[MUSIC] Okay, we're talking with Colin Partridge and he is the Senior HR Director for CWT Travel here in Minneapolis, and now Colin, if we could ask you some questions about your selection process. >> Absolutely. >> First off, could you just take us through the process? What is your typical selection process. I'm sure you have several steps that maybe are very similar from each candidate to another? >> Yeah absolutely. So again, depending upon the type of job we have a process in place and so I'll talk to you a little about the travel counsel population because that's the largest. So once we posted the job, and we've identified the candidates they will go into our recruitment management system which is part of our HRS system, and so we will look at them to pre qualify them. So do they meet the criteria in the job profile and the job description. So we'll spend quite a little time making sure we got the correct population. They will then be passed on to the hiring manager. So there's an identified hiring manager that is going to conduct typically a pre screening over the phone interview 30 minutes just to make sure you know this is the type of individual, they understand what the job is, and so forth. Once we've identified the candidates we have some cognitive testing for our travel agent population, and we've had a proprietary cognitive testing program over the years that we've used, which is identifying people's ability to make good judgment calls obviously. Good customer service skills, how they deal with clients and so forth. Plus, their ability to understand the GDSs, which is a global distribution system again, which is where they're booking it for the airlines. And so once they've been through that process we'll have identified typically a pool of people that have met the criteria. They pass the courses if you like. They will then be passed back to their recruiting man or the hiring man Manager who'll make the decision on hiring, and then an offer will be made of course, and then we'll go through the onboarding and new hire orientation process for that individual. So, it's fairly standard for the business travel side. For some of the other areas we have some testing for folks that are coming in to for finance for example, or for HR, or solutions just test that level of understanding within their particular industry. For the most part we are going to get as broad a 360 as possible when somebody comes into the organization. So the higher up the food chain you go you're going to have more people talking to you, and typically if you're the direct level and above you're probably going to be interviewed by at least six people. >> Okay. >> So it's a combination of things. Obviously, their background, our interview process, our selection processes to get people into the organization.. >> All right, and so with these six people that may be interviewing you as you move up here is this more of a team interview setting, or is it still individual? >> It's both, so for example if we would do some situational interviewing. So for example we'll give somebody a case study. So in certain areas of the company where you need to think on your feet we'll give you a case study. We'll allow you to come back provide some responses in writing, then you'll sit down in front of two or three people where they will question you on your thought processes, your knowledge, and your reasoning. Why you went through this process, how you went through it, and so on. For the most part if you are a direct level and above you're probably going to go through one on ones with senior leadership and VPs and above in the organization. So it really depends on the level that you're at in the organization and what we're looking for. >> That makes sense, and what kind of background check process do you have? >> So we have a fairly comprehensive background check. Both criminal, credit, certainly if they're working in areas where they have access to credit card information because that's very important. Education of course, and then job background checks. So, it's a fairly robust process. I think there's the odd person slip through. I'm sure they do occasionally, but I think we have a pretty good track record of identifying people we don't want working for the organization. >> Okay, very good. All right, so tell me about the interviews that you do conduct. You said that you do some phone interviews, but do you also because of the fact that you recruit globally and maybe not everybody is here, right? You have the luxury of doing it in person. Do you interview through WebEx, Skype, some of these kind of technologies. >> Yeah, I would say in the past year or two we've really used Skype as a tool to interview people. So, and especially if we feel that the leader really needs to see that person, because the nonverbal is- >> Exactly. >> As much as important as the verbal. So, Skype is used as a tool pretty much for I would say every manager above in the organization we're probably going to have a Skype interview if we don't have the ability to do a one on one interview with them. >> How does that change the interview itself? We're so used to talking with people face to face, or again, like I said over the phone, but what do you kind of like, dislike about that virtual interview format? >> Sure. So I think to me it sits somewhere between a phone interview and a one-on-one. Whereas, I dislike phone interviews because you can't see how people are reacting, are they engaged, etc. With Skype you have a sense that hopefully if they're looking at the camera, then at least they're engaged in the conversation. However, there is still a sense that you're not getting the whole story if you like, and that's not because they're being disingenuous. It's just the medium itself, I think. So I like it a lot more on a phone interview, but I much prefer to do a one-on-one. >> I agree, I would agree with that. Well wonderful, thank you so much, Con. I really appreciate your time. >> Absolutely. >> All right, thank you. >> My pleasure. >> All right, bye now. >> Bye. [MUSIC]
