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Dear Strikes:

Ouch! Like any other skill, the knack for choosing quality people may not come naturally. And sadly, as you've learned, mistakes can be costly.

Almost everyone who hires employees makes some less-than-stellar decisions somewhere along the way, according to Patrick von Schlag, president of Deep Creek Center, an IT learning consultancy in Clarksville, Md. However, he adds, there are numerous ways to improve your chances of picking good candidates.

First, recognize that in today's businesses, you're not hiring standalone workers but team members. Whenever possible, extend the interviewing process to include the candidate's future co-workers, who can help assess both technical abilities and personality fit. (Read more on tag-team hiring.)

Good assessment tools are available to help you screen for tech competencies (see a sample). And many HR organizations have assessment tools to help you understand a candidate's decision-making patterns and personality.

Ask candidates to describe their preferred work environment, and make sure it's a good fit with your workplace. Also, ask them to describe in detail successfully completed projects--not projects they've "worked on," which can hide unmitigated disasters.

Lastly, consider a temp-to-perm approach, where the candidate gets 90 days to demonstrate his or her ability to contribute, lessening the impact of a bad fit on both parties.

Dear Show Me:

NWC sister pub InformationWeek publishes a comprehensive IT salary survey each year based on a poll of IT professionals; find it at www.informationweek.com/advisor. Robert Half Technology, a staffing service specializing in IT, also conducts an annual salary survey; go to www.roberthalftechnology.com/FreeResources.

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