I 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.
For those of you that are new to this blog, let me repeat something I have said many times.
DON’T TRY TO FIGURE A PERSON OUT IN AN INTERVIEW!
You are not a trained behavioral psychologist so don’t put yourself in a position where you need to be one. During an interview you should gather information and try not to evaluate. Save the evaluation for after the interview when you have as much information as possible.
Forget the signals and stick to business.
Next, the 8 questions are all yes-no questions. Another sure-fire recipe to be mislead and get as little information as possible. Yes-no questions don’t provide you with very much information. Instead of asking, “Do you pay attention to how you plan your schedule?” (I know this is absurd but I just read a suggestion that you should ask this question in an interview from a so-called reputable source) You should ask, “How did you put your schedule together this week?” You can follow up with, “What changes did you make? How did evaluate whether or not to make the change?”
The bottom line here is to be very careful what advice you follow when it comes to interviewing. Along this line, I want to tell you a quick story. I was teaching a class this past week and a participant took exception to my rather forceful stance on the merits of the Selecting Winners model. I used the opportunity to share with the person (and I will share with you) my take on the situation.
We live in a world of ideas. There is certainly more than one way to do anything. My suggestion is that you try the Selecting Winners way and see if works. If it doesn’t work you have my permission to throw it away (and call me any name you choose). You should also try some of the other stuff you hear about to see if it works. I have always been willing to put Selecting Winners up against anything you want to bring to the table. There is a reason I stand behind all my products with iron-clad money back guarantees.
If you disagree, I would love to hear from you. Please leave your comments.
