When it comes to hiring staff for his technology department, Joseph Seibert has a soft spot for candidates who are underdogs. He admires IT professionals who’ve charged ahead in their careers despite starting at a disadvantage.

In the past, Seibert has grown so excited about an underdog’s personality that he says he has made the mistake of advancing a candidate through the interview process who had a great story but who was not right for the job. Seibert, now senior vice president and CIO of The New York Times Company, says the lesson he’s learned from that mistake is to know himself: to be aware of his tendency to get excited and to keep his excitement in check so that it doesn’t undermine his effort to hire the best person for the job. It’s practiced advice that all hiring managers can benefit from.

Job seekers can benefit from Seibert’s advice, too. In this latest Hiring Manager interview, Seibert describes the mistakes IT professionals make on their résumés and during job interviews that kill their chances of wooing employers. He spoke with CIO.com about his hiring practices and how the transformation of the media industry is affecting IT staffing at The New York Times Company.

Sarah Mitchell: How are the challenges facing the news industry affecting your hiring?

Joseph Seibert: The news industry is transforming. Traditional print and media organizations have to become multi-channel distributors of news and information, including digital channels, such as websites, blogs, iPhones, cell phones and BlackBerries. I was hired to transform the technology organization so that it has the right structure, skills and capabilities to support multi-channel distribution.

The technology organization is extremely important to this overall transformation, and it is very important that I get the right structure and the right people within that structure who understand multi-channel distribution, digital technology and traditional technologies. I need leaders who have worked in some type of media, including a pretty sizable digital environment, and who can work amidst transformation and uncertainty. They must know how to build the infrastructure that provides speed-to-market, flexibility, and that supports those many channels efficiently and effectively.

What organizational changes have you made to the technology department since you joined The New York Times Company last year?

When I arrived I did an assessment of the technology organization, then developed a plan to reorganize it. We are moving toward a federated model where there is a shared services group at the corporate level for infrastructure, shared applications and strategic services. We support the shared services organization with local groups, primarily applications-focused teams within each brand. I’m in the process of recruiting a new leader for the infrastructure team, and I’m reorganizing the entire security team and hiring new leaders there. I have consolidated and eliminated some positions to narrow the leadership within The New York Times newspaper itself, but the department has stayed at around 800 total employees. I continue developing the organization at a pace that makes sense; you can only change an organization structure and the people in it so quickly.

You’ve worked in the media industry, for an ISP, and in retail. Does your approach to hiring vary by industry?

I don’t think the process of hiring is fundamentally different depending on the industry. I think the basic practice is, you have to understand the business strategy. You have to understand where the business is going, the business’s demands for technology, and how the technology organization is going to most effectively support and lead that. Once you understand that, the hiring process is the same. You find the right people that match the skills, cultural requirements and diversity requirements.

How do you determine whether a candidate will be a good cultural fit with the IT group and the New York Times Company as a whole?

I tend to have candidates meet various people at various levels in and outside of technology. Feedback from those meetings gives me a good feel for the candidate’s cultural fit.

Have you ever had a situation where you really liked a candidate, but other people did not?

Yes.

Did you hire the person anyway?

No, I didn’t. I really liked the candidate, but I was pretty new to the company, so I was very careful about culture and style. I sent this gentleman outside of the department for interviews, and the feedback that came back was consistent: the candidate did not fit in the culture.

Do you think if you had had more tenure inside the company you might have leaned a little harder to get that person hired?

Given my style, I doubt it. I think technology is a service organization. I believe in a collaborative approach. I think you build a better team by doing that in any size company. It is very important to hire people who have the right technical skills and the right social skills—the ability to be part of the culture, fit into the company and work well with others here.

Do you require unanimity on a hire?

If I get a thumbs down from someone, I want to understand why. If I get too many thumbs down, that tells me that I am not seeing something. If I am verifying a candidate’s technical skills and I get a thumbs down from someone whom I consider a technical expert, that is a problem. If one person did not feel comfortable with a candidate socially, but everyone else did, I am probably okay hiring that person.

What’s the biggest hiring mistake you’ve ever made and what did you learn from it?

I am so supportive of the underdog—someone who has picked themselves up from the ground and made major moves. I love people who really try, and I tend to look over a lot of things because I get excited about someone’s personality. I love people who are really serious about life. I am careful about that because sometimes when I get enamored by the candidate, I start skipping over what is really required for the position. That is often why I bring in other interviewers. The mistakes that I have made—and fortunately I didn’t make too many—have been along the lines of advancing people through the interview process only to find out I was fooling myself because I got caught up in how much I enjoyed them. I have learned that when I’m interviewing people, I have to know who I am as well.

What makes for a bad interview with a candidate?

