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If you've searched for ways to write a help-wanted classified that will bring in the kind of
responsible, conscientious candidates you'd like to interview, you might want to take your cue from Steve Kantor.
Kantor, president of Gnossos Software, in Washington, D.C., wrote an ad that brought five times more responses than
the newspaper had told him to expect -- about 175 in all -- and turned up five finalists he would have been more than happy to hire.
The ad began, "Small entrepreneurial firm seeks sharp liberal arts grad. Vision, ethics, personality required.
" Kantor claims many of the candidates cited "ethics" as the reason they answered the ad.
Kanto then sent a congratulations-on-being-selected-for-consideration letter to the top 20% of the applicants and
asked them to answer these questions in another letter: "What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses? What did you like and hate
most about your most recent work experience? Describe the political, social, and economic impact of PCs." (Kantor says he was "half kidding"
with the last question, and he was looking for respondents who answered in kind.)
"This way, I can screen out people who don't have drive and ambition," says Kantor, who ended up interviewing about
20 final candidates by phone. "I can get a feel for people without being influenced by their physical appearance, and it gives applicants a
chance to be thoughtful about their responses. Plus, I save loads of time and energy."
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