Interviewing

Performing the Interview

In all the years of recruiting experience I’ve learned two important lessons: First, past performance is the best predictor of future performance; and second, people who have been top performers tend to stay top performers. The goal of every interview should be to uncover a clear picture of the candidate’s past accomplishments. You can conduct a complete interview to accurately measure past performance and predict future performance with only four questions. Sound too good to be true? Stay tuned.

The Right Stuff

The best predictors of success are a track record of high energy (work ethic, initiative), team leadership, and some level of comparable past performance.

The Four Questions: What to Listen For

Question 1: "Please describe your most significant accomplishment."
Question 2: "Please draw an organizational chart and describe your most significant  team or management accomplishment."
Question 3: Anchoring: "One of our key performance objectives is __________ [Insert  the most important S.M.A.R.T. objective for your job]. Tell me about your most         significant comparable accomplishment."
Question 4: Visualization: "If you were to get this job, how would you go about  implementing and organizing ____________ [Insert the most important performance objective]?"

Evaluation and Follow Up

We've told you about the four-question interview, and how to use it to zoom in on the best candidates. Let's expand that a bit now, with a Ten-Factor Checklist for Candidate Assessment. This is how you implement the four questions to look for the traits you want in a winning candidate.

Use the checklist to rate candidates on a scale of 1 (weak) to 5 (strong).

1. Energy, Drive, Initiative.
2. Trend of Performance Over Time.
3. Comparability of Past Accomplishments.
4. Experiences, Education and Industry Background.
5. Problem Solving and Thinking Skills.
6. Overall Talents, Technical Competency, and Potential.
7. Management and Organization.
8. Team Leadership: The Ability to Persuade and Motivate Others.
9. Character: Values, Commitment, and Goals..
10. Personalities and Cultural Fit.

Good luck in your search for winners!