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Upgrade Your Interview Questions to Better Predict On-the-job Behavior
Looking to get a clearer personality picture of applicants and a better understanding of how they’ll perform? Inject a predictive behavioral component into your standard interview questions. Examples of such questions, regularly used by Southwest Airlines and other companies that aggressively hire for attitude, include: Standard
question: Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Question: How important is it to follow the rules? Question:
Do you think people should have a good time at work? Question:
How important is a sense of humor at work? Question:
What values are important in the workplace? Question:
Describe your problem-solving style. Adapted from “Gimme Attitude,” by Samuel Greengard, in Workforce Management
Recruiting Candidates? Roll Cameras It can be beneficial to take a team approach to hiring-but it may not be possible to gather all the relevant decision-makers for group interviews. So try this tip from Microsoft: Videotape your interviews. The hiring team can then meet to watch all the tapes and discuss each candidate in depth. And if you have a video record of the conversation, you won’t have to rely on your memory or focus on taking notes when you should be gauging job potential. Just be sure to tell candidates they’re being taped. Adapted from “Inside Info: Microsoft,” on the London Times Online Web site
Discover Whether Candidates Really Want the Job Is your job finalist really serious about taking this position? Here’s a quick way to find out: Before top prospects leave, ask them to call you at a given date and time to ask additional questions or discuss anything they might have failed to cover during the interview. If they don’t call, it could mean they’re not enthused about the job, they’re undisciplined, or they lack the creativity to reflect on a discussion and come up with something new. Adapted from 45 Effective Ways for Hiring Smart! by Pierre Mornell, Ten Speed Press
Staff
Matters
An executive had to take a ferry across the river every morning to get to work. One morning he woke up and found that the electricity had gone off in the middle of the night. With no idea what time it was, he dressed and ate as quickly as he could and ran for the dock. As he got there, he spotted the boat less than five feet from the dock. Sprinting down the pier, he jumped and landed in the water. As he treaded water, waiting for help, the captain of the ferry leaned over the side. “You know,” he said, “If you’d just waited five minutes, we would have finished docking.” Sometimes things are not always as they appear. This is especially true of candidates during an interview process. One of the most critical factors to job success and organizational survival is the ability to work productively as a team member. Assessing this teamwork ability can be tricky. According to the HR Next Web site, don’t ignore these warning signals that a candidate is not a team player:
In addition to determining if this person is a good fit, it is equally important to get a read on their outlook and attitude. The Motivational Manager newsletter lists eight statements every manager should inquire about during an interview.
Thoughtful, honest answers will help you determine if this person did their homework on the position and the company, knows their own abilities, has a realistic view of how long it will take to become productive, and understands the job they’re applying for. Remember too, there is a right way to treat candidates’ that you don’t hire. On the Ask the Headhunter.com Web site, Melana Doyich’s article, How Employers Poison Their Well, offers three tips to keep your reputation sterling:
If you practice these strategies, you’ll know when your ship comes in. This article originally appeared in the November/December 2003 issue of Michigan Health & Hospitals magazine and is being used with permission.
Avoid These Nine Interviewing Mistakes Unless you want to earn a reputation for your organization as a terrible place to interview, avoid the following big hiring blunders identified by Leslie Rose McDonald, president of New York-based business consultancy Pathfinders CTS Inc. Never:
Adapted from the Post-Standard, Syracuse, N.Y.
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