Every once in a while, I get someone who hasn’t really prepared for the interview. They don’t talk about the job at all, or about the company, or how they would fit in, or what we are looking for. I think it is so inappropriate when I ask, “Do you have any questions?” and they say no. There’s nothing they need to know? If you are competing for a world-class job with a world-class organization, I would think a you would want to spend an afternoon or an hour at night doing some reading. I have had interviews that should have taken an hour that lasted twenty minutes because there was nothing to talk about. Those are horrible interviews.

Do you have any pet peeves during an interview?

Poor eye contact or body language. People should be present during the interview and aware of the way they are sitting and acting and behaving.

What three interview questions do you always ask?

One is always relevant to the area that they are interviewing for: technical questions, how they have performed that job. Second, I always ask how they work within a company culture, with the business, and with other parts of the technology organization. Third, I always ask how they develop their teams, managers and organization. All three are extremely important.

What should candidates wear to an interview?

People should lean toward conservative dress. For any first interview, you should dress in formal business attire. I’ve worked for start-ups, and when I met with the investors I wore a suit and tie. Even if the company doesn’t dress formally, I’m still going to go in with a jacket and slacks and business shirt.

What advice can you offer to job seekers about their résumés, cover letters and thank-you notes?

A nice thank-you note, even a thank-you email (it doesn’t have to be very formal), is a good move. I’ve had people send me handwritten notes, and it’s nice.

With résumés, people should pay attention to detail. I read résumés with mistakes or that are obvious cut-and-paste jobs. A résumé represents the job seeker. It’s the only thing a hiring manager has before meeting the candidate. I don’t think you can invest enough time in a résumé. It’s should be short and professional, and every word should be considered. People have given me their résumés to review as a favor, and I have found sections repeated or page numbers are wrong or things like that. If it’s way too long, people aren’t going to read it. It’s sort of like going to an interview dressed improperly—it’s your first impression.

Bank IT staff warrant special care when an organization undergoes a merger, argues Bradford Newman, chair of the Silicon Valley Employment Law Department and leader of the International Employee Mobility and Trade Secrets practice with the New York law firm Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker. “They are the people who know where the bodies are buried,” he quips. “IT folks are often the unsung heroes of [M&A] integration efforts. You may have some outsourcing activity in IT, but there will always be a core IT function within the financial institution to integrate the acquired institution’s systems.”

Retaining top tech talent at both the acquired institution and the acquirer is of utmost importance, Newman adds. “These are the people who understand the systems, the technologies, the security processes and how to protect the data,” he stresses.

Mission-Critical Personnel
Just who these people are must be determined by the bank during the due diligence phase of the merger. The deciding factor regarding retention is the mission-critical nature of someone’s duties. If they are deemed noncritical to the functioning of the bank, Newman says, they would probably be let go. “A vice president of IT security, for example, would likely have a role at the bank both during the due diligence and post-close since it’s his duty to explain what the bank is looking at in terms of customers, assets and modeling flows,” he explains.

Acknowledging that many of the surviving banks today have M&A experience, Newman says IT nonetheless is still the victim of some of the most dramatic personnel cuts post-merger. “Whenever you can trim cost because of redundant head count, you’ll do what you can,” he explains. “The IT organization usually sees the most trimming when there’s a merger because you’re looking for this redundancy.” If such paring is done right, it’s those in the lower ranks who are cut due to replication of their functions at both entities involved in the merger, Newman adds.

No matter one’s function at a bank, however, uncertain times can cause anxiety and suspicion, which is why it is vital for banks not to take their most talented individuals for granted, according to James Kerr, president and managing partner with Best Practices Enterprise Group, a Cromwell, Conn.-based consultancy. Banks must engage their employees and gain their commitment to creating the new organization, making people feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves, he says.

“[Employee engagement] starts by articulating exactly where the bank is heading during and immediately following the merger,” Kerr explains. “The next step is to provide a compelling description of how each staff member will play a role in getting there.” But, he adds, he hasn’t seen many banks adopt this concept when they are involved in merger activities.

“Most M&A specialists are focusing on the financials and cost-cutting elements,” Kerr continues. “They are leaving the human asset issues on the floor to be swept up post-merger. But that’s too late.”

Neglecting personnel assets can cost a bank its good people, adds Paul Hastings’ Newman. “Everyone has out feelers [for job opportunities],” he comments. “At the same time, though, there aren’t many places looking to hire. It’s a strange phenomenon. But if you’re mission-critical to the organization, the bank will find a way to keep you.”

Banks can employ a variety of strategies to prevent merger-related brain drain, according to Newman. This starts with identifying key employees at the acquired entity and making their retention a material aspect of closing the deal, including offering retention bonuses and raising compensation.

“None of this is unique to the financial services industry,” Newman notes. “What is unique is that IT staff should be included among those mission-critical employees. IT at financial institutions offers a very unique value to the organization when compared with its role in other industries.”

