Wanted: L&D Officer
Here is a question I always get asked by L&D heads:
I need to hire someone to assist me in Training/L&D. I’ve whittled down the applicants to a certain extent, but is there a process to choose the final candidate? Applicants can claim to know certain things when they actually don’t.
#1: What are the main responsibilities and deliverables of the employee you are looking for? L&D includes many facets: conducting Needs Analysis, designing training programs, training delivery, evaluating learning courses, developing instructional materials, and/or coordinating and administering the learning programs. Be clear in your expectations.
#2: Based on the expected responsibilities and deliverables, what skills are required of the person? If designing programs is the focus, the ability to create a cohesive flow of instruction will be very important. Developing handouts will require conceptualization and written communications. A trainer should be able to present material clearly and build rapport with the audience. Be realistic in your expectations and your priorities. If you expect too much, you may not find the right person. If you get to hire the person with all these, be prepared to pay a higher price. This is all right for as long as she is not overqualified for the job; otherwise you will lose her in the long run.
#3: Once you know the critical skills you are looking for, go over the CV for claims or indications of these. Flag the items for clarification during the interview. For example, when you read “designed/delivered a Customer Service Program,” you may want to ask what the result of the program was based on participants’ feedback, and on the business itself. Remember that you are not looking for people to do tasks; you are looking for people to contribute to results.
#4: Ask yourself how urgently you require these skills in the person. Some employers need the incoming employee to be competent from the outset, while others are willing to provide some training.
#5: As part of, or after the, interview, test the applicant on the critical skills you require. If she claims to have evaluated training programs before, give her data from your existing courses, and let her explain how she will proceed. If the job is in the e-learning unit or courseware development department, let her prepare a mini course (even in PowerPoint if she is using a different software from yours).
If you have several applicants, you can rank them based on #2 (required skills). You can then go back to #4 (train or buy the skills).
Beware of a common mistake of L&D hiring managers: Some are not sure of what specific skills to look for (#2) so they cannot verify these in the applicants (#5).
You cannot assess what you are not clear about.
