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We have limited time to
dedicate to any search, whether contingent or retained. Recruiters must
be ruthlessly efficient in determining whether an individual might be a
potential candidate for the search.
I have seen recruiters spend an hour or more interviewing individuals
who could have been rejected in twenty minutes or less. The same holds
true for corporate hiring managers. Enormous amounts of time are wasted
interviewing inappropriate or unqualified people.
It's fairly easy to look at a person's resume and determine whether
they have the technical know-how or the right background for a specific
job, but how do you determine the deeper issues of personality,
cultural appropriateness, and style? These are important factors that
determine a good fit. These "gut feel" factors constitute approximately
50% of the hiring decision. How can you determine these factors quickly
and efficiently?
For candidates who get past an initial resume screen, an brief
interview consisting of nine basic questions will allow you to gain a
clear picture of whether or not the candidate is suitable for a
particular position. Indications of a person's character, drive, and
competence can be gleaned from listening carefully to the candidate's
answers to these nine questions. When you put this information together
with impressions of their personality, their ability to express
themselves, and their social presentation, your odds of a successful
hire will increase dramatically. Let the candidate know that this
interview will last only twenty minutes so that their expectation is
set appropriately.
Here are the nine questions:
1. Of The Jobs You Have Held, Which One Did You Like Best?
The answer to this question suggests specific areas in which the
candidate can be of the most value to your client. If he or she is
noncommittal, or liked all of them, this may indicate a lack of
direction or planning for future growth. It is normal to have
preferences, but if their preference is for a job in no way related to
the one you have to offer, you may have a discontented newly hired
employee after only a short time.
2. How Did You Get Each Of Your Positions?
If your candidate sought out and achieved a position he or she wanted,
this indicates a strong "go getter." If they were recruited into the
position, find out what their dissatisfaction was with their previous
position. This will indicate their level of loyalty, or
"stick-to-it-iveness" when the going gets tough. Generally, the
response to this question is an indication of resourcefulness. Was it
through their personal contacts or influential friends? Was it merely a
means to an end? Will your job, also, be such a means? These answers,
together with the short and long term goals questions, will give you an
overall impression of their career direction and their ability to get
what they want.
3. What Are Your Short Range Goals For The Coming Two Years??
Every person should have definite plans for where they want to be and
what they hope to be doing one and two years from now. Failure to
verbalize these goals indicates that the candidate has not assessed his
potential or relationship with his chosen work. A definite plan will
not only give the interviewer a chance to see if their goals coincide
with the position, but will also give the candidate a plus just for
having specific goals, because many people don't. A person who doesn't
know where he or she is going will probably end up someplace else.
4. If You Could Do Anything In The World, What Would You Choose To Do?
The answer to this question can give you deep insight into the
candidate, if they answer truthfully. You may need to ask it a second
time, as many people will first tell you what they think you want to
hear. I often add, "Really, let your imagination go, and think about it
as if you didn't have to worry about money or what other people think."
I have found that when you get past the expected answers about
immediate gratification of spending a year on a sunny beach, what all
people want at their deepest core is to make a contribution to others,
to make a difference. The answer you get, however, will indicate where
a person fits in the organization you are representing. Look for some
creative imagination meshed with both reality and the individual's
capabilities. Check to see whether what the person "really" wants to do
matches the job responsibilities you can offer them.
5. Why Are You Interested In My Client's Company?
Alternatively ask, "Why are you interested in leaving your present
job?" These responses will give you two sides of the coin: the positive
desires and negative dissatisfactions. If the answer is "money," and
this is the sole motivation, then caution should be exercised because
another company will tempt this person away from your client's
organization with a little more money later on. If an applicant has
done research on your client and knows why he feels that working for
them would be beneficial to his career, knows how the company relates
to the industry as a whole, or how he would be stimulated by the
working environment, these are positive signs of a mature decision
making process. This question is an attitude indicator, and the answer
can go a long way in developing your evaluation of the individual.
6. What Are Your Hobbies? What Do You Do In Your Spare Time?
When an individual talks about life outside the workplace, the answers
to these questions give you a view into the individual's outlook on
life and his or her aptitudes and attitudes. A person who is involved
in competitive sports will be competitive in their job and a team
player - an excellent characteristic for a salesperson, although
perhaps not for a secretary. Individual sports such as running or
body-building are an indication of a person's dedication and concern
for their personal image and health, or possibly their preference to
work alone rather than on a team. Chess or bridge players or those who
engage in other activities requiring mental challenges make excellent
problem solvers or engineers. A person who spends every spare hour with
his or her children will often make a good long-term employee because
of their care for their family. Salespeople tend to enjoy activities
where they can meet others, which can be reflected in their off-hour
activities and hobbies.
7. What Are Your Long Range Goals? Where Do You Want To Be In Ten Years?
Taken with the individual's short-range goals, this answer can give you
great insight into the potential to be tapped and the degree of
investment your client may wish to make in this individual. The
response will also assist you in assessing his or her ability to plan
in order to achieve specific long-range objectives.
8. What Are Your Major Assets And Your Major Weaknesses?
While you can't expect a person to reveal their deepest, darkest
secrets, you can expect the person to be able to recognize his or her
obvious faults or deficiencies, whatever they may be. The more honest a
person is while being self critical will indicate their ability to
handle criticism or correction from a manager (although this is not
always so). One who can identify and correct their behavior has shown
insight and thought in evaluating and improving their own progress.
Well thought out assets indicate a person's level of self confidence
and can help you assess whether their strengths can be fully utilized
in the position you are offering.
9. How Have You Changed Over The Last Five Years?
The answer to this question will indicate a person's progress, both in
their career and in their personal life. Follow up with the question,
"How would you like to change in the next five years?" to see whether
their own assessment matches what you can offer them. This will also
indicate what kind of management style will work best once they are on
the job. If a person has been making progress in their life, it is a
good bet that they will continue to do so. Other facts such as their
job progression, salary progression, and increasing levels of
responsibilities will give you a clear picture of how the person will
fit into your client's organization. Also look for signs of personal
growth, maturity, and positive feelings about those changes.
Conclusion
While no single question can give you the magic answer as to whether a
person will fit the particular position you are recruiting for, these
nine questions and their brief answers can give you a clear picture of
a potential employee's attitudes and character, which are often better
predictors of success than a technical competency or previous
experience. Once the basic screening has been done, the ultimate
decision-making factor is the chemistry between the employee and the
hiring manager - and whether the "gut feel" is that this is the right
person for the job.
This series of questions will bring out the some of what creates those
feelings in a hiring manager, and will allow you to see more clearly
the potential fit. At the minimum, it will serve to identify the few
individuals who have the potential for the position for more thorough
interviewing or testing. Finally, the degree to which the applicant is
comfortable answering questions in general, and the level of
preparation shown by their responses, will provide additional
information about their self awareness and maturity.
Lion
Goodman is a business and life coach specializing in helping
independent recruiters and small firms accomplish their business goals
and achieve work/life balance. With 22 years experience in retained and
contingent search and executive coaching, he offers coaching to
recruiters who are seeking management expertise, support, and advice.
He can be reached at 415-472-6500 or by email: lion@goodmangroup.com.
© Copyright 2002 by
Lion Goodman
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