Important: Focus on hiring applicants you rate positively on all seven prediction methods.

1st Prediction Method = Brief Initial Screening Interview

If an applicant’s application looks suitable, then conduct BISI, a customized 15-30 minute over-phone or in-person interview. BISI quickly reveals if an applicant has biographical data similar to your company’s “superstar” employees.

For example, at one company, we discovered “superstar” Sales Reps had many similarities before working for this company: * Work: (a) 1 or 2 previous sales jobs, (b) only 1 or 2 jobs before applying at company, and (c) kept prior jobs 2 – 5 years * Education: (a) earned B.A. from state universities, (b) majored in business or liberal arts, (c)worked part-time throughout college, and (d) college jobs entailed a lot of people contact * Pay: Earned less than likely first year compensation at this company * Vocal Style: Exuded high energy

So, this company’s BISI screened-in applicants with similar work, education, pay, and vocal style – and screened-out other applicants.

2nd Prediction Method = Customized Pre-employment Tests

If applicant did well on 1st Prediction Method – BISI, then you can have applicant take customized pre-employment tests. Use tests specifically designed to screen applicants and predict: A. Work Behavior – e.g., interpersonal skills, personality, and motivations B. Mental Abilities – e.g., problem-solving, vocabulary, math, grammar, and small detail abilities

Importantly, test must use customized “benchmark scores” based on scores of your “superstar” employees. With customized “benchmark scores,” you quickly see if an applicant scored similar to your company’s “superstar” employees.

3rd Prediction Method = In-Depth Interview Using Customized Interview Guide Form

If you decide applicant did fine on 1st and 2nd Prediction Methods, then you may conduct an In-Depth Interview. Crucial: Create a customized Interview Guide document for each job, including (a) 6 – 9 key “make-or-brake” job talents, (b) questions to ask, (b) note-taking, and (c) ratings.

Recently, America lost one of giants of late night television, Johnny Carson. He was a master at his craft, because he would conduct his show, essentially like a ninety minute meeting. The program would be entertaining, insightful, informative, and leave you wanting more.

Many times we fear going to meetings because we feel, based on past experiences, that they are going to be boring, not relevant, lack information, and we can’t wait until meeting ends.

Here are my eight techniques used by Johnny Carson to make your meetings outstanding for all involved:

1. Do Your Research Johnny Carson would invest time before each show to find out information on what was important to his guests and audience members. He would find out about his guests’ personalities, their interests, and concerns.

Why not do same? E-mail participants with your agenda before meeting. Ask them for feedback or any concerns they may have concerning meeting. This allows you address any concerns before meeting and to think through any potential problems and come up with better answers for solutions during meeting.

2. Plan Meeting Master details for your meeting. Set an agenda with points to be covered and time period for which they will be covered.

3. Invite Only “Guests” That Can Contribute When Johnny was finished speaking with one guest, then it was time to bring out his next guest and engage in conversation with that guest. When he finished speaking with his guests he would excuse them so they could leave.

Invite only “guests” that are relevant to subject matter at hand. How many times have you wondered, “Why am I here, this meeting doesn’t pertain to me?” Also once your “guest” has contributed to meeting and there is nothing else in meeting that pertains to them, excuse them so they can leave.

4. Keep on Time You knew every night Tonight Show with Johnny Carson would start at its assigned time (unless there was a special event).

Starting you meeting on time shows respect for participants who made effort to show up on time, and let’s late comers know that this behavior is unacceptable.

Also designate one person to be time keeper. They are responsible for keeping you on track to stay within time limits for each subject covered in meeting. The results are that you start on time and end on time while accomplishing your meeting agenda.