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Keep Your Hiring Questions On Target

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By SHANNON BEHNKEN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 28, 2008

No matter which side of the table you're on, the job interview is not a comfortable place to be.

Applicant and manager have a short time to impress each other. And at some point during what can become a charade, they need to figure out what it would really be like to work together.

The role of managers can be especially difficult. They're relying on a limited number of questions to help figure out whether this candidate is the best fit for a particular position. The Tampa Tribune went to experts for help.

We asked those who train managers across the country for a sampling of their favorite interview questions. We asked for unique questions that help target the talented but won't land the company in court for discrimination.

The experts: Vicki Abernathy, associate vice president of human resources at AlphaStaff, a human resources firm in Fort Lauderdale. And Carolyn A. Martin, principal of RainmakerThinking Inc., a research and consulting firm in New Haven, Conn.

Here are some of the questions they suggest hiring managers use to draw a bead on the best candidates:

ASK: What do you already know about our company?

This is a good opening question, Abernathy says, because you'll know right away how prepared the applicant is for this interview. If your company has a Web site, the candidate should have already researched it and have a basic understanding of what you do.

She suggests you follow this question up with a more traditional question: "Why do you want to work here?"

ASK: If you could create your ideal manager, what would he or she be like?

Most managers in our country now don't know how to manage well, Martin says. The interviewer needs to know the management talent within the organization and the commitment of that talent to manage and coach new employees.

You'll need to match up your new employee with the best manager for that person. Don't put someone who wants a lot of direction and feedback with a boss who lacks people skills.

ASK: Situational questions.

You want to know how that candidate would perform the job you're hiring for. So don't ask only generic questions, Abernathy says.

For example, if you're hiring for a call center and you know the applicants would be speaking with aggravated customers, ask how they would handle certain situations. Give them examples of what customers may say, then ask them how they would respond.

These kinds of questions can be adapted to most jobs, she says.

ASK: Questions that showcase their people skills.

An example may be this line of questioning: Do you take responsibility for building strong interpersonal relationships? Do you really listen to others? Do you have the ability to express your thoughts effectively in writing and orally?

If they answer "yes," ask them to share a recent experience in which they exhibited the skill. For "no," ask them what they need to do to change their answer to "yes."

People skills are important, Martin says. You can learn about technology. But it is harder to learn how to deal with people, how to listen to people.

If you're going to hire someone to type in data all day, maybe they don't need those skills. But if they are going to deal with the public at all, they need to have good interpersonal skills.

ASK: To please share a recent experience in which you exhibited initiative - that is, taking action without waiting for direction.

If an applicant can't provide one, managers can ask whether candidates can think of any situations on the horizon and how they would take initiative to approach it.

By listening carefully, you can better determine if applicants have drive and spark and how far they would go in trying to change something, Martin says.

ASK: Do you understand what this position is as it been explained to you?

Pose this question at the end of the day, after an extensive interview. If the candidate doesn't understand the position by the time he leaves your office, he won't understand it better when arriving for his first day of work, Abernathy says.

Make sure you've explained any unusual aspects of the job, such as expected overtime. If there will be conflicts, you and the applicant need to know now.

Reporter Shannon Behnken can be reached at (813) 259-7804 or sbehnken@tampatrib.com.

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