As my eyes scanned the page, I fell on a question that was particularly troubling. I was working with Kimberly, a recent transplant to the city, looking for a job. A head hunter asked her to prepare responses to a list of anticipated questions.

Why would I want to hire you?

“Kimberly, the problem with that question is that it invites candidates to make stuff up or outright lie to the interviewer. Most responses will be trite clichés loaded with meaningless crap.”

“So, how should I respond?” insisted Kimberly. “The head hunter said this question will likely be asked.”

“And he’s right, so you need to be prepared. Remember, the interviewer has an expectation of what an acceptable response would be. He is playing a game trying to get you to guess what he is thinking. Guess wrong and you lose.

“My philosophy is, always try to pull hypothetical questions back to your own real experience. It might sound like this:

Frankly, I can’t tell you why you would want to hire me without understanding the criteria you are using to make this hiring decision. But I can tell you why my last employer hired me, and it is related to something very specific to your job posting.

My last company had also just installed some computer software, but no one was using it. Everyone had finished the training, but still no one was using the software. My first task was to design daily administrative routines to get people started immediately. I then designed reconciliation routines to make sure the data was accurate going in. Finally, I developed a schedule of reports so other managers could make decisions about their departments. Within 30 days, we had moved completely off of our manual systems. Which part of that transition would you like to hear more about?

“Remember, Kimberly, a hypothetical question is a trap. Always move the question back to your own real experience.” -TF

Kimberly was preparing for the interview. She just moved to town and was earnest in her job search. The headhunter gave her some questions to help prepare responses in advance.

What sets you apart from the other candidates applying for this position?

“Kimberly, the problem with this question is that the interviewer has no idea how this will help make a proper hiring decision. He could be playing amateur psychologist, to see how you view your self esteem issues, perhaps he could detect an arrogant attitude. I don’t know what information he would be looking for with this question. It is likely the interviewer doesn’t know either.

“So what do I do?” asked Kimberly.

“I would rephrase the question, change it to a better question that will give the interviewer tangible information on which to make a good hiring decision. It might sound like this.

I can’t answer that question because I don’t know the other candidates or their accomplishments. But I can tell you what I have done related to the core skills outlined in the job description. One primary responsibility, you said, is to handle change orders through your system. At the ABC Company, we had a problem with change orders, so I created a short checklist of the major problems created by change orders. There were only eight things on the list, but by watching those critical items, we reduced unscheduled shutdown from seven hours per week to 28 minutes per week. Would you like to see the list?

“Always try to move the interviewer back to specific things you have done in the past related to the most important core skills. Stay away from opinion and hypothetical responses. Your opinion might be different than the interviewer. And I will guarantee your hypothetical solution will be different than what the interviewer was thinking. Either way, you lose. Describe your real past experience. The interviewer can’t argue with that.” -TF

“We think our problem is not having enough candidates respond to our ad in the newspaper,” lamented Joanna. “Or maybe it’s just that the people who show up aren’t even close to the type of person we need to fill the position.”

“First, let’s look at your ad,” I said, reaching across the desk.

Looking for a construction Project Manager with 3-5 years experience. Must have positive attitude and ability to relate to building owners. Knowledge of permitting process in South Florida helpful. Health insurance and 401k. Must be a team player.

“And how would you describe the applicants you are getting? Do they have the required experience?”

Joanna nodded, “Oh, yes, they have 3-5 years experience, but they aren’t very energetic. They wouldn’t last around here for more than a week.”

“Tell me Joanna, what kind of energy do you think you have in the ad? Does the writing portray the sense of urgency that goes on around here?”

“Well, not really,” she replied.

“Let’s try to put a little zip in the step.”

Commercial contractor in South Florida looking for a top-flight Project Manager. Our clients demand a quick-response person in this critical position. We work under tough building codes with stringent enforcement, so ability to get along with inspectors is important. Aggressive compensation and benefits package are part of the deal. Send us your resume or apply online through the employment section of our website. We need you now, let us hear from you today.

“Now, that’s better.” -TF

I had a couple of minutes in the lobby, so I was looking at all the teamwork posters on the wall.

Our people are our most important asset!!

For the first time, it struck me as odd. I was working with the management team to find a new Senior Project Manager. The last one didn’t work out so well and by the time they figured it out, they almost lost their biggest customer. I had been having difficulty getting them to spend the right amount of time on the job description, defining the management skills necessary for this position. The last guy had the technical skills, but none of the management skills.

As I entered the conference room, I asked the management team if they agreed with the poster in the lobby. Being politically correct, they were quite enthusiastic in their support.

I reminded them of Collins book Good to Great and asked them again, “Are our people our greatest asset?”

This team has been around me for a while, so they know when I ask a question a second time, their first response may need some rethinking. As I looked around the table, I could see the wheels churning. Finally, someone took a stab at it.

“Our people may not be our greatest asset. The right people are our greatest asset. The wrong person may be our biggest liability.”

“Good,” I replied. “Sometimes it takes a bad hire for us to realize how important this up-front work is. So, let’s get to work. What are the skills, knowledge and behaviors necessary for success in this position?” -TF

“It always seems like I don’t have time to prepare when we are interviewing candidates,” complained Paula. “Even taking the time to write a job description for the open position. I know we are supposed to, I just don’t have the time.”

“Paula, whether you want to or not, you will spend the time,” I replied.

“What do you mean?”

“As the manager, you will either spend the time on the front end creating the job description, defining the necessary skills and behaviors, or you will spend the time on the back end trying to shape the person you hired into a role that you never defined clearly in the first place.

“You get to choose where you want to spend your time, on the front end or the back end.” -TF

Happy St. Patrick’s Day