The Motivation Interview

Corner the candidate and drill down deep.

Todd Rogers believes that every person naturally likes to do certain things.

When a you are in a job that makes use of this inclination, you take to it like a duck to water and move forward without prodding or effort.

To make a good hire you've got find out if the candidate moves naturally in a direction that will match him to your job. How?

Todd asks the candidate why she is in her current job. If she indicates that it suits her, he asks why again and then analyzes her answer to death with a lot of follow up questions.

Q -- Why are you in sales?
A -- Because I'm a people-person

-- What do you mean people-person?
-- What, specifically, do you like about people?
-- What strengths, with regards to people, do you possess?
-- How did you discover this strength about yourself?
-- Why do you believe this strength is specific to you?
-- What have you done to broaden and hone this strength?
-- If you were forced to make a choice, would you prefer always meeting new people, or strengthening relationships you have with people you already know? Why?

"This line of questioning can go on, and on, and on.... The candidate will certainly be put off balance and will always try to steer the conversation... back — to their resume." But you don't want to find out what they've done. You want to find out what they like to do.

Todd warns that this grilling can seem confrontational if you don't practice delivering these questions in friendly relaxed manner. But, of course, not everyone has the inborn nature that would allow them to do that.

And, in fact, even if they have the basic motivation, it doesn't mean that they have the inborn capacity to do it well. I might want to be a brain surgeon but you'd be crazy to let me crack open your skull.

Source: ERE

Comments

[laurencehaughton]

I really like Todd's thinking. Can they "like" the job, the company, the customers, the boss, warts and all? And thanks Todd for offering specific questions.