Page 56 - Boost Your Hiring

42 Boost Your Hiring IQ

ANSWERS
The Strongest Question
(C) This is the best question because it asks for something that can
be verified. If you were to check a candidate’s references and
ask the person’s last boss about his or her ability to organize
projects, you could verify whether the candidate gave accurate
information.
Even if you don’t check the reference, candidates may be
concerned that you might. Chances are the candidates will be
forthright because they may fear you will check out their
claim.

The Mediocre Question
(B) This is a situational question that the candidate can answer
with a make-believe scenario, thus making it less strong. Can-
didates could spin you a tale, saying something such as, “I
would first . . . , and then I would . . . ,” when they really
haven’t ever done such a thing before. Because it sounds good,
it may be difficult to tell fact from fiction with this type of
question. At the same time, it does demonstrate how the can-
didate thinks through the problem with limited information. If
they solve the problem by asking the boss for help—this could
be a “red flag.”

The Weakest Question
(A) This is another of those questions that fails to glean much in-
formation. The person could give you a number or even a rat-
ing, but it doesn’t give you anything to compare the answer to.
If candidates give themselves a 10 rating, you will still have to
determine what is being compared. The question would be
stronger if, after you asked, “How would you rate your orga-
nizational skills?” you then asked a follow-up question such
as,“Can you explain how you decided on that number for your
rating?”

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

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