by Beth | Sep 20, 2011 | Employee Hiring
My passion for interviewing for A-list candidates was born from a horrible hiring mistake that I made. My first business required that I hire a manager to help run the day to day activities. I chose the wrong person and the mistake almost cost me my business. I began to search for people who could really teach me how to interview for the best people. I was shocked to learn that interviewing techniques are really not taught in our business schools. Not one of the top ten MBA programs in the country has a dedicated class on how to effectively select top talent.
I then began to think that the question should be, “HOW do we teach interviewing?” Here’s why: The most effective way to teach interviewing is in the room with the hiring manager and the candidate. I can speak to the intricacies and subtleties of interviewing, but it really doesn’t sink in until you see it, practice it and then integrate it into your own style.
The industry likes to discuss traditional versus behavioral interviewing techniques to screen for the best candidates. My argument with these techniques is that, at best, these styles are only 55% accurate in measuring for the best candidate. And rarely do you find a provider who really teaches the technique. Sure you can find the information in a book, but the nuances that people bring to the table when interviewing are so vast that reading the material in a book will only get you half way to your goal. There are also a few classes in the market place that can give you some of the basics around effective interviewing, but nothing replaces hands-on learning.
When someone tells you that they teach interviewing skills, the first question should be “How?” The next question should be “Are you in the room with me when I am interviewing?” Invest in your business by truly learning how to find the A-list candidates that fit into your culture and has the level of integrity needed to truly shine for your company.
by Beth | Sep 16, 2011 | Interview Process, Uncategorized
I was recently performing an interview for one of my clients. As I introduced myself to a well dressed candidate, the first question out of her mouth was “What animal left the long green poop on the sidewalk? Was it a goose? I think it’s a goose.”
While the question was entertaining to me and my fellow interviewer, the inappropriateness of the comment showed us this candidate was not thinking about the interview at hand. Listening to the random comments of your future employee will give you amazing insight into whether they are really interested in “THIS” job, not just “A” job. You want to look for people who are focused on the job that is at hand and who present themselves in the best possible light to ensure that they will receive this job offer.
If poop is their first question, probably not the A-List candidate you are looking for.
by Beth | Sep 15, 2011 | Interview Process
Peter Drucker says that 2/3 of all hiring decision are found to be a mistake within the year. Dr. Peirre Mornell says that if you rectify the situation of a bad hire within 6 months, then it will cost you 2 ½ times that person’s annual salary. The cost of a bad hire is staggering. Could this be a reason that we are in a recession? Could an improved interview process help businesses succeed? Of course! As a matter of fact, if we want to get serious about business, then we need to get serious about interviewing effectively. I helped a small retail store by teaching the manager how to interview effectively. We hired together 7 people, from the front line, to the marketing director, to the manager. Within 90 days, we saw a 96% drop in customer complaints, and all 3 revenue centers increased an average of 19%. Imagine what GMC could do if they revamped their interview process.
by Beth | Sep 14, 2011 | Selecting Good Candidates
When interviewing for various positions within your organization, the real question you are often asking is “Does this person have integrity?” The interview process between an administrative assistant and Executive Director is exactly the same. I have assisted my clients with interviewing for both positions using the same set of initial questions in order to truly determine this first critical job requirement. A good employee will be dependable and consistent, fulfilling their commitments to the position. A great employee will actually have your back as well, which means when you need to have a task accomplished in your business, you can count on them to get it done.
This integrity philosophy is the basis for A-list Interviews 91% success rate when placing a candidate. While the skill sets of positions within your company may be vastly different, one thing remains the same: the candidate that is hired is the one that will do the job to the best of his/her ability and beyond.
by Beth | Sep 9, 2011 | Interviewing Questions
I have a client who asks candidates this question: “If you were a type of cheese, which would it be?” The question makes people laugh and we have had some pretty clever responses. “Pepper Jack: I’m spicy!” and “Any one of them except blue cheese, because that one stinks!” are among a few of the responses I’ve heard so far.
For a cheese maker, a chef and perhaps a dairy farmer, this question might be appropriate. Perhaps even a marketing position could warrant this question as you might be measuring a person’s creativity.
However for most industries and positions, the information you are getting by asking that question is like just like Swiss cheese – full of holes. How does a description of cheese really evaluate the candidate’s qualities, passion for their work and integrity? Would you eliminate them from your candidate pool if they described themselves as Velveeta?
Focus on asking measurable questions in your interview and truly listen to your candidates. It is really the best way to get the relevant information that you need. Anything else is, well… cheesy!
