The Best Way to Hire the Right Talent

Hiring the right talent is essential to the success of any business, and it is a skill that is seldom cultivated in leaders. The best hiring managers use different methods to assess a candidate’s abilities. However, many are still evaluating job applicants only by their resume and their confidence.

Some statistics show that a typical job interview is less than 50% effective. This is supported by job candidates who believe their interview could have gone better if the interviewer had prepared and asked relevant and probing questions. Some managers even say they were more nervous than the applicant appeared!

The focus of the job interview is to find the most qualified person with the skills and experience that match the job; therefore, access to a well-written job description and an interview outline is vital. Obtain copies from your human resources department in advance of advertising a position. Use those documents to craft your interview questions. When you use a job description as a guide, and you focus on the specific skills needed for the job, you can more easily find the individual who has those skills in the proportions you need.

Create an interview document with categories and questions. Prepare an adequate number of questions, and prioritize them so you ask the important ones first. Three types of questions are best:

1. Open-ended questions (use phrases: how, why, explain, tell me about...)
2. Behavioral questions (asks about past experiences)
3. Situational questions (future hypothetical scenarios)

As a hiring manager or supervisor, you should not delve deeply into a job applicant’s personal life, political views, or financial history (among other things). Nor should you ask questions that make the applicant feel uncomfortable or respond defensively. Do not discuss any of the following topics:

Marital status, age, gender, race, religion, ancestry, citizenship, credit rating, criminal record, disabilities, family, and military discharge status.

A job candidate may talk about these topics, but you may not initiate a conversation or follow-up about any of them. If the interview drifts to these subjects, refocus it back to the skills and experience questions in the interview document.

Ask follow-up questions to understand. A skilled interviewer asks open-ended questions to learn more about an applicant’s qualifications, but the true professional knows how to ask follow-up questions that unveil the thoughts and intentions of the job seeker. Details about exactly what happened in someone's work history, help determine credibility and demonstrate an applicant’s problem-solving expertise. Exploring these particulars can also indicate a candidate’s logic and reasoning abilities. Questions of this nature begin with phrases such as these:

•  Clarify for me the circumstances surrounding your decision to...
• Please provide extra details of your actions when you…
• Explain the process you went through as you worked on…
• Elaborate on the ABC project where you…
• Illuminate me on your choices to…
• Please give details on the methods you used to…
• Break down the steps you took when you...
• Expound on the time when you…
• Provide precise information on the ways in which you…

The best interviewers that I know learn to talk less and use reflective listening more. Many of today's managers are making hiring decisions with very little evidence that some candidates can even do the job, sometimes because they don't listen well.

Keep your ego in check. Don't let charisma get in the way. Some hiring managers simply employ those who make them feel like the center of attention. The constant flow of accolades from a candidate to a charismatic leader often centers the interviewer on his own accomplishments, and can sometimes be a recipe for failure. When the focus of an interview shifts away from the candidate and the job description to a hiring manager who demands attention, then accountability is diminished and poor hiring decisions are made.

Get opinions from others. When you see how they interact with others you'll discover a little more how they interact with your team. The people who have the most influence on someone's life at work must be part of the decision-making.

You've got this. No go out there and hire the right talent!

About the author: Shaun Powis is Director of Leadership Develop and Training for a family-owned company. He provides organizational development solutions for the oil and energy industry including refining, pipeline, exploration, marketing, transportation, and corporate leadership learning solutions for one of America's longest-running continuous brands in the oil and gas industry.

Shaun was formerly Director of Learning and Organizational Development for a hotel company operating hospitality properties in Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Arizona, & California. He has led the Service Standards initiative for eight hospitality properties for the Forbes Five-Star Standards and AAA Five-Diamond Standards.

He trains & consults regularly with executives and staff in a variety of fields including employee service standards, guest service, employee recognition, leadership development, eLearning, hospitality management, human resources, recruitment, safety, spa services, food service, environmental compliance, employee onboarding, and employee off-boarding.