To: From: Date: Subject: Towson Cornerstone Group, LLC Memorandum Professor Christopher Thacker, Managing Partner Christopher Thiell, Blake, Steve, Mitch, and Wes May 12, 2014 Best Candidate for the Junior Analyst Position at TCG, LLC We have picked the best candidate for the junior analyst position here at Towson Cornerstone Group, LLC (TCG). After comparing the resumes, cover letters, interviews and memorandums of our applicants, we selected Zach as the best candidate. We evaluated 50 candidates’ resumes and cover letters based on their KSAs, then selected the best 5 and evaluated their interviews. The criteria we used for evaluating their interviews was M.O.D.S., better known as Message, Organization, Design and Style. Once we finished evaluating the five interviews we narrowed our selection to two most qualified candidates. We then further evaluated them based on their memorandums on evaluating the financial position of Under Armour. We again used M.O.D.S. as our grading criteria when evaluating the memos. Lastly, based on their memos, we selected Zach as our top candidate for the Junior Analyst position at TCG. Evaluations of Top 5 Candidates As stated previously in the document, we started with 50 candidates and narrowed the selection down to five after evaluating their resumes and cover letters. We initially eliminated every candidate who had more than 1 page for their resume or cover letter. From there we eliminated applicants with noticeable spelling or grammatical errors. The criteria we used when evaluating the rest of the resumes and cover letters were their KSAs. In better detail we used leadership/teamwork, communication, technology and creative mind. The information is portrayed in Table 1, which is shown below. Table 1: KSA Evaluations Candidate Teamwork/ Leadership Communication Technology Creative Mind Total Zach 5 5 5 4 19 Deborah 4 5 3 5 17 Dyron 5 4 2 4 15 Jenna 3 5 2 5 15 Shelby 2 3 2 3 10 *Candidates are selected from a pool of 50 and evaluated on a 1-5 scale Leadership/teamwork is the most important KSA that we evaluated followed closely by communication, technology and finishing with creative mind. There are different specific criteria that is involved with each of these KSAs. As shown in Table 1, it is evident that Zach is the most qualified candidate, based on his KSAs. Zach Top Candidate Zach was selected as the best candidate for TCG’s Junior Analyst position for his qualifications that will benefit TCG in the near future. He was picked based on his resume, cover letter and how well his KSA’s matched the criteria. We also watched his interview and critiqued him based on M.O.D.S. The criteria for leadership and teamwork is that the candidate needs to be able to work with others to reach a common goal. Zach exceeded the criteria based on examples in his resume and cover letter. He was the Treasurer of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity at Towson University. While coordinating with eight officers he has planned and managed a $10,000 budget each semester. Also, at his internship he was successful fulfilling multiple coworkers needs while working on various projects. Not only does this show that he is a great team player, but that he has the leadership of getting various projects done. He is very focused on completing each task, and excels at being the leader when he is a part of a group. Communication is the next important KSA that we evaluated. Communications criteria consists of creating influential and persuasive reports, proposals, letters, as well as giving oral presentations. Zach easily passes the standards for communication. He has communicated with clients daily at his internship either by email, phone call, or face-to-face. He has strong written communication skills based on his resume and cover letter. It states that he has conducted bank reconciliations, payroll entries, sales tax reports, 1040, 1120, 1120s and 1065 returns. These are all different reports that consist of different financial information, which represents a wide range of skill. Not only is communication an essential criteria but technology is an important too. The criteria for technology we used when examining candidates are that they should be proficient with any Microsoft program, as well as being sound at using research databases. Zach has exceeded this criteria for knowing more than just the Microsoft programs. He stated that he has constructed multiple financial projections, payrolls, sales tax and expense tracking reports using a specific software at his internship. He has also used an asset software when working at Hertzbach & Company to construct depreciation schedules for construction companies. Some other programs he has used are ProSystems Engagement, Intuit ProSeries Tax, Intuit, and QuickBooks. Based on his resume he can easily learn how to use new software and is very technologically proficient. Not only is he very experienced with technology, his critical thinking skills pass the criteria as well. Critical thinking is being able to generate and evaluate feasible alternatives, and develop comprehensive conclusions using qualitative and quantitative data. When Zach was an intern at Richard Black, CPA, PA he conducted bookkeeping for mid-size businesses. Bookkeeping consists of making adjusting entries and fixing businesses financial information to correct