I've also had some candidates call me aside and say, “You know what, this kind of work isn't really for me after all.” Great! We say “Goodbye” without hard feelings, and they'll talk favorably of my company in the corporate grapevine.

Of course, you can't have them work too much for free. Occasionally, you'll come across the money-oriented candidate. (Since when did talking money become taboo?) He'll smartly say, “If you want more, make me an offer!”

Hiring has deteriorated lately . Its main question is, “How do we avoid hiring mistakes?”

Yes, get great people. Yet too many hiring managers, HR, and inteviewers find minor flaws in candidates then bellow, “Nobody is qualified!” Sorry, it's also a hiring mistake to let right candidates get away.

You've got one smart way of fixing this mess. “Try before you buy” is great! Hiring needs to be less about “what you have done” and more on “what you can do.” (If you are a startup, aren't you all about defining the future? Why do my fellow Valley managers request resumes, devices that only talk about the past?)

Intererested people don't want to talk what they did for others, they want to show what they can do for you. That separates competents from wannabees. That also sorts employers who know business from those who don't have their act together.

Going beyond references a candidate supplied can be tricky. Some have a hard time talking about someone to begin with. To appear more real they invent fake flaws. Another reference a degree away can sound unprepared and lost. As more candidates know this is in play, they'll tell their references what names to supply if asked.

I had some cases where even though references didn't sound favorable, I went with the hire anyway. Their past environments didn't let them develop those stellar 1st and 2nd level references.

American management suffers tremendously from lack of leadership. Pushing off hiring decisions through devices like a reference of a reference and hiring-by-committee means the manager is held less accountable.

Job hunting tips abound on the Net, and as an employer it sickens me to see how many games appear on both candidate and employer side. So sad neither focuses on the work and developing a relationship based on mutual respect.