Many interview books focus on helping Candidates prepare to answer the 250 or 500 most frequently asked interview questions. Questions such as:
* What are your greatest strengths?
* What are your weaknesses?
* How well do you work with people?
* Do you prefer working alone or in teams?
* What is the best thing that ever happened to you?
* Why should we hire YOU? What can you do for us that someone else cannot?
These are actually secondary questions designed to help Hiring Managers answer the three primary interview questions
1- Is the candidate interested in and motivated for this position?
2- Can the Candidate do the job and do it with good quality?
3- Will the Candidate fit in the culture of the company and will co-workers like the Candidate?
Let’s examine each of these critical questions-
1- Is the candidate interested in and motivated for this position?
People interview for a number of reasons. Some are out of work and are very eager to return to work almost regardless of the position. Others are employed and looking for a “better” position and still others are “just seeing what is out there”. How is a Hiring Manager to know the Candidate’s motivation? This is a difficult task for the Hiring Manager. Regardless of the Candidate’s motivation, each Candidate will profess an interest in the position so they can get the job offer and then make their decision about accepting it or not.
The answer to this question is best indicated by a Candidate’s level of preparation for the interview. A well prepared Candidate who has done their homework and knows the position, the company, and the industry is a good indication of a person who is interested in and motivated for the job. A poorly prepared Candidate indicates little motivation or interest. Unfortunately, like almost all aspects of interviewing this is not an absolute. Research shows that the majority (75%) of Candidates at all levels just “wing” the interview. They believe, based either on their background and experience in the industry or naiveté, that they don’t have to prepare for the interview. Thus, a well prepared Candidate is a good sign and a poorly prepared Candidate has to be questioned about their lack of preparation.
2- Can the Candidate do the job and do it with good quality?
There are two elements required to determine the answer to this question. The first is a good set of critical job requirements and the second is the Candidate’s clear communication about how they match the requirements. Without a good set of requirements, neither the Candidate nor the Hiring Manager can determine if the Candidate fits the position. It also puts the well qualified Candidate at a disadvantage because they do not know what information (background, skills, experiences, education) to bring into the interview to convince the Hiring Manager they are the best Candidate for the job. With well defined job requirements, the Candidate and the Hiring Manager can come to a common understanding of the job and avoid misconceptions about the position once the job starts, a common reason for early termination.
3- Will the Candidate fit in the culture of the company and will co-workers like the Candidate?
This is a more subjective question and the answer is typically based on”gut feel” or intuition. However, the Candidate can be asked about “personal success factors” that make them successful on the job. These are personal traits that they believe makes them good at what they do. A well qualified Candidate should be able to identify and then speak about “personal success factors”. As the Hiring Manger listens to a Candidate’s ‘personal success factors” they should be thinking about how the factors fit their culture.
Answering these three questions is the joint responsibility of the Candidate and the Hiring Manager. The Hiring Manager has the responsibility for defining and communicating the critical job requirements. Then the Hiring Manager and the Candidate have the shared responsibility to create a conversation within which a joint decision about the Candidate’s fit with the position can be determined. Once these three questions are answered satisfactorily other questions such as compensation, relocation, benefits, etc. can be discussed.
