| I often hear leaders from all types of organizations ask | | | | is to get the candidate talking about how they handled |
| questions about hiring the right person. Their questions | | | | a specific situation (their feelings, actions, and |
| usually sound like these:- What if their resume looks | | | | responses). By addressing a specific situation rather |
| great but they have a bad attitude?- What if they put | | | | than a hypothetical scenario, you get a good feel for |
| on a good act and then don't work hard?- How can I | | | | how they might handle a similar situation in the future.4) |
| tell how they will perform after I hire them?A great | | | | As the candidate responds, look for evidence of the |
| way to answer these questions starts with a | | | | core competencies you identified in step 1. Use your |
| well-defined interview process. I have heard the | | | | checklist to keep track of your observations.5) Train |
| procedure called many things. I first learned it as the | | | | several people to conduct this type of interview. |
| Behavioral Event interview process. The guiding | | | | Always have more than one person involved in the |
| thought behind this system is that "while it is no | | | | process. I suggest having several people interview the |
| guarantee of success, past performance is the best | | | | candidate. Each interviewer should ask about a |
| indicator of future performance."Here is the main idea | | | | different part of the person's life and work experience |
| -- develop an interview system that forces the | | | | (school, work, volunteer work, etc).6) After the |
| candidate to tell you, in direct and specific terms, how | | | | interview process, get each interviewer together to |
| they have worked in the past. You want the candidate | | | | compare notes and observations. If the candidate |
| to do more than recount where they have worked | | | | demonstrates the key skills you are seeking across |
| and what experience they have. You can read their | | | | several areas of their life, they are likely to bring those |
| resume to get that information. You want the | | | | skills into your business. Now you have a good basis |
| candidate to tell you: how they think, how they work, | | | | for deciding whether this person fits you and your |
| and how they relate to other people.Actual | | | | organization.I have been through this type of interview |
| implementation can get a little involved, but the basic | | | | on both sides of the table. I find that it works very well |
| process goes like this:1) Identify the key skills (attributes, | | | | and creates a win-win scenario for both parties. For |
| attitudes, etc) for success in your organization. In a big | | | | the qualified candidate, the process feels good |
| company, you might develop the list by interviewing | | | | because there are no "trick" questions. For the |
| successful people in the organization. In a smaller | | | | interviewer, it gives you concrete information that you |
| company, you could brainstorm with the owner(s) | | | | can use to make an informed decision about the |
| about what they want to see in an employee.2) Rank | | | | candidate's fit in your organization. Only the unqualified |
| the competencies to separate the "must-have" traits | | | | candidate loses. For them, the process is |
| from the "would be nice" traits. Write your list in the | | | | uncomfortable. They must give specifics; there is little |
| form of a checklist for use during interviews.3) | | | | room for "shading the truth" to get the job.You may |
| Develop a series of questions that get people to tell | | | | use this article for electronic distribution if you will |
| you specifics about their experience. The best series | | | | include all contact information with live links back to the |
| start with broad, open-ended questions and lead to | | | | author. Notification of use is not required, but I would |
| follow-up with questions that dig for specifics.For | | | | appreciate it. Please contact the author prior to use in |
| example, the series could go like this:Start with an | | | | printed media.Copyright 2005, Guy HarrisGuy Harris is |
| open-ended question like "Tell me about a time in your | | | | a Recovering Engineer. He works as a Relationship |
| high school (college, internship, last job, etc.) when you | | | | Repairman and People-Process Integrator. His |
| had to convince another student (co-worker, etc.) to | | | | background includes service as a US Navy Submarine |
| help you?" or "Tell me about a time from your last job | | | | Officer, functional management with major |
| (internship, college, etc.) that you had to make a sudden | | | | multi-national corporations, and senior management in |
| change in plans?" Let them pick the scenario; you | | | | an international chemical business. As the owner of |
| probe for specifics.When they give you the scenario, | | | | Principle Driven Consulting, he helps entrepreneurs, |
| begin the process of "peeling the onion." Ask follow-up | | | | business managers, and other organizational leaders |
| questions like "When that happened, what was the | | | | improve team performance by applying the principles |
| first thing you did?" Then, "Who did you talk to to make | | | | of human behavior.Guy co-authored "The Behavior |
| the change happen?" Maybe you could follow that | | | | Bucks System(tm)" to help parents reduce stress and |
| with,"Did they react positively or negatively to your | | | | conflict with their children by effectively applying |
| request, and how did you respond to them?"The idea | | | | behavioral principles in the home. |