Hire Winners: Ask the Right Questions

How do you as a manager, supervisor or team leader hire winners? One very successful interviewing technique is behavioral interviewing---selecting the right person for the right job using a job-related rather than a gut feel approach. A job-related approach is asking for a behavioral example of skills and traits that are required for a position.

A behavioral example is a description, by the job applicant, of a specific event that shows in detail how she did something or handled a problem or made a decision. The rationale for asking for behavioral examples is the notion that the best predictor of what individuals will do in the future is what they have done in the past.

Let's take a typical interview question and turn it into one that leads to getting a good behavioral example of a specific trait required for a position.

Q. "What is one of your strong points?"

A. "I feel that one of my strong point is that I 'm very determined and hard-working."

Q. "Can you give me an example of when you went the extra mile to get your job done?"

A. "Last October we were facing the most demanding time of the year when a flu epidemic struck the office. Out of seven people in the office, five were sick, leaving one secretary and myself to get all of the work done. What I did was commit myself to working 12-hour days, straight in a row for a week, in order to be sure that we were dealing with all of our customers' needs. My boss, who was one of the sick people, afterwards thanked me personally for going the extra mile and put a highly recommended letter into my file."

The key to behavioral questions is that you ask for specific examples of past performance. Behavioral questions typically contain phrases like:

  • "Tell me about a time when....."
  • "Give me an example of......"
  • "How did you.....?"

    • Note how the following question has been rephrased so that it will elicit a behavioral example:

    Original: "Have you had experience training new supervisors?"

    Revised: "Tell me about a time when you had to hire and train a new supervisor. How did you go about it? Would you do anything differently?"

    By using this technique of interviewing you can also gain behavioral examples related to specific skills. For example:

    Motivate Others
    "Tell me about a time when you needed to motivate your staff and had to deal with morale problems."

    Time Management
    "Tell me about a time you had a very busy day at your last job. How did you organize your day and get your job done?"

    Decisiveness
    "Give me an example of a decision you had to make quickly under pressure. How did you approach it, and how did it work out?"

    Problem-solving
    "What was a problem that you had to deal with in your last job? Tell me how you went about solving it."

    After the person has answered your initial question, you can then probe for more detail---what they did; how they felt; what they said; etc. Probes encourage the applicant to elaborate and to clarify.

    For example, an applicant may indicate having good rapport with a supervisor by saying, "We got along pretty well most of the time, but then, like most people, we occasionally had disagreements."

    The probe---"Can you tell me more about the disagreements" will clarify ambiguous meaning. A disagreement could mean anything from a bloody nose to a mild difference of opinion.

    As you hear answers to the various questions and probes, begin rating the applicant on the basic of evidence of the skill, knowledge, trait or experience. This could be a simple 1 to 5 scale from little or no evidence to very strong evidence that the skill/knowledge/trait/experience is present. These ratings can give you a more accurate assessment of the person's suitability for the position than just a gut feeling you have about the person.

    Remember in hiring winners, always have your goal in mind---getting and clarifying information to make a smart hiring decision.

    Marcia Zidle, the 'people smarts' coach, works with business leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job ­ to grow and increase profits. She offers free help through Leadership Briefing, a weekly e-newsletter with practical tips on leadership style, employee motivation, recruitment and retention and relationship management. Subscribe by going to http://leadershiphooks.com/ and get the bonus report "61 Leadership Time Savers and Life Savers". Marcia is the author of the What Really Works Handbooks ­ resources for managers on the front line and the Power-by-the-Hour programs ­ fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development. She is available for media interviews, conference presentations and panel discussions on the hottest issues affecting the workplace today. Contact Marcia at 800-971-7619.

    In The News:

    pen paper and inkwell


    cat break through


    Quick Tip - Effective Meetings Have a Complete Agenda

    Most agendas for a meeting look like this.* Budget* Payroll*... Read More

    Three Ways to Transmit Loud and Clear

    The heart of a fool is in his mouth, but... Read More

    Get Meeting off To a Great Start

    When asked what part of their job they find a... Read More

    ISO 9001 2000, Getting Started on The Route To Registration

    ISO 9001 2000, Getting startedBefore starting the ISO 9001 2000... Read More

    Turnaround or Terminate? How to Deal with Problem Employees

    Do you struggle with a "problem" employee? If so, join... Read More

    Internal Communication: 12 Essential Elements

    There are 12 essential elements of a successful internal communications... Read More

    Bosses Are Out ? Managers As Coaches Are In

    There is a new trend taking hold in business today... Read More

    3 Simple Things the Best Managers Do - And You Can Too!

    If it's so simple, why don't managers all over the... Read More

    Knowledge Management - Capturing And Structuring Knowledge Into Reusable Assets

    Many organizations have an approach for identifying and recording lessons... Read More

    Five Steps to Successful Business Succession

    The great majority of family businesses in North America are... Read More

    The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - Conflict Becoming the Norm ? Part 1

    A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that... Read More

    The Dripping Faucet in Every Organization

    Each day millions of workers spend 8 hours or more... Read More

    Indecent Proposal in the Workplace ? An Overview of Workplace Harassment & Employer Liability

    An allegation of harassment in the workplace is a growing... Read More

    Focus on Outcomes to Keep Your Business On-Course

    Did you know that an airplane in flight is off... Read More

    Lone Rangers Suffer without Tonto

    A lone ranger is someone who prefers working in solitude... Read More

    Creativity and Innovation Management - Core Competencies and Competitive Advantage

    Following is a brief definition of core competencies and competitive... Read More

    Leadership Style: What Makes A Good Boss?

    In today's competitive environment, companies realize that a good boss... Read More

    Finding Proactive Solutions: A Key to Demonstrating Your Management Fitness

    In my book Talking Points: 25 Tips for Clear, Credible... Read More

    Problems with Group Decision Making

    DECISION BY AUTHORITY RULE: Many groups start out with-or quickly... Read More

    Does Your State Like To Keep Your Workers Compensation Secrets Hidden?

    Workers compensation secrets are hidden deep within piles and piles... Read More

    Key Control ? Who Has the Keys to Your Kingdom?

    Key control, or more accurately the lack of key control... Read More

    Look Good on Voice Mail

    Your use of voice mail tells others a lot about... Read More

    Communicating CEOs

    I see a PR firm has done a survey on... Read More

    The Best Way to Keep Track of Meetings

    How should you keep track of meetings?Have you ever wanted... Read More

    Directed Introspection

    One of the greatest obstacles to progress can often be... Read More

    Dont Take New Hires for Granted

    Hiring good people is only half the battle. The other... Read More

    Implementation the Catalyst of Change for Management to Reach that Next Level of Success

    From the personal and professional experiences of other colleagues and... Read More

    Knowledge Management: More Than Just Know-how!

    People sometimes interchange the terms "know-how" and "knowledge", but there's... Read More

    Performance Management - Getting The Most Out of Your Employees

    Managing for Best PerformanceIn it's simplest form, performance management is... Read More

    Creativity and Innovation Management ? Psychological Reward

    Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

    The Power of the Contract in Performance Management

    An essential step in managing the performance of salespeople is... Read More

    Dialogue vs. Discussion

    Have you ever sat in a meeting where everyone is... Read More

    Uncommon Common Sense ? Know What is the Most Important Thing in Your Business

    Over 3 of my meetings with 3 business owners last... Read More