Page 86 - Boost Your Hiring

72 Boost Your Hiring IQ

ANSWERS
The Strongest Answer
(A) This is a great example of a time when a tough decision had to
be made.As the interviewer you can hear that although telling
people that their jobs were over was not pleasant, it was dealt
with objectively.The tone of the answer indicates that this was
done in a very careful and caring manner. It also shows careful
preparation with the planning of the task. This answer also
demonstrates strength in the ability to do whatever it takes to
get the job done.

The Mediocre Answer
(B) This answer does not give any specifics about the candidate
herself. She made the decision, but you as the interviewer do
not know why she made the decision or what criteria she used
to justify not hiring the internal candidates.You know that one
person went to HR to complain, and you know that people
were upset with her, but you don’t know much more than that.
You will need to find out more information by probing. Try
asking, “What made you hire the external candidate?” or
“What criteria did you use to rule out the internal candidates?”

The Weakest Answer
(C) This is the weakest answer because it does not answer the ques-
tion. It starts out with a statement and then carries that state-
ment through the answer. A red flag is the statement, “some
were the wrong decisions.” If you hear an answer like this,
probe further to find out if the wrong decisions were well
thought out or made in the spur of the moment.

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