DON’T “WALK ME THROUGH YOUR RESUME”
“Walk me through your resume” is a fairly common interview question.
We believe the ROI on this question is low for these X reasons.
1. Been there, done that - By the time the candidate gets to an interview you have probably reviewed and even validated their CVs via phone screen and/or LinkedIn—why do the same again with the candidate?
2. Candidate experience -When you ask a candidate to walk you through your resume, it might appear that you haven’t taken the time to prepare for the interview. It might also paint you as unfocused and unsure of what you really want to know.
3. Focus, Please - It completely makes sense that you would like to drill down into a candidate’s specific and relevant experience, but we recommend doing so in a focused and skills-based manner. Instead of just reviewing the candidate’s experience in a chronological order, ask yourself:
1. What are the skills that are most important for the job that I have to assess in this interview?
2. What previous experience in the candidate’s CV implies that he might have that skill?
Then, you will be able to ask more focused questions with a higher diagnostic value.
For example, if developing and growing a team is a skill required for the job your are interviewing for and you find relevant, specific experience on a candidates resume, you can ask them: “You mentioned in your CV that in your last role you lead a team and grew it from 5 to 10 people. What is the biggest challenge you faced while doubling the number of team members? how did you deal with it? What is the recent activity you took in order to develop your team members”?
UNECCESARY INTERVIEW QUESTION #3: WHY SHOULD WE HIRE YOU?
Here are 3 reasons not to ask “Why should we hire you?” in a job interview:
1. When you ask for slogans, don’t be surprised when slogans are what you get. You are basically giving candidates an opportunity to give you the speech they’ve rehearsed as to why they are the perfect match for the job. However, their speech is generally more about selling and pitching capabilities and less about their true, skills-based fit for the position.
2. Poor candidate experience - this question puts candidate under pressure to prove or sell themselves while, in fact, the interview should be a two-way process that allows both sides to assess each other.
3. Limited and biased information - this question only allows the interviewee to focus on their own qualifications, but does not allow them to discuss their fit for the company or how their skills and experiences align with the needs of the role.
What should you ask instead:
1. What is your key value proposition as a candidate for this job? what do you believe is your competitive advantage that will make you successful in this position?
2. What are the main areas of fit/alignment between you as a professional and a person and the company/position? What are the possible misalignments?
“Interviewer asked me what my worst trait was. I answered… Thinking of a quick response to unexpected questions. She snort-laughed. I got the job”.
*From the web.
“Interviewer asked me what my worst trait was. I answered… Thinking of a quick response to unexpected questions. She snort-laughed. I got the job”.
*From the web.
UNECCESARY INTERVIEW QUESTION #2: WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE YEARS?
3 reasons NOT to ask “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” in an interview:
1. It’s a worn-out question the interviewee is expecting and most likely has a scripted answer to.
2. The interviewee knows what you want to hear and will tell you just that (”I see myself progressing professionally to managerial positions within your organization).
3. The world of work is rapidly changing and no one knows what will happen in five years — people change jobs and careers, adopt a side hustle, juggle multiple gigs, change priorities during life.
So what should you ask instead?
If your goal is to understand the candidate’s aspirations and motivations you can ask:
Where DON’T you want to be in five years?
This will bring up interesting answers about what the candidate is aiming to avoid: working in a big or small company, doing the same job they are doing today, etc.
Another possible question is:
What is your biggest career aspiration?
This might also change with time, but it can reveal how high the candidate is reaching and how they define their success (in terms of status, salary, knowledge, impact, etc.)
“Interviewer asked me what my worst trait was. I answered… Thinking of a quick response to unexpected questions. She snort-laughed. I got the job”.
*From the web.
UNECCESARY INTERVIEW QUESTION #1: WHY DO YOU WANT TO WORK FOR US?
There is a good chance the candidate doesn't aspire to work specifically for you, rather you were one of the company’s they applied to in their search.
When you ask this question you are asking for a socially desirable answer or, in other words, you are waiting for the candidate to tell you what you want to hear. All you will learn from this question is if the candidate researched your company in advance — nothing about their motivation.
If you want to understand a candidate’s motivation you can ask questions like:
What other positions have you applied to?
Which components of your current or previous job did you like and dislike?
What are the job’s key components you are attracted to? which ones are you concerned about?
If you had a chance to earn more and do less of (liked job component) or earn less but do more of (liked job component) - what would you choose?
Image Source: Bored Panda
UNECCESARY INTERVIEW QUESTION #1: WHY DO YOU WANT TO WORK FOR US?
There is a good chance the candidate doesn't aspire to work specifically for you, rather you were one of the company’s they applied to in their search.
When you ask this question you are asking for a socially desirable answer or, in other words, you are waiting for the candidate to tell you what you want to hear. All you will learn from this question is if the candidate researched your company in advance — nothing about their motivation.
If you want to understand a candidate’s motivation you can ask questions like:
What other positions have you applied to?
Which components of your current or previous job did you like and dislike?
What are the job’s key components you are attracted to? which ones are you concerned about?
If you had a chance to earn more and do less of (liked job component) or earn less but do more of (liked job component) - what would you choose?
Image Source: Bored Panda
#informedecisions #hiring #interviews #recruitment #skillsbasedhiring #interviewbestpractices
INTERVIEW HORROR STORY: PENGUINS AND SOMBREROS
The interviewer asked me: “If a penguin wearing a sombrero were to show up here now, what would he say?”
(Our guess: “Fire this interviewer!”)
#informedecisions #interviewhorrorstories #recruitment #skillsbasedhiring #interviews
