building your a team part 6: the long interview
TRANSCRIPT
BUILDING YOUR
TEAMA+
http://nextlevelup.com.au/
Part 6:The Long Interview
hmm...
First, look back at theFlash Interview
and see what that told you about the applicants. Notice how it’sgenerally all about qualities and attitudes.
Assuming that you screened out those who did not have therequisite skills during your prePresentation screening and filteringof applications, then those left over all have the requisite skills tosome degree or other. And skills can be taught or refined. Qualitiesless so. If you have someone who is enthusiastic with a willingnessto learn, they will soak up every one you can throw at them.
A word of caution here: You notice I said ‘willingness to learn’.This is a really important quality. Beware the candidate who ‘knowsit all’. They are unlikely to ask if they don’t know the answer. Theyare likely to continue ‘doing it their way’ and to be inflexible. I’m notsure if that’s what you really want. The willingness to learn –sometimes called ‘beginner’s mind’ – indicates someone with anopen mind and not so ego driven that they are not open to a newway of doing things and learning new skills and methods.
So now you have them back for the longer interview. This is whereyou can check in on requisite skills, but also where you get tounderstand more about the person and their ability to fit in as partof your team.
The rules for this are the same as the Flash Interview – you ask questionsand you LISTEN. But first, be clear what you are listening for, so now isthe time to go over your evaluation form and formulate your questions.
Try to keep all your questions OPEN questions as opposed to closedquestions. Closed questions are those that only ask for a Yes or Noanswer and don’t lead to any in depth conversation or information.
Asking someone if they are a team player will have everyoneautomatically answering Yes. Who wouldn’t? So you need to be morecreative to get a fuller answer that will tell you more about the person.
Des
cribe a p
roblem
you’ve h
ad in the
past wit
h
a cowor
ker and
how you
handled
it? Would
you do
it
differe
ntly tod
ay.
Depending on what is important to you, you can ask
questions that seek to find out about:
So an example might be:
Their answer to that
question will tell you a
whole lot more about
them than the first –
which won’t tell you
anything – except
that they really want
to please you or be
who they think you
want them to be.
Until then...
Work Record, Commitment, and Adaptability:
Learning Ability and Goal Orientation
Ability to work with and influence others
Job Motivation and Self-Management
Thinking about the jobs you’vehad, in which do you think youperformed your best andwhich do you think youperformed worst and why?
Give me an example whereyou had to overcome a hugeobstacle or challenge toreach your objectives, whatyou did and what happened?
What have beenyour greatest workand nonworkachievements?
Can you give me an exampleof a job you’ve held in thepast where you had to learnnew skills? How did you goabout it?
Can you tell me about atime you disagreed with amanager and how youmanaged that?
Give me an example of atime when you took thetime to share a coworker’sachievement with others?
Give me an example of a jobwhere you had to workindependently, managingyour own time and activities.
Tell me about a specialproject you’ve been assignedin the past and how youplanned and completed it.
Do you take enough time to make a decision?
Do you see how these questions will draw out a different kind of responsethat will tell you heaps about the applicant? In the final Part of this series Iwill cover the evaluation sheet (and important piece), making the job offerand will touch briefly on reference checks.