their statements. In order to make these adjustments he has to use different quantitative data to find the correct amounts for each account. Also, when he planned and managed the budget for his fraternity, he had to use critical thinking skills to delegate when and where all of the money is going. Zach exceeded all criteria based on his KSAs and was chosen to be in the top five candidates. Once chosen he was then interviewed to help narrow down the candidates. Zach was picked to be the one of the top two candidates after his interview. We evaluated each candidate using M.O.D.S. and how well they were able to demonstrate their KSAs to benefit our company. The best aspect of his interview was that he answered all questions and was able to convey benefits he can bring to our company. For instance, he linked his teamwork skills by being the treasurer of his fraternity to a contributing member in our company. Also, he conveyed benefits to our company by having good communication skills using stories and specific instances when answering questions. His introduction was not attention grabbing but it was strong. He seemed very prepared and answered all the questions with support. His ending was memorable which also helped us make the decision to pick him to become one of the top two candidates. His organization was outstanding as well, by answering all the questions in a timely manner. He did not have to pause or use filler words when he was stumped with a question. The last aspect that he excelled at was his style during the interview. He maintained strong eye contact and only used a few filler words. His tone and volume were appropriate throughout the interview. He had proper posture, seemed very attentive and used natural hand gestures. Deborah Great Team Worker and Leader but Falls Short As a team we collectively chose five out of the fifty who we thought would excel or help or company excel. One of the candidates we chose was Deborah. With that and her cover letter and resume in hand we rated her on her KSA’s and how she would benefit Towson Cornerstone. After reviewing Deborah’s resume and cover letter we have found out that she is a very intelligent person that is very active in clubs in the Towson University community. Her resume format was correct as well as her cover letter. In her cover letter she talks about real life experience with a firm call Stegman & Company where she interns presently. She also talks about creating projects for different organizations that she used to do work with. Deborah is in many affiliations such as National society of collegiate Scholars, Honor Society of National Communication society. She even used to be vice president of a club as well as a president. She was a vice president at Towson University called African Diaspora club. And was president as Building council in the Residence tower. For her closing of her resume Deborah provided contact info, best time for an interview, and she also asked if Mr. Thacker had any questions for her. Once we chose our five candidates as a team we closely examined there interview videos. Throughout reading and watch Deborah’s interview and resume and cover letter she seemed like a great addition and benefit to our company. Deborah has really great experience with communication, leadership, and creativity. In her interview she told a story about how one of the tax scanners were down and Deborah an intern at a tax scanning firm used her creativity, leadership, and communication all at once to solve the problem. She ended up getting her peers together and copying them, sending them to an email and then putting in the information in manually. Also as for leadership she has been a president, as well as vice president experience. She is a part of many clubs at Towson University and is very active around campus. As for technology goes the only thing she never mentions in resume, cover letter or interview. She talks about scanning tax forms at her internship but doesn’t go into detail in her experience with technology. Deborah also didn’t show many nervous tells in her interview. She seemed like a good interviewer and worked well with others especially in a teamwork environment. Deborah seemed like a great plus to our company and that is why we have chosen her to be in the final two candidates. Overall I believe that Deborah has great communication written and oral skills. Her leadership and teamwork experiences excel with life stories and current jobs around the Towson University Community. Deborah’s critical and creative thinking skills are very well presented in her interview. The key category that Deborah falls short in is technology. She does not mention anything about Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Excel. All she mentions in resume, cover letter, interview, is that she scans tax forms for work. Dyron Portrays Highly Beneficial KSAs but Lacks Technology Skills and Passion We chose Dyron as a top five candidate for his ability to present his KSAs as benefits in his cover letter, interview and the attributes depicted in his resume. Dyron did an excellent job with the organization in his cover letter as well as portraying the KSAs found on his resume in a story-telling manner throughout the cover letter. He described relevant knowledge in compiling quantitative data, developing and presenting