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98 Boost Your Hiring IQ

ANSWERS
The Strongest Answer
(C) This is the strongest answer because it is a very strong exam-
ple of someone’s follow-through skills. Persistence is part of
this person’s job, and he went about it in a very nonaggressive
manner. If this person is going to work in a sales capacity and
because follow-through is such an important trait for a sales-
person, you would probably want to ask for more examples of
making a sale when there was an obstacle.Also note that in this
answer there is an indication that this person has strong commu-
nication skills and the ability to build relationships, which are
two key strengths needed for anyone dealing with customers.

The Mediocre Answer
(B) This answer focuses more on meeting a deadline than it does
on the importance of follow-through. Because there are other
skills described, probing may bring out the specific details of
how follow-through and communication helped this candidate
meet her deadline. Follow up by asking, “What steps did you
take—short of offering them money—that worked so well in
getting the performance appraisals on time? How did follow-
through play a part in your success?”

The Weakest Answer
(A) Although this person seems to get things done, this is the weak-
est answer because it doesn’t reveal much about the candidate
and his successes except for the fact that he relies heavily on his
“lists.” Nevertheless, take note that he seems to have a strong
work ethic and also appears to do what he says he is going to do.
You will need to probe this candidate to learn more about his
statement that he never missed a follow-through on a project.
That alone could be worth your finding out if this is the right
person for the type of work you are expecting him to do.

RATE YOURSELF
If you chose answer (C), give yourself 5 points.
If you chose answer (B), give yourself 3 points.
If you chose answer (A), give yourself 0 points. ______