Page 74 - Boost Your Hiring

60 Boost Your Hiring IQ

ANSWERS
The Strongest Answer
(B) This is the strongest answer because it is specific to a particu-
lar project. As the interviewer you can hear the action steps
taken and the role of leadership this person has demonstrated.
From this answer, you learn that the applicant appears to be a
person who has the ability to work with the smaller details
while maintaining the big-picture perspective. You will want
to ask for more examples to see if there is a pattern to indicate
that these factors are consistent.

The Mediocre Answer
(A) If you look back at the answer, you can count seven we’s and no
I’s. Although it is important to show a strong team function,
there should be some sign of the person’s role. What do you
know about the person’s role in this activity with this answer?
You will need to probe about the individual’s role to find out
if he or she was a leader or follower and what part he or she
played in the success.

The Weakest Answer
(C) There are several red flags in this answer. First, the answer
does not address the question because there is no specific proj-
ect sited. It is a lot of general information that doesn’t tell you
anything about the candidate specifically.
Your probing should begin by getting a specific example
from the candidate. If this is not possible, and sometimes it is
not, then you will have to ask very specific questions about the
details, such as:

• What do you mean when you say, “I’ve led some pretty suc-
cessful campaigns?”
• Can you give me an example of one of the campaigns?

Only after probing will you have an idea of what this indi-
vidual has done in the past.

RATE YOURSELF
If you chose answer (B), give yourself 5 points.

If you chose answer (A), give yourself 3 points.
If you chose answer (C), give yourself 0 points. _____