Hiring the Best Ch 8

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary reason for starting an interview with easy-to-answer questions?

To make the candidate feel comfortable and help the interviewer find their rhythm. (correct)

To determine the candidate's knowledge of the company.

To evaluate the candidate's research capabilities.

To quickly assess the candidate's technical skills.

Why is it useful to ask a candidate about the problems they typically face in their work?

To measure their energy level and enthusiasm.

To determine their capacity to identify, prevent, and solve issues. (correct)

To assess their ability to complain effectively.

To understand their multitasking abilities.

When asking a candidate about past employment, what is the main purpose of requesting their starting and ending salary?

To determine how much money you should offer them.

To compare their progress in pay compared to your current employees.

To verify the information they gave in their resume.

To identify the types of raises the person usually accepts, as well as their habit to ask for more money when changing jobs. (correct)

Why is it important to ask a candidate 'What aspects of your work do you consider most crucial?'

To assess if they understand that jobs exist to support profitability. Signup and view all the answers

What is the intended purpose of asking follow-up questions after a candidate describes their duties in an area?

To identify transferable skills and professional values. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of a first interview?

Determining if the candidate has the necessary abilities for the job. Signup and view all the answers

Beyond technical skills, what other crucial abilities should an interviewer look for in a candidate?

The candidate's willingness to make good on the job's deliverables. Signup and view all the answers

When assessing a candidate's ability, what key elements should an interviewer consider?

The ability to do the job, awareness of the professional context, and problem-solving capacity. Signup and view all the answers

Why is information from the last seven to ten years, or the last three jobs, considered most valuable?

Earlier experiences are more likely to be irrelevant due to the pace of technological change. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of questions about a candidate's distant past?

To establish the candidate's depth of experience. Signup and view all the answers

When asking a candidate about a difficult project, what key elements are you trying to uncover?

How the candidate identified challenges, their critical thinking process, solution implementation, and value delivered. Signup and view all the answers

What answer is NOT desirable when asking a candidate about what they are seeking in their next job?

More money and a less demanding boss. Signup and view all the answers

When a candidate is asked, 'What do you spend most of your time on, and why?', what are you evaluating besides their understanding of job priorities?

Their multitasking abilities and time management approach. Signup and view all the answers

When asking 'What are some of the problems you encounter in doing your job, and what do you do about them?', it's important to consider what aspect of the candidates answer?

Whether they focus on blaming external factors, or emphasize problem identification, prevention, and solutions. Signup and view all the answers

When evaluating how a candidate manages deadlines, which of the following is considered an ideal response?

The candidate describes using a Plan/Do/Review cycle, prioritizing tasks, and adhering to those priorities. Signup and view all the answers

Beyond verbal skills observed during an interview, why is it important to evaluate written communication skills?

Written communication is more of a challenge and becomes increasingly important at higher professional levels. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of asking the question 'What other functional, day-to-day activities were you involved with that we haven’t discussed?'

To uncover skills and experiences that haven't been revealed through other interview questions. Signup and view all the answers

What might a sudden significant increase in a candidate's reported earnings indicate?

Either the candidate is misrepresenting earnings or has greatly improved performance. Signup and view all the answers

Why is the question, 'Why did you leave your last job?' often ineffective on its own?

Candidates frequently have rehearsed, standard answers. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of the follow-up question, 'In what ways did/does your boss contribute to your desire to leave this/that job?'?

To directly assess the candidate's manageability and emotional maturity. Signup and view all the answers

What does an explanation of being fired warrant?

Further questioning and verification of the reasons and circumstances. Signup and view all the answers

Based on the content, what does asking 'How did you get your last job?' help achieve?

It reduces the candidate's stress after difficult questions about job changes and can reveal their determination and problem-solving skills. Signup and view all the answers

What is the key purpose of asking a candidate, 'What decisions or judgment calls do you have to make in your job?'

To gauge the level of responsibility and critical thinking involved in their decision-making processes. Signup and view all the answers

What should a candidate's response to 'What achievements are you most proud of?' ideally demonstrate?

Achievements directly tied to the core job or broader team objectives. Signup and view all the answers

Based on the text, what is the purpose of probing further by asking about a problem experienced in relation to their best achievement?

