A lot has been written about how to hire and retain top performers. Sure, recruiters want to score a home run every time they fill a position, but it isn’t always easy breaking through a candidate’s perfectly crafted (and expensive) resume and hours of coaching. It takes some tough, thoughtful questions to cut to the real person.
Even with great questions with a team of interviewers, it is still possible to make a bad hire. Telling about past accomplishments and getting feedback from past employers still leaves a void. There was a good reason why elementary school teachers included show-and-tell in their classroom activities. It’s fun for the children but also provides visual evidence of what the child is telling about.
Show and tell is a way of expanding the interview and making candidates give proof of what they are saying in an interview is true. Portfolios, tear sheets from magazine articles or advertisements, engineering or architectural drawings, proposals, websites, blogs, and social media. All these visuals tell a bigger story than a two-page resume.
Are you looking for a talented grant writer or blogger? Ask for writing samples or links to websites. You’ll be able to review writing style and whether the style works with the company mission, culture and audience. Are there typos in the copy? Misspelled words? Grammar or punctuation errors? Good writing is one thing, but if the writing is going on your Facebook page or website, it has to be error free. You’ll learn about a candidate’s attention to detail, editing ability and whether they think making mistakes is “no big deal.”
A candidate can say they are creative and innovative, but a portfolio will say it much better. Branding is all about appearance—design elements, color, drawing style, photos, style. Point out things you like or don’t like about a candidate’s portfolio and gauge his reaction. Does he staunchly defend it, or take feedback? It’s one thing to have a talented artist or writer, but another to hire someone so unwilling to consider suggestions and be flexible enough to adapt to the company’s style or requirements. You may have a top performer who is difficult and disruptive.
Just because a candidate has years of experience in customer service with a top hospitality or retail company doesn’t mean they fit your company culture or attitude toward customer service. Have top candidates show you how they interact with customers by interacting with yours. Have them spend half a day on the phones or face-to-face with customers to see how they really work. Observing them in a stressful situation gives greater insight than clever behavioral interview questions and probing follow-ups.
Candidates should be happy to comply with a “show me” phase of an interview. Do they ask a lot of questions or seem uncomfortable bringing in tangible evidence of their work and ability? It could be they’ve embellished, expanded or downright lied on their resume. It could be they lack confidence in their work and don’t feel it measures up. They may not want to take the time and effort to pull everything together or spend time “working” at a job they may not get. All these reactions tell you volumes about how a candidate may fit in the company and work team.
After a candidate tells you about himself, have him show you who he is. Visuals add depth and a new perspective to a mostly verbal interview and help you find the real top performer in the candidate pool.
Photo Source: Freedigitalphotos.net
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