I was speaking with a broadcast executive last week who joked that new managers always get “A” grades when they’re hired, but drop to “C’s” when it’s time to let them go.
“Hiring in radio” used to be an oxymoron, so it was no surprise that many industry trades gleefully reported this week that Cumulus is now in the hunt for 50 salespeople. Yet history shows that while bulk shopping can be efficient and effective at Costco, it doesn’t typically work very well when we’re hiring people. That’s because the degree of difficulty of making smart personnel choices is very high.
So what’s the best way to truly get to the heart of the matter when it comes to prospective job candidates, because mistakes are expensive?
Clearly, recruiting and hiring are mega-challenges for all businesses, but radio is especially under the gun because the medium no longer attracts applicants in droves. On the one hand, Millennials are desperate to find jobs that don’t require wearing aprons, while radio simultaneously struggles with attracting motivated Gen Yers to consider careers in broadcasting.
This dilemma seems to be especially gnarly at the sales level where the turnover rate may be higher than ever. And in the process, revenue is being lost by inconsistent sales representatives who don’t always understand the businesses they’re calling on, much less the radio brands they’re representing.
Perhaps we could identify the imposters and posers more effectively if we asked better questions on the front end. I know that many companies have instituted business psychological tests that can be predictive in weeding out losers, narcissists, and those who don’t play well with others. But do these tests really get to the heart of who the person is, and as importantly, the kind of impact he may have on the organization?
To try to get a measure of interviewee preparedness, Glassdoor.com has a huge reservoir of questions that are frequently asked in these face to face meetings by a variety of companies and brands. Recently, Business Insider focused on FAQs from Netflix, a company that is clearly trying to intelligently grow its brand and its footprint.
While some of these are a little technical and Netflix-centric, the group below jumped out at me as the type of questions that might help shine the light on the applicant and what we might expect from him or her once they start drawing a paycheck.
Here are my favorites (and asking them of yourself or your current staffers might be revealing, too):
- Do you consider yourself talented? This isn’t a trick question, and perhaps goes to the heart of identifying whether the person sitting across from you actually brings something to the table, or is just looking for a job. At a time when there are fewer people working in radio than ever, bringing in people who actually have talent (even outside of the area in which they’re interviewing) might help you identify hidden talents and skills.
- What is your take on the _______ culture? So, insert your brand here. But getting a sense of how they value and perceive your station (and your company’s brand) might reveal some interesting things. And it may also tell you how much homework the applicant did before the interview. There’s a lot of information available on station websites and Facebook pages that applicants somehow seem to miss. A lack of prep for the interview is a bad omen that will have implications not that far down the road.
- How does ______ work? Again, insert your station here. This one is a simple dive into making sure the interviewee has a basic understanding of how radio works – whether it’s how ratings are earned or how sales are generated. This simple question might speak volumes about how a prospective employee views your business – or on the other hand, has no clue about how it works.
- What’s your 90 day plan if we hire you? Maybe for salespeople, this is a tougher one. But for prospective PDs, it’s a must. I am often amazed by how some programmers start their “administrations.” Some don’t even bother asking whether research has been conducted. And how soon are they thinking they want to start making changes to the air sound? This one can be very revealing and tell you a lot about how strategic and organized the applicant really is. Plus, you’ll get some ideas that go beyond how they think you sound with an eye toward how they’re going to fix or improve your station.
- What motivates you to do well? Again, the answer should go beyond “getting big ratings” or “making a lot of money.” It speaks to work ethic, passion, curiosity, and self-starting.
- Compare yourself to a well-known leader. Another fascinating window into the soul of the applicant. Whether they pick Barack Obama, Bill Belichick, or Jeff Bezos, the why behind the question and their person of choice could speak volumes about the qualities they truly value in others – and themselves. Put politics and team loyalty aside on this one, and see if you can learn what qualities and values make the applicant tick.
We all have made our mistakes in the hiring process in the past. It seems like applicants have gotten collectively better in saying the right things during interviews. And anyone can put together a decent resume. So questions like these – while not trick questions – are designed to gain more of a truer sense of the person and their ability to think on their feet.
What questions work for you in the hiring process?
And what’s the best question that was ever asked of you while interviewing for a radio job?
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Great insights into one of the hardest parts of our job: hiring. Thanks for sharing, Fred.
Appreciate it, Ken. Thanks for reading our blog.
This is a great post and something I spend a lot of time thinking about. While working on the public radio news side, it was always challenging to work with staff on interview questions because they always want to anticipate the answer. Good interview questions are not always intended to get a specific answer but to gain an understanding of how someone processes information and what they’re willing to share. I always ask people to describe their strengths, but also their weaknesses and to talk about how they’ve worked to address those weaknesses.
Exactly, Abby. You never know what you’re going to get from some of these, but hopefully, it cracks that window to the soul open a bit. Thanks for chiming in.
Great post, Fred. I have been on both sides, having made mistakes when hiring, and having been the mistake when being hired. The consequences are big in either case, which is why the type of questions you cite here are crucial.
Good point and thanks, Tony. The “both sides” of the issue occurred to me while reading some of these comments and also on Facebook. Thanks for weighing in.
The preliminary phone interview was going well, until I was asked “What would you do to ruin this radio station?” I’m not sure what results the question was meant to produce (except flop sweat), but it certainly eliminated me from PD contention when I completely blanked. The call didn’t last much longer after that.
That’s a toughie, and I’m not sure that others wouldn’t have been caught by that one, too. More of a trick question, and perhaps something that’s a little out of bounds. The really good questions open up that window to the soul and tells the company something about the applicant you won’t learn from the resume. Maybe it was just as well you didn’t get that one, Russ. Thanks for contributing.