proposals, maintaining database software within RT Transport, Inc., and how he can apply the said knowledge to TCG, if hired. Dyron proved to show professionalism throughout his cover letter as he clearly stated his message and qualifications rhetorically and deductively as well as demonstrating clear organization, design, and style with plain English and diction. When evaluating a candidate for TCG, we take into consideration their skills in communication, leadership and teamwork, critical thinking, and technology. Dyron shows superb communication skills by outlining his experience at RT Transport Inc. in developing and presenting contract proposals. Being able to effectively communicate ideas through presentations is a vital skill to TCG. Dyron also noted in his interview that he believes it’s important to listen to colleagues demands in order to better his work for the benefit of the organization. This statement reveals that Dyron is an active listener who can work in a team-oriented environment to achieve the goals of the organization. He also works as the Head Sprint Coach at Century High School where he evaluates talent and manages performance and progression. While Dyron lacks experience as an analyst, he portrayed during his interview that he is highly knowledgeable within the industry he currently works in and can apply his knowledge to TCG. He was able to answer all questions quickly and effectively but showed a few nervous tells by being fidgety and using fillers words. At RT Transport, Inc., Dyron has learned intensively in the field of logistics and operational management and states that he has the ability to learn and improve within new industries. Dyron has experience with EDI and logistics software, but claims his duties primarily consisted of data entry. Proficiency in Microsoft Office was not stated in his resume or interview. We view Dyron’s lack of technological experience as a red flag, as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are used on a daily basis within our firm. Overall, Dryon is a solid candidate that proves his ability to provide practical insight and problem solving skills valuable to the company. Dyron is also able to logically construction documents and presentation proposals but lacks technological experience. Another determining factor as to why Dyron was not selected for the junior analyst position is that he did not express thorough interest or desire to work for TCG, as he stated the position was “to see if he’s ready for the next step, to see if he’s made to do something else”. When making the decision in selecting Dyron for the Junior Analyst position at TCG, it’s vital to set a standard for the evaluation criteria, and while Dyron does meet a majority of the criteria, the position seems more experimental for him. We are looking for a candidate who will be dedicated to our team that we can rely on as a long term employee, and that is truly passionate about their career and position in TCG. Dyron did not meet this criteria. Jenna Thrives with Teamwork but Lacks a Creative Mind She scored highly in teamwork talking about previous work experiences such as at the YMCA and the restaurant industry. She also scored high in technology by describing her skills in Microsoft Products, as well as her experience in using the accounting software Quickbooks. She spoke briefly on her communication with younger kids at the YMCA and giving different teaching methods for different kids. This prompted us to score her moderately high. We viewed creative mind as the least pronounced quality that she touched on as she only briefly said “innovative problem solver” on her resume. It was too brief and vague to score too highly with us, but the rest of her KSA strengths carried her on to our next evaluation. Our final evaluation was a combination of how much experience they had in business environments and how they did in school. Jenna displayed that her GPA was a 3.8 and she was an accounting major. We believe this is a very high GPA and a very good major to translate into a junior analyst with. Her work experience was very diverse as well. She was a swimming teacher at a YMCA, a cashier at Chic Fila, and an intern at an accounting firm called the Bachus Group. We viewed these as all very good jobs to display her KSA’s in. Having experience in the business environment were also key as a junior analyst would need to be comfortable if put in an environment like that. Shelby Excels with Technology but Lacks with Presentation/Communication As we narrowed it down one candidate at a time, it was easy to tell who was going to make the cut and who was going to be looked past. We reviewed Shelby’s Resume and Cover Letter numerous times studying her KSA’s and there were a few things that stood out but there were also many things that we did not like. To start off with the resume, Shelby is a junior at Towson University studying accounting and maintains a 3.347 GPA while interning for the last two years at Gorfine, Schiller & Gardyn. Following this, she also made the Dean’s List in 2012 and is a member of the NHS (National Honor Society). After noticing the few good points that were made in the resume, we looked at the format and the way all of the information was laid out. It was easy to read because there was not much information that backed up her points and no story was told