Page 46 - Boost Your Hiring

32 Boost Your Hiring IQ

ANSWERS
The Strongest Question
(B) This question asks specifically for the most rewarding experi-
ence. If you are seeking leadership qualities, this is the best
question for finding out whether or not the person has ever
motivated anyone.
If candidates do not respond with a specific answer, you can
assume that they haven’t motivated anyone or that they
haven’t thought about how motivating others is a part of
teamwork and cooperation. If you are looking for a strong
leader or cheerleader, you will need to probe further to find out
what kind of a team player this person is and whether he or she
will fit into your environment.

The Mediocre Question
(C) This is an okay question because it is a chance for you to listen for
what this person does when there is a problem or conflict with the
team. The skills that you would be listening for in the answer to
this question are whether the candidate took the initiative and did
anything about the problem.
Also, if the candidate was proactive, what approach did he or
she take? Ideally this question would be answered with an ex-
ample or story.

The Weakest Question
(A) Any question that can be answered with a single word, like this
one, is a weak question. In addition, this question is confusing
because of the word “anything.”What exactly do you consider
“anything”? The candidate may not understand where you are
going with this question and may not run with the answer.
A much stronger question would be to ask candidates about
their ability to make the team stronger by some particular ac-
tion they took or idea they had. For example: Tell me about a
time when you worked in a team environment and what role
you played.

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