Page 151 - Becoming a Successful Manager

142 BUILDING ON YOUR FOUNDATION

Announcing the Job

Companies must comply with a host of laws, rules, and regulations
regarding the posting of job vacancies in order to provide equal
employment opportunities. Talk with your human resources staff
to get their input on the appropriate procedures for your company
and department. The best advice is to know the law and, if you
don’t know, ask.
Several avenues are open to you for identifying and selecting
the best candidate for a position. You may announce the position
through whatever forms are appropriate for your company, asso-
ciation, or profession.
Perhaps someone in your department or elsewhere in your
organization is interested in the job. Because managers work closely
with their employees, they often see those employees in a specifi c
role and assume they wouldn’t be interested in a different posi-
tion. This can be a costly oversight. Managers sometimes just don’t
think about their staffs’ career paths or encourage employees to
move up or on to another position. This is how good talent gets lost,
so be sure to inform employees of upcoming opportunities, and be
supportive of their efforts to grow. That will be good for them, for
you, and for the organization.

Screening Applicants

When the job posting is distributed, you’ll probably get plenty of
applications and résumés. They are your primary sources of infor-
mation about the candidates’ work experience, abilities, and skills.
When you review the submissions, write down what you have learned

about the candidates and what specific actions they have accom-
plished. Many résumés contain an extraordinary amount of infor-
mation, some of which you don’t need or want, so list only the facts
that relate to the abilities you’re looking for in the ideal candidate. As