Separating the Talented Top 20% from the Pack

Let’s face it, if we’re honest with ourselves, interviewing is a real “grey” science, and although the majority of us think we’re pretty good at it – we’re not!

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Most behavioral psychologists tell us that the average interview is equal to a coin flip in predicting job performance.?That’s not a misprint. We may think we’re unreal interviewers, but candidates are there to “sell” themselves, and the “sharp” candidates are really good at it.

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Typically, hiring managers are overmatched by this type of candidate. You can’t fault them; they’re not paid to be assessment experts and most go by their “gut” reaction. ?Usually, the candidate that is most likable, comes across with “crisp’ professional responses and has used the skills needed in previous jobs gets the nod. Great communicators don’t always make for top 20% talent, especially for STEM roles.

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So, what’s the best way to only hire talent that resides in the coveted top 10-20% from a talent perspective?

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One Proven Interviewing Recipe

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It’s fairly straightforward to tailor your candidate “interview template” to any job opening. It starts with debriefing the hiring manager at the kick-off of the search. For agency recruiters, hopefully you’ll be given access to the hiring manager, if not use this approach with your internal recruiting contact.

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The first step is to turn around the key job description bullet points (usually the top 4-5 listed in the JD) and make them questions. Then, simply ask these same questions to the hiring manager during the “job-kick-off” meeting.?

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The second step is to ask the hiring manager a situational scenario question. The scenario should glean information separate from the job description but focused on an activity that is needed for the job. The key is to paint a picture for the scene in your question taking the hiring manager to a real place (conference room, presentation podium, late-night lab experiment, or a deadline for a coding bug fix, etc.). The topic is up to you, but an annual performance review, cross-functional interactions, and meeting a deadline under pressure are scenarios I tend to use.

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The information gleaned from the hiring manager’s answers becomes the backbone of the assessment process. This will provide the essential knowledge needed to successfully conduct the search.?By learning the "answers to the test" in advance, you can effectively evaluate candidates by comparing their responses with ones supplied by the hiring manager.?

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I’ve used this approach for two decades and have annually averaged a 40% candidate-to-hire ratio, meaning that for every 2.5 candidates submitted one is hired. Basically, it works!

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To be sure, including various assessment types in your interview template is key. In addition to asking the skills and situational examples listed above, adding behavioral questions for attitudes, interests, and motivation (AIMs) will help to get close to a 70% level of interview accuracy. A review of these techniques is an education in itself, but there’s never been more assessment information available, from Google, YouTube, Associations, and expert Bloggers. Any competent TA pro can locate and use them.

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A cool side benefit of using this approach is your hiring manager will experience the type of assessment interview they should conduct themselves and hopefully emulate it with the candidates you submit. Supplying the interviewers with your interview template, or conducting a training session with them on what to ask and listen for, is even better.

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I would tell any talent acquisition pro that with a little extra effort, they can improve their hiring accuracy immensely – and in turn their bottom line. The return on time invested is more than worth it.

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The Author:

K.C. Donovan, Country President, Ashley James Group - Americas, has been an innovator of TA for over two decades by visualizing talent-based insights and connecting the dots that help companies grow. For AJG, he’s focused on enhancing the global footprint for their full range of TA offerings in numerous industries (Life Sciences, Renewable Energy, Tech/Software, CPG, etc.)?