Russell remained silent, then spoke. “So, I have been ignoring the most important skills during the interview?”
“Perhaps.” I said.
“But it almost seems silly. Am I supposed to ask if they can count?”
“Russell, you said that a critical break-down is in material counts for each day’s production. It is more than just counting. Try these questions.
“Tell me how you handled the materials staging for each day’s production. How many finished units did you produce in a typical day? What were the raw materials that went into each of the finished units? Where did you warehouse the materials? How did you move materials from the warehouse to the staging area? How long did that take in advance of production? When did you check on material availability for each day’s production? How did you handle a stock out?
“Russell, in response to these questions, what are you listening for?”
He smiled, “I’m listening for organizing behavior, working into the future, anticipating problems. It is more than just counting.” -TF
“Tell me how you …” is a great way to start almost any interview question. What better way to understand the depth and breadth of someone’s experience (or lack thereof) than by sharing examples of it with you. It’s FAR better than asking hypotheticals – there just too easy to b.s. your way through.
Nice going, Tom.