Page 50 - Boost Your Hiring

36 Boost Your Hiring IQ

ANSWERS
The Strongest Question
(A) This is the strongest question because it asks the candidates to
explain what makes them more qualified than the other can-
didates.They can determine the job requirements from the job
description. This area of expertise could be a “hard” skill or one
that is considered to be a “soft” skill. The hard skills would en-
compass anything that is covered under education and experi-
ence. The softer skills, which are sometimes underestimated, are
transferable skills and personal traits or qualities.
In other words, it is a good interview if you can find out
enough about the candidate to decide whether this is the right
person for the job. If you look only at the hard skills, you may
later regret that you hadn’t seen the red flags regarding trans-
ferable skills or personal traits.

The Mediocre Question
(C) To make this question work, you’d have to follow up by asking,
“How current are you with the trends and improvements in this
industry/field?” It is important to find out if the person is stay-
ing abreast of the latest trends and technology.
You should listen for any courses or training this person is
planning to take or has taken to stay current.Another good way
to stay abreast of the industry is through memberships in or-
ganizations. If you are knowledgeable about what is available to
keep up with industry changes, you will be able to probe for
more specific information to determine if the person is doing as
much as possible to remain industry-savvy.

The Weakest Question
(B) This is the weakest question because it is essentially just an-
other version of the question,“What are your strengths?”This
question asks for the strongest quality, and you will need more
information about that quality and whether it applies to the job
you are interviewing for. You will do this by probing for a rea-
son that the person has named that particular quality.

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. _____