|
 |
Message From: amitav9 |
Total Posts: 4 |
Join Date: 15/05/2010 |
| Rank: Beginner |
Post Date: 02/08/2010 01:34:11 |
Points: 20 |
Location: India |
|
|
by Robert Hosking
With signs indicating the economy may slowly be emerging from the recession, many organizations are looking to make strategic hires. However, still-uncertain business conditions mean investing in the right candidates and avoiding costly hiring mistakes are more important than ever.
One of the best ways to evaluate job seekers during the recruiting process is by asking well-crafted interview questions that elicit insightful responses. Unfortunately, managers frequently rely on a list of standard interview questions that most job candidates have heard before. The result. Candidates offer practiced responses that add little dimension to what has already been provided in their application materials.
By giving standard interview questions a new twist, managers can gain further insight into a candidate's qualifications and personality, which will serve to enhance their ability to make smart hiring decisions for the organization.
Here are some common questions to avoid and suggestions for obtaining more informative responses.
1. Don't ask:
"Can you tell me about yourself?" This question prompts applicants to provide a summary of their resume, preventing managers from learning new information that may help differentiate the most promising potential hires.
Instead, ask:
"What professional accomplishment are you most proud of and why?" This question encourages candidates to describe a specific experience in their career so managers can gain insight into not only their best quality, but also what types of responsibilities and challenges they find most fulfilling. For example, an interviewee may talk about a cross-departmental project he coordinated. In addition to hearing about the person's management skills, managers can learn how he promoted collaboration among team members, tracked success and kept others motivated.
2. Don't ask:
"What are your strengths?" This is one of the most common questions posed by hiring managers, so job candidates often come to employment interviews with well-practiced responses.
Instead, ask:
"What is your greatest professional strength, and how has it helped you overcome a challenge in your career?" With this question, managers force potential hires to hone in on a particular ability and also describe how they applied it to a real-world situation. In addition, they can gain a sense of how candidates respond to on-the-job setbacks.
Along the same lines, managers should avoid asking applicants to summarize their weaknesses, but instead, ask: "Describe a time when you failed, and explain how you rectified the situation. "Managers can gain additional insight into how a job seeker deals with adversity and has learned from past experiences. For example, did he or she act immediately? Did the person solicit advice from co-workers? Did the individual have difficulty recovering?
3. Don't ask:
"Why do you want to work here?" Candidates naturally want to say the right things in order to improve their chances of being hired. Unfortunately, in an effort to demonstrate their enthusiasm, they may praise a potential employer in a way that borders on insincere.
Instead, ask:
"Why are you attracted to our company instead of one of our competitors?" It's better for managers to find out if applicants understand how their organization stands apart from the competition. They should encourage candidates to articulate why the organization is unique. This will allow managers to gauge not only a person's depth of knowledge about the company and its industry, but also if he or she truly wants to work for the organization.
|
|
|
|
|
