Hiring the Best: Manager's Guide to Effective Interviewing and Recruiting, Fifth Edition [Paperback]

Martin Yate (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 2005

Employees are your company's number one asset. Hiring the Best offers managers and HR personnel a proven and practical approach to recruiting and selecting the right people for the job. With over 400 questions you can use to interview candidates and obtain the most pertinent information, you'll be armed with the tools you need to ensure that you are indeed Hiring the Best.

Completely revised and updated! Updates include new section on electronic recruitment, revised resource section, and information about law and guidelines that influence hiring practices.

Hiring the Best allows you to determine not only if candidates can do the job, but also if they can be managed effectively and thrive in their new positions.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

America's leading advocate for working professionals, Martin Yate, C.P.C. is the author of the bestselling Knock 'Em Dead series, which includes Knock 'Em Dead Resumes, 6th Edition and Knock 'Em Dead Cover Letters, 6th Edition. His previous positions include National Director of Training for Dunhill Personnel System, Inc. and Director of Personnel for Bell Industries Computer Memory Division. Martin Yate resides in Savannah, GA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media; 5 edition (August 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593374038
• ISBN-13: 978-1593374037
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.7 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #437,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite interview book January 19, 2005

By Texas Techie

Format:Paperback

I use this book both for interviewing techniques and for preparing to be interviewed. Its a great book for interviewing because he presents the pros and cons of different techniques and gives what I consider to be a good framework for identifying quality candidates. Its a great book for preparing to be interviewed because it helps you identify the objectives of interviewers and make a better case. As a hiring manager, you should be able to pass an interview with flying colors, shouldn't you?

Perhaps the most enlightening wisdom I got from the book was the enumeration of the qualities of a good employee:

1. Ability to do the job

2. Willingness to do the job

3. Manageability of the candidate

Most interviews focus on the abilities of the candidates and stop there. Big mistake! Mr. Yate gives you guidance on evaluating the whole candidate, and in general I like and agree with his advice.

Other good ideas are evaluating the cracks in resumes, phone screening, and lunch. Never hire anyone without checking background, verifying employment and education, and seeing if they can carry on a conversation at lunch.

I draw ideas for interviews from several books, but this one is the overall framework that I have worked from. I feel the style is readable, the length is appropriate, and the content is excellent.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on hiring & interviewing June 27, 2005

By Layla Halabi VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

This is an extremely well written and very useful book on hiring techniques and methods. The author analyzes all aspects of the hiring process beginning with the different types of resumes and when each type is used; what flags to look for and how to evaluate an applicant's overall resume. Chapter five focuses on short-listing through a `phoner' while the subsequent chapters are devoted to interviewing techniques and the science of asking questions.

The author introduces four different interviewing techniques - Situational; personality profile; stress; and & behavioral - and also gives a very useful and informative analysis of the different types of questions that can be asked in a hiring interview like half-right reflexives; hamburger-helper questions; and question layering. In the following chapters, the author focuses on evaluating the candidate's ability and willingness to do the job as well as manageability. The questions and the author's commentary on what to look for and red flags in an applicant's answer are informative, highly usable, and extremely useful. These are not your 'standard' interview questions (though there are some pretty standard questions included). They are well formulated and clever probes into the applicant's skills, knowledge, personality, and background.

The rest of the book is devoted to functional areas with a chapter devoted to clerical, management, sales, contingency workers and law hires. Again, I found the advice and suggestions relevant and informative. In formulating the hundreds of question suggestions scattered throughout the book, the author has given a lot of thought to the qualities, experiences, and areas of concern that hiring managers and HR people focus on.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Hire, This Is A MUST Read August 21, 2005

By Paul H. Henning

Format:Paperback

Like many small business people, I was a complete bozo at hiring for many years. Fortunately, at some point I woke up to that fact and decided to educate myself. I took classes, read books and did everything I could to become a skilled interviewer. Without question, one of the most helpful tools to escaping Bozoland was this book. Although I am now a freelance business consultant and have no employees of my own, I frequently assist my clients with their own hiring processes, and in so doing I still refer extensively to Martin Yate's excellent book.