Page 30 - Boost Your Hiring

16 Boost Your Hiring IQ

ANSWERS
The Strongest Question
(A) This is the strongest question because if the candidates can tell
you when they were most satisfied, you will know when they
have been most motivated. People who are energized by their
jobs are more motivated than those who are not. In turn these
people are better performers and stay longer with the job and
company. When people are bored or hate their job, their per-
formance usually reflects their motivation.Therefore, if candi-
dates were motivated in past jobs that are similar to the one
you are trying to fill, it is likely that they will be motivated
again.

The Mediocre Question
(C) This question is okay because it asks the candidates to think
about their favorite job experience, and this could be very pos-
itive. If, however, the candidates cannot come up with an an-
swer, perhaps they haven’t had a rewarding experience. This is
a red flag to watch for as an indication that this worker isn’t re-
ally turned on by the job he or she is applying for. While not
all people have to be excited about their work, contented em-
ployees make more motivated workers.

The Weakest Question
(B) This is the weakest question because it is closed-ended and can
be answered with a simple yes or no. And, who would answer
yes to being bored by routine or mundane work—even if they
were? The question could be described as leading the candi-
date. It’s akin to saying, “You wouldn’t really mind if the work
was not interesting, would you?” This question will provide
you with little valuable information regarding the motivation
of the candidate.

RATE YOURSELF
If you chose question (A), give yourself 5 points.

If you chose question (C), give yourself 3 points.
If you chose question (B), give yourself 0 points. ______