Have you ever hired a great candidate, only to have their “evil twin” show up for work?
During the interview process, you met an individual with great credentials who you knew would fit into your company culture. This is not the person who is now working for you, and you find yourself questioning your ability to screen and hire.
An initial interview can be compared to a first date. The answers you receive are as honest as your candidate can provide to a total stranger they don’t necessarily trust. As they progress through the interview process and determine they are interested in your position, often the accuracy and depth of their answers improve.
It’s important to realize that you need to listen twice as much as you talk. Learning to “listen to understand” vs. “listening to solve” is a skill that is not easy to master. As an experienced recruiter or HR professional, you’re trained to solve issues. When you’re interviewing a prospective employee, it’s important for you to listen to understand where they are coming from. Attempt to put yourself in the shoes of your candidate and see things through their eyes.
When a candidate uses words like growth, advancement, or communication, you need to ask them for their definition of those words. If you don’t clarify their definition, you will use YOUR own definition, which might not be accurate.
If you want to reveal the REAL reason for a career move, ask them to provide you with five (5) changes they would make if they were their own boss.
This question reveals the reason they are currently interviewing with you. There is something going on at their current place of employment that they cannot change. If the only reasons listed are money and advancement, they will more than likely accept a counter-offer.
If you’re interviewing someone who is not currently employed, ask them this question about their last employer. It gives you great insight into the priorities of this prospective employee.
Another revealing question is to ask your candidate to list five words that describe them. It’s amazing to hear words like moody, depressed, aggressive, bossy, and late—yes I’ve heard ALL of these words during job interviews.
If you “listen to understand,” you will uncover red flags that would have not been revealed otherwise. It’s often said that a company’s greatest assets are its people. I’d like to change that to a company’s greatest assets are the RIGHT people.
If you follow the suggestions in this article, you will not have the “evil twin” report for work.
How do you find out the REAL reason for a candidate’s desire to change jobs? Is it with one of the ways described above . . . or do you have techniques of your own that have proven effective? If so, what are they?
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Barb Bruno, CPC/CTS is a guest writer for the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog, and you can hire her for your next conference or event or for in-house training. Barb’s training techniques have guided thousands of recruiters to a higher level of sales and profits. She is best known for her methodical, easy-to-implement strategies that she shares with her audiences. Her enthusiasm is contagious! If you would like to hire Barb, please call 219.663.9609, email support@staffingandrecruiting.com, or visit Good as Gold Training online.