group interview

#2 – How to Be An Expert Recruiter/Interviewer (Actual Tips)

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OK – My Feb 16th blog post sucked was way too much of a sales pitch.  Yes, I believe in recruiters- at the right time, however, I also know companies can get great at recruiting & interviewing. You deserved more than me just pushing recruiting firms at you…

Here are some tips:

  • The best employees aren’t looking for jobs, you have to know where they are, and go find them.  They work for the top companies to work for in your market, or the INC 500 winners, the Top 40 Under 40, Best Workplaces etc.  A Players work at the best companies.  You’ll find them on FaceBook & LinkedIn too.
  • A Level employees change jobs for alignment, culture, clarity of roles, and opportunity.  They aren’t going to jump ship to just any old company, so make sure that you’ve set your company up to really attract them.  Ask your current employees for 5 things (that don’t cost money) that would make your company a best place to work, and put them in place now.  It’s a start.
  • Job Ads MUST attract – don’t be boring…  Here is one I used (it fits my culture) and was for an Exec Assistant.  The ad helped me find a person who is a perfect fit.
  • Behavioral Traits – Think in advance about the key traits the person must possess.  Make a list of them – like: Leadership, Attainment, Tenacity & Introspection…
  • Interview Questions – Once you know the traits you’re looking for, come up with 3-5 questions you can ask to probe for answers on each trait.
  • Scorecard – Describe in detail the 10 things the person being hired will have to get done during their first two years in the role.  Then interview them in depth to ensure they have done similar work before.  Hire for Experience and Cultural Fit.
  • Group Interview – Use a Group Interview to look for cultural fit.
  • Reference Checks – Do as many as 10 if you have to.  Draw out names of people to call during the interviews.  Don’t just call the names the candidate gives you.
  • Raise The Bar – Every new hire should raise the average skill set of your group.  Just like a sports team, work to keep bringing awesome employees into your company.

Great Group Interview Questions

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Here are some of the typical questions I’ve used in group interviews. Keep in mind that I’m only looking for cultural fit and leadership at this stage.

  • What are your favorite books/magazines?
  • What is your favorite movie/why?
  • What car is most similar to you & why?
  • What was the most stressful time of your life and why?
  • What was the most complex project you ever led and why?
  • What stresses you out?
  • Why do you want to work here?
  • Who is the best candidate in the room?  Why?
  • If we hired two people, who in this room would you want us to hire to work with you?
  • When could you start and how much do you need to make year one? Year three?

I love this last question because candidates will actually give you the real dollar amount they’d work for versus an inflated number they’d give if no one else were around.

If you follow this process properly, you won’t overlook star candidates whose resumes you’ve already reviewed prior to inviting them to the group interview. The purpose of the group interview is to screen for cultural fit and leadership—that’s what gets candidates into a second interview.

I like to compare this process to a similar practice Steve Jobs initiated at Apple. He’d show a prototype of the Mac computer to prospective employees and if he couldn’t see the sparkle in their eyes when they first saw it, he didn’t bother interviewing them any further.

Group Interviews

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63bIf you have hundreds of people applying for one job, how do you sort through all of the candidates to find the best of the best?

Easy. Group interviews.

It’s the fastest and most effective way to find the best cultural fit and identify the leaders in the group.

I studied a company called Mad Science out of Montreal that had a unique group interview process. It consisted of bringing eight candidates into a boardroom for 60 to 90 minutes. The candidates are told that they’ll be participating in a group interview in advance and then briefed on the group interview process before starting.  They advise the candidates that the interview is a ‘lightning round’ of sorts, and that they may be cut off once they answer.

When doing this, don’t appear disrespectful–although you want this to be a speedier process, a candidate should never be made to feel foolish. It’s a balancing act.

In a group interview of eight, you’ll usually find two to three candidates with whom you’ll want to do more in-depth interviews, and one that you’ll hire.

You can get the entire Group Interview system laid out for you from my book Double Double in the chapter on People or from my DVDs on Culture or Growth.

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