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Here’s how you can conduct a thorough and exacting interview with only four core questions. No more dreaming up questions on the spot. No more laborious planning or writing lists in order to remember everything you want to cover. The idea is to take an applicant through their entire work history asking the same four basic questions about each job. The first question is my longtime favorite: "What was your first paying job and what three things did it teach you?" (Most applicants usually have a pat answer about their last job. This question takes most by surprise and their responses are much more candid. It can also shift the entire tone of the interview because it gives applicants a sense that you’re really interested in them as a person, so they tend to open up more.) Because "who you are now is what you were then," the answers to this question will give you a great deal of insight into the applicant’s work ethic and motivators. For example, a participant in one of my seminars volunteered that he spent two years as a teenage dishwasher in a Chinese restaurant. When I asked what he had learned, he said: "Wet rice is heavy." While this many not seem like much solid information, in fact, we’ve learned he has a strong work ethic (worked in his teens), can stick with a less than ideal situation (two year stay), and has a good sense of humor. The second question probes an applicant’s skills, talents, and abilities by asking: "On a scale of one to ten, with ten being highest, how good are you at (word processing, writing, customer service, supervising, etc.)?" Ask about those skills and abilities used or developed in the past that an applicant needs to be successful in the position you are looking to fill. Follow up with: "Why did you give yourself that number?" and "What would it have taken for you to be the next higher number?" When you come to any part of the applicant’s past experience that is relevant to what you’re looking for, ask the "one-to-ten" questions. The answers will provide insight into how quickly that person learns new things, what they perceive as barriers to success, and how interested they are in doing (or being) what you need on a routine basis. (To get the best answers to this question set, don’t spell out in detail what you’re looking for up front. Consider the CPA candidate who rated herself a "9" as an accountant, but a "2" at audit work. The client needed strong auditing skills, but had not yet explained the job to this level of detail. Had she known, her answer may have been quite different.) Wherever appropriate, also ask this third question: "What will your supervisor at (company name) tell me about your (attitudes you want to hire for)." For instance: "What will your supervisor at (company name) tell me about your on-the-job safety practices (or about your dependability, customer service-orientation, honesty, initiative, etc.)?" The way this question is framed prevents most people from being less than honest when responding because it implies you intend to actually check with their former supervisor. The answers tell you if the applicant has the attitudes you need and understands their importance. When you do call to check references, you can say, "Susie Smith just interviewed for a position with us and I wondered if you’d be so kind as to verify some information she gave me?" While most employers have a policy against divulging anything except employment dates and salary, you’ll find many people are willing to verify or correct information provided by the applicant. Past performance is the best indicator of what you can expect in the future, so the last question in the Core Question set is either: "Did you earn any raises or promotions on that job?" and/or "Do you have a copy of your performance appraisal? How were you rated?"(If the applicant doesn’t have the form at the interview, ask him/her to either send you a copy or to bring it to the next interview.) Now, let’s role-play using all the questions in the set to interview an applicant for the position of server in an upscale restaurant (I = Interviewer, A = Applicant): I: "So, Kate, tell me about your first paying job." A: "I was a server in a coffee house when I was in high school. I really enjoyed it because of all the interesting people who came in." (Translation: Good work ethic; motivated to work summers in high school. Interested in/likes people.) I: "What three things did you learn on that job?" A: "How to make all kinds of coffee drinks. How important it is to be on time for your shift; I’d really get mad when my relief was late. And that the better service I gave, the bigger the tip usually was." (Translation: Can learn on the job. Is dependable. Doesn’t just expect tips, works to earn them.) I: "On a scale of one-to-ten, with ten being highest, how would you rate yourself as a server at the coffee house?" A: "Oh, probably about a seven. It was my first job and I had a lot to learn." (Translation: Capable of realistic, honest self-appraisal.) I: "What would it have taken for you to be the next higher number?" A: "More experience, I guess, and it would have been nice if they could have had their best server work with me for a day or two." (Translation: Comes up with solutions. I: "When I call your supervisor there, what will she tell me about your customer service skills?" A: "I think she’ll say I was better than average, especially if she remembers how I turned an unhappy customer into a regular." (Translation: Took personal pride in building the business.) I: "Did you earn any raises or promotions on that job?" A: "Well, no, but I was only there for the summer. They did tell me they’d love to have me back during school breaks and the next summer though." (Translation: Past performance is the best predictor of future performance. She did well enough to be invited back.) Then the interviewer uses the same questions, as appropriate, for each of the applicant’s subsequent jobs. Now, what have you learned about this applicant’s experience in her first job? Would you hire her based on this information? After a verifying reference check, I’d say this employer would be missing the boat if she didn’t extend Kate an offer of employment. |
