The Effective Hiring Manager by Mark Horstman.
Mark is a graduate the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he studied mechanical engineering. He served as an Officer in the U.S. Army for five years, where he developed leadership skills and gained valuable experience in managing teams. Following his service, he worked at Proctor & Gamble and as a recruiter.
Mark is a co-founder of Manager Tools, a management consulting and training firm that provides resources and training for managers in Fortune 1000 companies globally for more than 30 years. He also hosts the popular Manager Tools podcast, which offers practical advice on management skills and techniques.
This is the second book by Mark that I have read in my current role. Mark is delivering the key essentials in hiring and team-building. Managers, new or seasoned will understand his step-by-step approach to make strategies easy to implement. Hiring effectively is without a doubt the most important and long-term contribution any manager will deliver to their organization. Mark is right on target with his message that “the only thing worse than having an open position is filling it with the wrong person.”
Learn how to hire
Mark is focusing on actionable strategies for selecting the right candidate, while ensuring that your organization builds strong teams that contribute to the overall success of your organization. It may surprise readers that organizations often fail to empower hiring managers with the right tools and a tested, systematic approach to hiring. Often HR teams need to advocate for clear, defined steps that lead to better hiring outcomes.
In fact, Mark is leading readers on how to accurately define job roles and requirements with your HR office to ensure the best alignment between the position and your organization’s needs.
Perhaps the most important resource Mark has provided for many years and is outlined within the book is effective interviewing techniques. Mark has always focused upon behavioral interviewing methods which best assess candidates’ past performances. This is a key indicator of their future success within your organization. Many managers overlook this critical aspect.
Mark is also well experienced in addressing candidate evaluations, onboarding and continuous improvement. This should not be overlooked as Mark is strongly encouraging managers to continuously refine their hiring practices based on feedback and outcomes. This promotes a strong culture of learning and adaptation.
In conclusion, Mark is providing hiring managers a well structured hiring playbook. His background in both military leadership and corporate management provides him with unique, time tested insights to help managers make effective hiring. Every hiring manager should be reading this book.