To provide a perspective that introduces a negative balance to a candidate demonstrating excellence and assess how they handle adversity as well as their motivation. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

First Interview: Ability Assessment

Primary Goal: Evaluate candidate's ability to perform the job.
Importance of Relevant Skills: Technical skills are essential, but so is the ability and willingness to execute deliverables and address position problems.
Transferable Skills: Look for skills that extend beyond specific tasks, supporting job success.
Recent Experiences: Focus on the last 7-10 years or three jobs—experience beyond this timeframe is usually irrelevant to present-day workplace demands.
Management Roles: For management hires, assess management skills and growth leading to promotion.
Interview Flow: Customize interview sequence for unique needs, consider candidate's communication style, and tailor questioning to the specific job demands.
Initial Questions (Easy to Answer): Start with questions about career history and growth to ease candidate and smoothly transition to more challenging inquiries.

Assessing Abilities and Responsibilities

Basic Questions: Examine a candidate’s responsibilities.
- "Tell me a little about yourself": Evaluate professional awareness.
- "What do you know about our company?": Assess research skills and motivation.
- "What aspects of your work do you consider most crucial?": Gauge understanding of job function and profitability.
Problem-Solving Questions: Explore problem prevention and solution methods.
- "Tell me about your duties in [specific area]": Assess past responsibilities.
- "What problems typically arose in [specific area]?": Probe for issue resolution strategies.
- "How do you prevent problems from arising?": Seek proactive problem-solving approaches.
- "How do you solve [specific problem]?": Evaluate problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
Further Inquiry: Analyze transferable skills.
- "What special skills or knowledge did you need to perform [this duty]"?

Exploring Achievements and Boundaries

Time of Engagement: Understand time of engagement.
- "When did you join your last company?": Establish context and expectation.
  - "What was your title when you joined?" and "What was your starting salary?": Confirm information and establish salary expectations.
Reason for Leaving:
- "Why did you leave [that company/that job]?". Avoid broad answers. Ask "How did your boss contribute to your desire to leave?", seeking honesty and information about potential issues with manageability and emotional maturity. Layoffs or firings need further investigation.
Decision-Making: Analyze decision-making skills.
- "What decisions or judgment calls do you have to make in your job?": Analyze responsibility, critical thinking processes.
  - "Which of these decisions are most challenging?": Evaluate problem resolution skills.
  - "Tell me about a time when you had to make such a judgment call."
Achievements: Identify significant achievements. -"What achievements are you most proud of?": Focus on essential job aspects. Identify teamwork and responsibility. - Balance positive responses with probes on problems and difficulties.

Assessing Motivation & Long-Term Potential

Job Prospects: Understand future aspirations.
- "What do you spend most of your time on, and why?": Assess time management, task prioritization, and potential understanding of job priorities.
- "What interests you least about this job": Assess awareness of job difficulties and potential problem areas.
Job Stability: Consider potential duration of employment
- "What are some of the problems you encounter in doing your job, and what do you do about them?": Test ability to identify, prevent, and resolve issues, avoid blaming external factors.
- "How do you manage your work deadlines?" "How did you divide your time?" "How did you feel about the workload?": Evaluate time management and organizational abilities.
- "What special qualifications do you have for this job?": Assess understanding of job requirements and importance of transferable skills, professional values, and possession of technical skills.
- "How do you stay current?": Evaluate professional development and commitment to staying up-to-date in a rapidly changing technological landscape.
Salary Discussions: Approach salary discussions constructively.
- "If you went to your boss for a raise, why would you be doing it?": Evaluate motivation, understand value contributions.
- "If you changed jobs more often than others, why?" and, conversely, "After many years, why are you changing jobs?"
Early Decision Point: It's okay to end the interview when a candidate's abilities don't match the job requirements.

Further Interview Stages

Additional Questions (Follow-up): Examine ability, suitability, learned growth, and professional fulfillment.
Additional Interview Steps: Focus on motivation, teamwork, and manageability in subsequent interviews.

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Description

This quiz focuses on evaluating a candidate's abilities and skills for a job during an initial interview. It emphasizes the importance of relevant technical and transferable skills, recent experiences, and management abilities. Tailoring the interview sequence to fit the candidate's communication style ensures a thorough assessment.