember all of the finalists will usually be qualified. You need to stand out from the others. "Senior" candidates need to dress in current business fashion, wear up-to-date glasses, avoid old hair styles, get up-to-speed on technology, and point out their advantages in perspective and range of experience.
• Be aware that you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. The recruiting process could be indicative of the way an organization addresses issues. You may or may not be comfortable with their style or see it as opportunity to introduce a more effective approach. Have questions ready for the recruiter and employer that will lead to a dialogue that can help reveal whether a “best fit” is truly present.
• Get to know the recruiters and your potential future employers. If they know you and feel comfortable with you, they will be more likely to share feedback with you.
• Be yourself. Nobody is perfect and a lot depends upon the current circumstances in a particular local government.
• The process can be subjective, feedback is hard to generate, and “best fit” is not 100 percent definable. If you don’t get a job offer, accept that this wasn’t the right fit for you and that your time will come.
• Be aware that some people simply do not have the personality and demeanor to be a long-term success in the management profession. It might be best to recognize this and move on to a more suitable profession.
• Don’t forget to view the wealth of MIT tips and resources provided by ICMA and various state associations. Check websites and search for possible career resources, job vacancies, job seekers, or members-in-transition programs.

CLOSING

There are practical and legal issues to be surmounted but recruiting, like any other process, can be improved. Making it more methodical and providing constructive feedback to applicants will lead to a better decision-making process. More informed decisions will generate longer, more successful tenures.

Here are tools that are yet to be developed but could further improve recruiting:

• Model questions for applicants to ask recruiters and employers that would facilitate a two-way exchange and improve the chances of generating a “best fit” scenario.
• Information for governing bodies, including a “How to Recruit” guide and panel discussions at municipal conferences.
• A practical evaluation feedback guide that minimizes legal concerns.

The Illinois City/County Management Association anticipates this information will lead to better recruiting. Greater awareness can generate a more satisfying experience and a more effective result for applicants, recruiting teams, and elected officials.