You would never think of buying a car without a test drive. Could you imagine spending the money and not knowing how the car handles, what it feels like and if you even like it?
So many organizations do the same with their new employees. They ask a few predictable questions then put this new employee in front of their customers. This is a dangerous strategy.
Your employees build or destroy your brand with your customers, so hiring the right employee is both critical and requires great preparation. This includes clearly defining the critical talents (thinking), strengths and passions the employee will need to be successful in the job.
In our service workplace, employees rarely do the same thing over and over. Instead, they must be constantly thinking and assessing to provide the most effective, efficient and profitable response in each situation they encounter. This means they must think through their day – and since we all don’t think the same way, not everyone will be a good fit for every job.
Skill and experience don’t always show aptitude or fit – they show endurance. Remember, just because a candidate has experience doesn’t mean he was good at the job or liked doing it – the two criteria for successful performance. When you know the critical thinking (talents) needed to be successful in the role, you can better source candidates who exhibit these talents. This is where the “test drive” comes in.
Today’s interviews must assess how candidates think and how they would handle true workplace situations. To assess their thinking and responses, host a talent-based interview, and use talent-based interview questions. Here are some important things to remember:
1. Do not ask predictable questions. The goal is to see how candidates really think so you must ask questions that force their top-of-mind reactions, not a rehearsed response.
2. The best talent-based questions look to see how the candidate will handle real job events, challenges and requirements. My favorite question is an easy one to remember, and can be used in any job situation. You say, “Here’s a situation you’ll find in this job (then give details). How would you handle this?” It may be dealing with a difficult customer, driving effectively, teaching employees, developing products, etc. It is customized to the actual job and workplace.
3. You are looking for the candidate’s first and most immediate reaction. This is the reaction he would have had in the workplace in this same situation; you need to see this response – to assess its effectiveness. Does the candidate seem capable and competent? Did he assess and handle the event you asked about in a productive way? Is he interested in being successful?
What is critical in talent-based interviewing is that you get the candidate to think on the spot – this is where you get a test drive to see how the potential employee would handle real job events. You are spending a lot of money – be sure you get what you pay for.
Contact me to learn about my Fire Up Process – a step-by-step process to attract, hire and retain today’s A-level employees. This includes talent-based interviewing and the talent-based resume. More information at www.LiveFiredUp.com.
