The Recruiting Animal

How To Get The Truth From Liars

Reference: Paul Hebert, Fist Full of Talent.

No one is honest when there is a punishment for honesty.

Ask an employee if the incentive program drives her performance and she'll say no. Why? Because she doesn't want to admit (or believe) that she is influenced by a small reward. Then, ask she ever checks her score against her colleagues. Of course she does. They all do.

The lesson? Often, you can't ask people questions directly and get a straight answer. Instead, you have to probe for clues. When they can't see where the question is leading, they'll tell you the truth.

One of the best things to ask about are their very specific behaviours.

Asking Year of Graduation

Robert Fulford in The National Post quotes Rhonda Shirreff, an employment lawyer at Heenan Blaikie in Toronto.

Requiring candidates to provide details about the years they attended school or the name of the school itself could reveal the candidate’s age, religious affiliation and place of origin.

Hey! When I get resumes that don't have dates on the education my clients tell me to go back and ask the candidates when they graduated. Is that illegal?

Often the candidates don't include any history beyond ten years in the past. It's obvious that they didn't start their careers as managers. Should the law prevent us from asking for the rest of the resume if that is going to reveal the person's age?

Is age relevant? Lots of people think so. If they see that you are 40 and you've been in the same job for five years, hiring managers think of you differently than someone who is, say, 30 and been in that job for five years. Career progression is said to be one sign that separates good from mediocre candidates.

What are your weaknesses?

Question: What developmental needs were addressed at your last appraisal?

Good Answer: Something you would love to get training in.

Source: Rowan Manahan

How To Get Around Illegal Questions

It takes a lot of guts to tell HR departments, publicly, how to get around illegal questions about age, religion and other issues. But, don't worry, HR World is surprisingly bold.

Protect yourself and your company from legal trouble and embarrassment by avoiding the wrong questions while still getting to the root of the concern behind the question.

Read on for 30 ways to turn litigious questions into harmless, legal alternatives.

Bravery

There has been an ongoing argument for some time about the victims of mass murders like those at Virginia Tech, Columbine and the École Polytechnique in Montreal.

Americans might not know much about the massacre in Montreal. On December 6, 1989, armed with a semi-automatic rifle, Marc Lépine walked into a classroom at a technical college and ordered the men (about 50 of them) to leave. He then shot the nine women who remained and moved to other areas of the building, killing in the end, fourteen women and wounding ten other women and four men.

The first few times things like this happen, it's fair to assume that cooperation with the assailant might be the best course of action. But once the general public has seen that retreat merely empowers someone who has a firm intent to do damage, the only sensible thing to do is fight back just like the passengers did on Flight 93 once they realized that the hijackers were only out to kill.

Recklessness is foolish but the willingness to act, despite danger, when the situation demands, is an incredible virtue. I'm wondering how it manifests itself in business and if anyone takes this into consideration in hiring. I assume that some psychological testing asks questions that indirectly measure courage. Does anyone know more about this?

Don't Ask Inappropriate Questions

Leslie Stahl of 60 Minutes was, apparently, informed in advance that Nick Sarkozy, the president of France, would not answer questions about his personal life but she felt compelled to ask persistent questions all the same. The result: Sarko shook her hand, patted her on the shoulder and walked out.

Common Interview Questions

Here's a list via Lifehack.org

The One Question Interview

Here's a key question from Louise Fletcher that can serve as the focal point for the entire interview.

"A year from now, how will you evaluate if I have been successful in this position?"

The hiring manager should know -- but there's no guarantee that she will.

Best / Worst Boss Question

Who was the best supervisor you’ve ever had and why?
Where is he/she today?
What would he/she say about you?

Who was the worst boss you’ve ever had and why?
Is he or she still there?
Are any good people there who might be unhappy?

From Suzy Danborn via Amitai Givertz

Determine Candidate Motivation

Kent Burns advises us to ask the candidate

"What is the single most important thing that drives you?".

When you know what turns him on you will be able to show him how your job will give him what he wants. Or not.

Many people don't know their motivation. So they'll say money. But people want money to get something else. Just keep asking why till you get to the bottom of the logic chain. "Depth is a key to understanding the Why."

Reference: Kent Burns radio show and kentburnsonline.com