Archive for Interview Training
Hiring Advice You Should Not Use
Posted by: | CommentsI received a copy of a tool used by one of the huge online job posting companies that is supposed to help you assess a candidate. I just hope that people did not pay money for this piece of drivel because if they did they should demand a refund.
There are eight questions on the tool designed to give you better insight into the “hidden signals” a candidate can give you in the interview. First, what are you doing looking for signals when you should be gathering specific behavioral data.
Don’t always believe what you read when it comes to hiring!
Posted by: | CommentsThere has been an awful lot of talk recently about the changing landscape in the employment market. Unemployment rates are rising, there is a financial crisis and most people are confused about where markets are headed. As a result, a lot of strange people are coming out of the woodwork with some really crazy ideas. And, unfortunately, some of the mainstream press is perpetuating these crazy ideas.
Just yesterday I read the feature article in a major business publication titled, “The Hiring Game, New Times, New Rules.” (The fact that they use “game” in the title should be your first clue that they don’t get it.) The article outlined that, due to the current economic conditions, the power in the has shifted from candidates to the hiring managers. Idiots!!!
Why Not “Why” Questions
Posted by: | CommentsFor years, I have been preaching in my Selecting Winners workshops that you should never ask an interview question that begins with “why”. This goes against the grain of so much of the common wisdom on the subject. That alone should tell you it makes sense! Just kidding.
But seriously, there are a number of important reasons supporting the ineffectiveness of “why” questions. In this article, you will learn the pitfalls of “why” questions and how to ask much more effective alternates.
Hire, Fire — Then Repeat
Posted by: | CommentsI was having lunch last week with my race car mechanic Ray, and he shared a very interesting story with me. Ray and I have gotten to be good friends in addition to him being my mechanic. We do spend a lot of time together (remember I drive a vintage Fiat).
Ray runs a one man shop southeast of Seattle with his wife running the office. During the 70’s and most of the 80’s, Ray was the head mechanic at the largest Fiat dealership in the northwest. When the dealership folded, Ray started his own repair shop working strictly on Fiats. Lots of service bays, lots of employees, you get the picture.
Now, for the story.
Interviewing Myths
Posted by: | Comments“If you continue to do what you always have done, You will continue to get what you have always gotten.”
You have an interview scheduled for this afternoon. You prepare by scanning the resume for two or three minutes before the person comes into your office. You’re not worried because you will know if this is the right person.
The candidate walks into your office, strides across the room, looks you in the eye, and with a firm handshake introduces herself. Nice start you’re thinking. She is upbeat, outgoing and can obviously create an impression with a prospect. You start thinking; I wonder what it is going to take to get this gal.
But let’s not jump to a conclusion too quickly, so you pull out your pen and say, “So sell me this pen.” Reject the first statement out of her mouth, and see how she handles objections. And most important, see if she knows how to ask for the order.
Interviewing Truth or Consequences
Posted by: | CommentsEver been lied to in an interview?
Ever wonder if the person you are interviewing is telling the truth? Is the person feeding you a line or maybe just telling you what they think you want to hear? Ever hired someone based on information you thought was true but really wasn’t?
Well, don’t feel bad because you are not alone. Most business owners want to be sold in the interview and end up hearing only what they want to hear. It is called selective perception. (Remember the last new car you bought and all of the sudden there were hundreds of the same car on the road!)
