by Beth | May 3, 2023 | Interview Process
Every day for several days in a row, at 3:02 pm, always from different numbers, I get a call from someone named Stephanie. In her sing-songy voice, she would cheerily ask me about my day. She sounds happy and content, while pitching questions about how she might be able to help me with a business loan and/or my car warranty. I finally clued in that she was a robot, but to be fair to Artificial Intelligence, it took me a while.
Artificial Intelligence is alive and well and now, with Stephanie’s help, robots will be conducting interviews on behalf of both candidates and companies. According to this article in the Denver Business Journal, (https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2023/02/chatgpt-job-interview-best-practices.html?page=all) what will become even more important will be the ability to conduct effective interviews and reference checks.
Are you curious about how Stephanie is going to affect your business? I highly recommend attending this AI conference, hosted by Sam Reeve, founder of the Comp Team. (details here: https://aicompadvantage.com/register). AI experts can help you navigate how these rapid changes will affect your business, and then you too can put Stephanie in her place.
POWER THOUGHT: Best friends should be human, not robots.
by Beth | Dec 14, 2022 | Employee Hiring, Interview Process, Interview Techniques, Selecting Good Candidates
Over the Thanksgiving holiday a few years ago, my daughter and I were listening to the radio. A song came on that we both love. I began belting out the tune at the top of my lungs and sang along to the chorus of the Zac Brown Band song. I sang “Long Gone” along in perfect pitch (to me at least). My kid laughed uproariously. “MOM”, she yelled, “Those aren’t the words!” I said, “Yes they are!” She giggled “No, really. It’s not ‘Long Gone’. It’s ‘Home Grown’!” She had to Google it for me to believe her.
This misunderstanding happens in interviews for new employees all the time. Someone on the interview team will recount what the candidate said and someone else will have heard the words from the person completely differently. The very first step in the analysis of an interview for the hiring team is to agree to what the candidate actually said. The candidate’s choice of words that they used are very important. For example, “My boss is really great to work with”. Did they really say “with”? Are you sure they didn’t say “My boss is really great to work ‘for’”? That simple word changes the entire meaning of the sentence as well as the intent of the comment. The word “with” denotes that the candidate doesn’t acknowledge their bosses’ authority, and if they don’t acknowledge it in the interview, they really won’t when they have direct deposit.
I talk about listening to the exact words all the time to my clients to ensure they get to hire someone who will fit with the company culture, leadership style and even the position itself. If you are not paying attention, you can miss something important in an interview which can lead to a bad hire. You can also really embarrass yourself in front of your beloved daughter.
POWER THOUGHT: Did you really hear what you thought you heard?
by Beth | Jun 28, 2018 | Hiring Managers, Interview Process, Interview Techniques
A few years ago, I was speaking about hiring to a group of CPAs’. We were discussing the differences between hiring and interviewing, when all of the sudden, a gentleman stood up in the back and shouted, “You know, everyone thinks they can make love, interview and drive.” You could have heard a pin drop. Then, someone giggled, and it was all over after that.
Still, the question remained for me unanswered: What is it about interviewing for employees that makes people think they can do it without having been taught?
When I mention that I am an interviewer, someone will invariably say to me, “I am a great interviewer.” “How did you learn to be a good interviewer,” I ask. “Oh, I am a great people person,” is a typical response. I wonder what being a people person has to do with interviewing, which is a skill set that is developed over time. It is not genetic. You aren’t born into the world knowing how to interview. It requires education, a process and practice.
Yet, the hiring interview, the interaction between a candidate and a potential employer, is the one area in the selection process on which we spend the least amount of time, money and preparation. We don’t train our hiring managers or our HR staff on how to conduct an effective interview. It is expected to be inherent knowledge. As Martin Yate said in his book, Hiring the Best, “… [interviewing] is a dirty secret for many, and a sad comment on old-style management practices that managers are not taught [how to interview]. It is something we feel we are expected to know, or that comes with experience. Couple that feeling with the average ego, and you get ‘It’s easy enough to interview; I know a good one when I see one; it’s sort of a gut feel.'”
With 2/3 of all hiring decisions found to be a mistake within one year, are you sure that you want your ego to lead the way?
It is okay not to know. It is okay to ask for help. Call me today. I have a process and the experience needed to arm you with the skills required to interview (and hire) with confidence and results.