along with any information that kept us hooked in reading the document. The cover letter had a good format and opened up with a statement saying how she is interested in the position at TCG. After that we wanted to know why she believed she would be the best candidate for the job. She mentions how she can work in teams while being creative and one of her strongest skills is technology. We liked the cover letter for that reason but we wanted to read more as to what she has done in her field that shows she is good with teams, creative thinking, and the use of technology. We wanted her to tell us a story about a time when she worked with the specific technology and how she used her creative mind to ease through different situations. After evaluating the Resume and Cover Letter, we watched her interview and presentation regarding the comparison of Under Armour to Nike concerning who is in a better financial position. Watching the interview video was a quick way for us to establish that we were no longer going to consider Shelby for this position. Not only did she seem nervous which is normal but she had a lot of trouble putting her thoughts into words and only mentioned her KSA’s when a question about them was asked. She used too many filler words and didn’t express much of anything with value of how she would benefit the Towson Cornerstone Group. Finally, her presentation comparing Under Armour vs. Nike was boring and she did not even state a bottom line telling us who was in a better financial position. She stood and spoke to the screen showing that she did not know her information whatsoever. Absolutely nothing in this presentation kept us engaged and after reviewing, we thought, who cares? The Two Most Qualified Candidates Are Zach And Deborah. After evaluating the five candidates interviews based on M.O.D.S. we further evaluated the top two most qualified candidates, Zach and Deborah, who were then were evaluated further on their Under Armour financial analysis memos. We also used the M.O.D.S. criteria for evaluating their memos. Table 2: M.O.D.S. Evaluation of Top Two Candidates Memorandums Name Zach Deborah Message 9 8 Organization 7 8 Design 8 6 Style 8 8 Total 32 30 *The top 2 candidates were evaluated on the M.O.D.S. criteria on a 1-10 scale. Zach gave a very clear message to begin his memo, stating his bottom-line that Under Armour is in a better financial position than Columbia. On the other hand, Deborah’s memo answered all assignment specific questions as she completed the research, made the claim, and used that research as evidence. Zach’s organization in the memo was lacking in some key elements. For example, he did not use message-style headers, which limited the usability of the document. Deborah’s organization is well done with a deductive structure. She does this by stating her claim in the beginning of the document then uses the body to explain it. For example, from the start of the memo you as the reader are aware she believes Nike is in a better financial position than Under Armour. The design of Zach’s memo is fairly simple in its layout. He labeled and cited his table which conveyed more credibility and usability throughout his memo. Next, we examined Deborah’s design. She did not format her lists, headings, and text consistently for a readable document. Lastly, the style of Zach’s and Deborah’s documents are as close to plain English as possible. There are no instances of jargon, euphemisms, clichés, or buzzwords. These minimize the difficulty of reading and maximize the value of what he is saying throughout. Zach Excels Over Deborah with His Superior Memo Zach was selected to be the number one candidate for the position because his memo excelled over Deborah’s. He has many aspects in his memo that made him stand out over Deborah. Zach has a better message this is easily understood, while Deborah’s message becomes unclear in the conclusion. Deborah’s message is not presented towards the audience which makes her entire memo unclear because we did not know her message. Another aspect is that Zach was able to describe each index and what they mean. It was in bullet points so it made it easier to read and understand. Deborah never mentioned the indices until she put them in the table. As a result, we did not know what each of them meant or the importance of them. Her tables also did not have any citations so the data she presented became less credible. Not only was her table less credible but was also harder to read. Zach has one table that represents both companies and is very easy to understand. Meanwhile, Deborah has two tables on top of each other so it is difficult to compare companies. The last aspect of the memos that Zach excelled at over Deborah was the conclusion. In his conclusion he makes sure that the audience understands his main message. He was able to convey this in his analysis and conclusion, while Deborah fails to provide an analysis. She goes straight to the conclusion after the table. Also, she only discuss about two of the indices in the conclusion so the other data in the table is irrelevant without an explanation. Overall, Zach had a better memo and that made him the most qualified candidate. Throughout the evaluation process, Deborah and Zach remained equally competitive, but Zach’s superior memo raised him to be the top candidate for the position.