Page 48 - Boost Your Hiring

34 Boost Your Hiring IQ

ANSWERS
The Strongest Question
(A) This question is a great measure of what job skills someone is
comfortable and familiar with and what is completely different
from his or her previous experience.
By probing the candidates’ areas of expertise, you can flush
out their strengths based on what they’ve done in the past. If
you hear something that is of particular importance and they
performed that task in their last job, you will want to ask for a
specific example of a time when they did that and the results
they received.

The Mediocre Question
(C) This question is just okay because you are really asking about
where the candidate is a weak fit for this particular job. Listen
to how the candidate answers and observe his or her body lan-
guage and comfort level when talking about something that is
negative. Being challenged can be something the candidates
could turn around if they are comfortable with the question,
letting you know how they pick up things quickly and giving
you an example of how they did so in past jobs.
Whether you are willing to accept the weakness will depend
on what percentage of the job is affected by this lack of knowl-
edge, and also what the other candidates bring to the job that
this candidate may not.

The Weakest Question
(B) This is the weakest way to ask this question. A stronger ap-
proach would be to ask a question about past experience, such
as, “What steps have you taken in the past when you’ve been
faced with a new situation or challenge?”
By requesting specific details about their past actions, you
are more likely to get an example that demonstrates how the
candidates worked through difficult situations in the past.

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. _____