It’s Only Money
Yet retention is not about shelling out more money to employees, according to Best Practices’ Kerr. “Numerous studies have found virtually no correlation between increasing pay and enhancing corporate performance,” he opines. “Perhaps the best way to get the most out of an individual is to provide a compelling vision of the future and to vividly describe how they fit into it. If you can imagine a bright future — one where you thrive and are satisfied — you’re likely to do whatever it takes to make it happen.”

Although there isn’t much going on currently in the way of new hiring at most banks, Craig Stephenson, global head of technology and operations across all financial services with Los Angeles-based executive recruitment firm Korn/Ferry, says he is seeing what he calls strategic hiring. “Banks are looking for IT individuals who can examine problems carefully and bring a fresh perspective, handle challenging situations and deliver results,” he relates. “Those hired are comfortable leading or driving change. The margin of error here today is slim.”

Most prospective technical hires are looking for a pretty penny in return for their services. So how can you tell who will actually be worth it? The answer is effective interviewing.

When you seek advice on this issue, look for someone who has been there and done it. Someone who has interviewed many people for IT positions and has a proven track record. Jack Molisani, executive director of ProSpring Technical Staffing, fits the profile. He runs a staffing company that finds qualified contract and permanent staff for technology companies. He has interviewed thousands of people in the last several years and knows what to look for.

In IT, he said, it’s not so much about the qualifications and certificates — though those play their part. The most important single skill in interviewing is being able to discern which of the candidates will actually be able to do what you want him or her to do.

Some bright fellows, for example, charm one and all during the hiring process and then can’t deliver the goods in the real world. Others unveil magnificent rosters of their qualifications but can’t turn their theoretical know-how into real work. A few come with unbeatable track records of success but somehow can’t measure up. Molisani gives a good rule of thumb.

“If they can explain their area of specialization to a non-IT person in simple terms, then they understand what they do; if they can’t explain it well, they probably don’t understand it,” said Molisani.

That may sound lightweight, but it is a surprising way to cut to the core of the issue. Is the person lost in a fog of esoteric concepts, or can she lay it out so others can follow what she is doing? Even if she can do her own specific task, if she can’t relay the know-how to others, how will she be able to interact well with fellow IT workers? And, more importantly, how will she be able to tell the boss what she is working on so he gets it?

Once prospective candidates pass that acid test, there are a few others things to look for. Obviously, knowledge of a particular technical domain must be there for the area being hired. Molisani points to people skills as another point to assess in the interview phase. He watches to see if the prospect’s gaze flicks anxiously all over the room, or if the person looks him in the eye?

Another point he stresses is not making the interview itself too stuffy and formal. Molisani wants to find out if the candidate is friendly or not. That means creating an atmosphere where the person has a chance to relax and be himself. Molisani has learned that this helps him to tell the difference between pretended friendliness and being truly personable.

Finally, Molisani encourages interviewers to pay heed to what the person asks about during the interview.

“You can learn more about people from the questions they ask than the answers they give,” he said. “Pay attention to the questions the candidate asks you, as that reveals their investigatory aptitude.”

Dress attire is extremely crucial to your success in an interview! First impressions are the best impressions and impressions, once ruined, are hard to piece back together again.

So make your first impression count! Dress well and feel better about yourself in the process! Remember that only if you put your all into your interview impression, do you have that chance of bagging the job.

Here are some tips of things you should do and wear in order to put your best forward when going for an interview appointment:

Men and Women

• Conservative two-piece business suit (solid dark blue or grey is best)
• Conservative long-sleeved shirt/blouse (white is best, pastel is next best)
• Clean, polished conservative shoes
• Well-groomed hairstyle
• Clean, trimmed fingernails
• Minimal cologne or perfume
• Empty pockets–no bulges or tinkling coins
• No gum, candy or cigarettes
• Light briefcase or portfolio case
• No visible body piercing (nose rings, eyebrow rings, etc.)

Men

• Necktie should be silk with a conservative pattern
• Dark shoes (black lace-ups are best)
• Dark socks (black is best)
• Get a haircut; short hair always fares best in interviews
• No beards (unless you are interviewing for a job as a lumberjack!)
• Mustaches are a possible negative, but if you must, make sure it is neat & trimmed
• No rings other than wedding ring or college ring
• No earrings (if you normally wear one, take it out)

Women

• Always wear a suit with a jacket; no dresses
• Shoes with conservative heels
• Conservative hosiery at or near skin color (and no runs!)
• No purses, small or large; carry a briefcase instead
• If you wear nail polish (not required), use clear or a conservative color
• Minimal use of makeup (it should not be too noticeable)
• No more than one ring on each hand
• One set of earrings only

Use these tips to put you on the path of success, but remember that clothes and attire alone will not make your interview work!