Judge A Man By His Questions

“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.”    ~ Voltaire

The other day I interviewed a candidate for a management role. He had a great background, possessed all the skills to be successful, understood the nature of our business, and had hands-on experience doing the work.  What’s not to like? What gives me pause? His answers to my questions were articulate and demonstrated a knowledge and competency of the key skills we look for. However, when I asked him what questions he wanted to ask me, his only response was “when do I start?” 

Wait, what? 

He just had a positive interview, we had built a rapport, it was obvious that I liked him - here was the perfect opportunity for him to dive into the job, ask what success with our company looks like, what are culture is like, what our vision for the future (short and long-term) is, and show how he will be a top-performer – and all he could come up with was “when do I start?”

Unfortunately, I see this all too often. Candidates spend time prepping for the questions they fear they will get, that they neglect the second half of the interview. Questions candidates ask can tell you as much about them as any other piece of the interviewing puzzle.   

Are the questions general, banal, and something they should have known before even coming in? 

• Candidates who put little thought into the questions they ask show themselves to be unprepared, are typically lazy, have a low competitive drive, or may be generally shy and introverted by nature. Hire these folks at your own peril and, if you see a lot of job movement in their job history, you should be even more concerned.

Are the questions “generic?” 

• There are millions of books and blogs that teach candidates to interview and they all include the “10 questions you must ask at an interview.” With these questions (and we all know what they are), it is important to listen for a follow-up after the answer. For example, “What are the key attributes a successful person in this role should possess?” That is a question on virtually every Top 10 List, but once you have told the candidate what those attributes are, does the candidate delve into one or more of those attributes? Do they give an example of how they believe they actually have those attributes? The follow-up is the key - no follow-up and you may have a candidate who is good following directions, but is afraid to think for themselves. Good follow-up questions indicate someone who can improvise and who can look for solutions on their own.

Do the questions stem from the first half of the interview?  Do they have relevance to the position at hand? 

• These are my favorites, for a variety of reasons. They include questions like, “Earlier you said this position has full P&L responsibilities. What are your profitability targets and what areas of the P&L do you think the person who succeeds in this role will need to focus on?” You will notice that although this question is very similar to the “What key attributes…” question, it differs significantly in its specificity and it refers to an earlier topic. This question indicates a candidate who is engaged in the interview, and can problem solve for themselves. Ideally, once you have answered the question, the candidate will demonstrate their mastery of the topic either by giving examples of where they possess those key attributes or ask further probing questions in order to better understand what they are.

Lastly, did the candidate ask questions that will help THEM decide if working with your company and performing the role at hand is a good fit for them? 

• There are lots of things a person “can do” but are those things they will “want to do” to maintain a passion and a drive to excel? A good indicator of a person’s true desires can be found in these questions. Are they asking questions that indicate a genuine interest in the company and a career, or are they simply “looking for a job?”

A little closer attention to the candidate’s questions can go a long way in finding that next great employee!

Thought? Comments? Please share them with me.