Page 34 - Boost Your Hiring

20 Boost Your Hiring IQ

ANSWERS
The Strongest Question
(B) This is the strongest question because it asks for a description
of a behavior. The answer given will be an indicator of how
candidates have acted in the past.You are not asking what they
would do if they had a conflict with someone, but what they
did when they had a conflict. If they say they’ve never had a
conflict, further probing may be required to find out if this is a
passive or weak person who may not stand up for himself.
This is not to say that all candidates must have a great conflict
answer, but they should at least be able to describe situations in
which there were differences of opinion and how they success-
fully resolved them.

The Mediocre Question
(A) This question is just average because the answer will only tell you
how candidates think others view them as a person.It does not ask
for specific information, such as “How would your coworkers de-
scribe your team spirit—or your effect on the team?
If they describe themselves as someone who “gets along
with everyone,” you should probe to find out if they do indeed
get along with everyone. You could ask about a time when
someone may have done something that the candidates disap-
proved or had a difference of opinion about, and how they han-
dled the problem.

The Weakest Question
(C) It is difficult to believe that someone could work with other
team members and be 100 percent amiable to all things, day in
and day out. For this reason, this is the weakest question. If the
candidate answered this question with a no answer, you will
need to use the other questions given to get to the behavioral
patterns of this person. Is he or she too passive or agreeable and
not able to stand up for himself or herself?

RATE YOURSELF
If you chose question (B), give yourself 5 points.
If you chose question (A), give yourself 3 points.

If you chose question (C), give yourself 0 points. _____