Page 120 - Boost Your Hiring

106 Boost Your Hiring IQ

ANSWERS
The Strongest Answer
(A) This is the strongest answer because it specifically shows how
this person worked collaboratively with a team. He gives credit
to each team member for his or her contribution; at the same
time, the candidate’s role is defined. When candidates tell sto-
ries about working collaboratively, they tend to use the pro-
noun “we” without defining their own roles. If they do use the
pronoun “we” by itself, you will need to probe as to what role
they played. That is not the case in this example.

The Mediocre Answer
(B) Although this answer shares the same ideas as the strongest
answer, there are no details. The candidate claims to have been
the lead several times but does not give an example of any
project in particular.The candidate presents nice ideas by shar-
ing her belief that “no one person makes a project successful,”
but because there are no specific examples, there is no way to
determine if this person is being genuine.A possible follow-up
probe is:“Could you be more specific about a particular project
when you have worked with individuals who came together as
a team?”

The Weakest Answer
(C) This answer provides only empty theories with no mention of
the candidate’s experience. He uses the pronoun “you” where
he should be using “I.” Some candidates will have a difficult
time using the pronoun “I.” They feel that they are taking too
much credit and bragging. This could be a red flag, indicating
that this person lacks confidence. To better judge what this
candidate’s experiences have been, try asking,“You say you be-
lieve in recognizing individual efforts. Could you give me an ex-
ample of a time when you actually did that and what you did?”

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