萝卜AV视频

President's Corner

Many years ago, shortly after I started work as a dean of students, our school had an unexpected opening, and my principal assigned me the task of interviewing candidates. I was honored and excited yet underprepared to lead the process. I was unclear about what kind of person we truly needed in the position. Interviewing, I discovered, is a lot of sitting and listening. And I didn鈥檛 enjoy telling people they weren鈥檛 selected.

Fast forward almost 30 years and many interviews later, and I am much more prepared to lead the selection process. I have clearly defined steps and expectations for all members of the hiring team. Interviewing is still a great deal of work and listening and research if you hope to do it well.

Based on my experiences, I can share a few rules I live by 鈥� with a little help from my good friend and executive director of human resources Anjie Flowers 鈥� when making one of the biggest decisions any leader can make: hiring well.

First, view each opening as an opportunity to ensure the role meets your organization鈥檚 future needs. What you needed for the position yesterday may not be what your district needs today or tomorrow. Separate the skills and needs of the previous employee from the needs for the role going forward.

Second, never assume your stellar people aren鈥檛 looking for a new job. One of my best hires was a candidate who would never have considered the job we were about to post. After visiting with that person, I said, 鈥淕ive it a few weeks, and if you have questions, follow up with me.鈥� About a month later, that person came to me and said they were interested in the position. They still have that job and are well-loved in the role.

Third, as the responsibility increases, so should the amount of research you do on a candidate. If you are hoping to have an employee for a decade, a few extra weeks making sure they are the right fit is valuable. This can include paper screening with a small team, in-person screening with a representative small team, a larger panel screen, a final interview with colleagues and supervisors, an external candidate screening process and perhaps a final one-on-one with me before making the offer.

Consider having a cup of coffee or lunch with your finalists as part of your interview process. It allows you to engage with them outside of a formal setting.

Finally, when you select a candidate, be committed to ensuring their success. For me, this includes a comprehensive onboarding process, crystal-clear expectations for the first year on the job, frequent check-ins during the first six months, a mid-year progress review and an informal check-in with colleagues a few months before committing to a second year. Your selection should reflect well on you.

I propose some simple goals for each new hire. The first year, I want the new hire to be confident it鈥檚 the right role for them and to still be excited about the work. After the first year, I want the new hire鈥檚 direct reports and peers to say, 鈥淭hat went pretty well,鈥� and after the second year, I hope they say, 鈥淚 hope this person never leaves.鈥�

I still don鈥檛 enjoy telling people they weren鈥檛 selected, but I make sure they feel respected during the conversation. Sometimes it鈥檚 not a no 鈥� it鈥檚 just not right now. When the right role opens up, those candidates become stellar employees.

David Law is 萝卜AV视频president for 2025-26.