My co-worker recently spent several weeks interviewing candidates to fill a role on his team. He had plenty of candidates, but he was frustrated. His concern was that even though someone may appear to be a good fit for the job, you won’t really know until a few months after you hire them. They might say the right things in the interview and present themselves as having certain capabilities that they don’t really have.
Business blogger Brendan Reid says there is one specific question you can ask during an interview that will help you to clearly understand a job candidate. Read this issue of Promotional Consultant Today to learn more.
Ask this question: Walk me through how this role and company will be different from previous experiences you’ve had.
The Research Test: Reid says he likes this question because the answer always reveals how much the candidate has researched the company and the position. If they don’t refer to specifics or cite examples that indicate they’ve done their homework or if they don’t demonstrate a clear understanding of the role, then it will be apparent.
The Self-Awareness Test: Self-awareness is an attribute that Reid says should be highly valued in candidates. If you aren’t self-aware and you can’t evaluate yourself objectively, it’s very difficult to be successful on a team. This question is great at revealing self-awareness. The candidate is forced to think critically about their own experiences and compare them with this new one. In the process, they must point to gaps and deficiencies to provide a thoughtful answer. The best candidates will be able to thoughtfully analyze and identify areas of difference and speak to how they will manage through them.
The Depth of Competency Test: Many candidates can speak at a surface level about a topic or function. The Internet makes it easy to prep basic answers to most questions, so the goal here is to force candidates to demonstrate a depth of understanding. It allows them to show how they can apply concepts from one job to a different situation.
The Learning Test: Another important attribute to look for in candidates is dedication to learning. The best teams are the ones that learn and improve every day. By asking a question about differences and gaps, you provide the context for the best candidates to talk about learning. Some candidates will try to minimize the relevance of differences. The best candidates, on the other hand, will speak to specific steps they intend to take to close the gaps. They’ll talk about learning.
Try this question in your next interview as an efficient way to discover the capabilities of your job candidates.
Source: Brendan Reid is an executive at one of the largest software companies in the country and the author of Stealing the Corner Office. He also writes a business blog and provides one-on-one career coaching.
