How to Hire Good People Each and Every Time

Gregory P. Smith

Many employers agree the interview process is minimally effective at best. Unfortunately, resumes and job interviews are becoming less reliable. Here are the most common problems surrounding job applications and resumes, according to a survey done by CareerBuilder.com.

• 38 percent of those surveyed indicated they had embellished their job responsibilities
• 18 percent admitted they lied about their skill set
• 12 percent indicated they had been dishonest about their start and end dates of employment
• 10 percent confessed to lying about an academic degree
• 7 percent said they lied about the companies they had worked for
• 5 percent disclosed they had been untruthful about a job title

Each person brings their own set of unique skills, talents, and personality to the job. The trouble is most organizations fall short in matching the job with the individual. The end result is poor job performance, higher turnover, and increased customer dissatisfaction.

The primary purpose of the interview is to determine a match between the individual and the job. Additionally, it should help you understand the applicant's behavior, values, motivations, and qualifications.

Here are a few key points to prepare for an effective interview:

Prepare - Make sure you understand the key requirements of the job. Develop a simple outline that covers the required duties. Screen the resumes and applications to gain information for the interview. Standardize and prepare the questions you will ask each applicant.

Purpose - Not only are you trying to determine the best applicant, but you also need to convince the applicant your place of business is the best place for them.

Structure - The best interviews follow a structured process. This doesn’t mean the entire process is inflexible and without spontaneity. You should attempt to ask each applicant the same questions, then score each answer from (low) 1-10 (high). This structured approach helps to avoid bias and insures each applicant is considered fairly.

To strengthen your process, consider using behavioral interviewing techniques such as role-plays and situational based questions. They can improve your chances of identifying the best person for the job. Here are some examples:

• Give me an example when you . . .
• Describe an incident where you went over and beyond the call of duty . . .
• Tell me about the time you reached out for additional responsibility . . .
• Tell me about the largest project you worked on . . .
• Tell me about the last time you broke the rules . . .

Situational Based Questions

Situational based questions evaluate the applicant’s judgment, ability and knowledge. The interviewer first gives the applicant a hypothetical situation such as:

“You are a manager and one of your employees is chronically late to work.”

• What should you do?
• What additional information should you obtain?
• How many options do you have?

Role Plays

Role-playing is an effective way to judge how your applicant would respond to situations they may encounter on the job. It also can help you evaluate the knowledge, skills and personal charisma of your applicant. For example, if you are interviewing a customer service representative, you can use a role-play to see how they can manage an irate customer. When using role-plays, consider these guidelines.

1. It is a good idea to write the situation down on paper. Give the person a short break and time to “get into character” prior to the role-play.

2. Give the candidate clear guidelines and background information so they thoroughly understand the situation.

3. Allow them to ask questions before you begin.

4. Debrief the applicant at the conclusion of the role-play. Ask them to tell you how they thought they did and how they could have done it differently.

Personality Assessments -- Insuring the "Right Fit"

When the interview is over, consider going one step further. Pre-employment assessments are a valid, legal, reliable, and important part of the hiring process for a growing number of employers.

There are a variety of assessments on the market today. Assessments can measure the honesty and integrity of the applicant. They can also measure an individual’s sales skills, personality and leadership ability. Approximately 65% of all employers use some form of assessment during the hiring process. By using these tools, organizations have reduced turnover and improved the quality of the workforce.

Another unique aspect of assessments is you can use them to create a benchmark of your current (top performing) employees and then use the benchmark to compare against applicants. This benchmark process puts you in a powerful position to predict success on the job.