Risk & Business Magazine Spectrum Insurance Fall 2019 | Page 24

INTERVIEW BETTER
Interview Better :
Myths Exploded
BY: DR. BRAD SMART
Hello, did any of these authors ask
candidates what they prefer? Most prefer
sitting at a table, so that they can scratch
an itch, change positions, stretch a bit, etc.
Candidates want a little privacy.
Recommendation: Sit at a table!
Candidates will thank you!
2. “HAVE 95 PERCENT EYE CONTACT;
CONSTANT EYE CONTACT IS
NECESSARY FOR RAPPORT.”
Nonsense! Your mom told you, “Don’t
stare,” right? Everyone wants to look
away from time to time, not because they
are lying, but just to NOT stare … or be
stared at.
W
ould you like to be
better at interviewing
candidates for hire?
My Topgrading team
spent a day with the
heads of Human Resources of just the
largest 100 companies in the world,
and those companies admitted that 75
percent of the people they hire turn out
to be disappointments. Not to toot our
own horn, but the dozens of case studies
at TopgradingCaseStudies.com show
the average improvement in hiring high
performers improved from 26 percent to 85
percent for companies using Topgrading.
Here’s how you can improve: Don’t believe
what we call the eight most harmful myths
in interviewing:
1. “SIT AT CHAIRS FACING EACH
OTHER; PHYSICAL BARRIERS CREATE
PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS, SO DON’T
SIT AT A TABLE.”
Recommendation: Have 50 percent eye
contact (none when you’re jotting notes).
3. “FOLLOW NO MORE THAN 6
COMPETENCIES; IT’S TOO HARD TO
FOLLOW MORE.”
It’s fine if four to six key competencies are
identified for the job. But there are more
competencies that are so important, if a
candidate falls short on one, there’s no
way the person could be a high performer.
Recommendation: Do what Topgraders
do – track ALL the competencies (and
there might be dozens of competencies for
a managerial job).
4. “DON’T TAKE NOTES – YOU WANT
TO JUST HAVE A CONVERSATION AND
NOT LOOK LIKE A LAWYER INTENDING
TO CATCH YOU IN A MISSTATEMENT.”
Good grief; writing what the candidate
said were successes and accomplishments
shows professionalism, and all candidates
want you to take those notes!
Recommendation: Take constant notes
but be discrete when recording mistakes.
Dr. Brad Smart is an internationally renowned management psychologist and is
generally regarded as the world’s leading expert on hiring best practices. He has
written five books on hiring, including the New York Times/Wall Street Journal best
seller Topgrading: Third Edition. Topgrading methods have enabled hundreds of
small companies and leading companies such as General Electric, American Heart
Association, and Barclays to more than triple their success hiring high performers.
TOPGRADING.COM
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5. “MAINTAIN A 50 PERCENT - 50
PERCENT DIALOG IN INTERVIEWS;
AFTER ALL, THIS IS A CONVERSATION,
NOT AN INTERROGATION.”
Do this and the interview will take twice
as long as it should; 50-50 is fine before the
interview and after it.
Recommendation: During the interview,
talk only 10 percent of the time and you’ll
learn a lot more about the candidate.
6. BE THE ONLY INTERVIEWER; WHEN
THERE ARE MORE THAN ONE, IT’S A PILE
ON, INTIMIDATING TO THE CANDIDATE.”
General Electric improved from 25 percent
to 50 percent high performers hired, using
Topgrading. CEO Jack Welch asked me
how they could improve and I said, “Use
two interviewers.” Jack implemented the
tandem Topgrading Interview; GE became
the most valuable and the most respected
company in the world.
Recommendation: Use two interviewers.
7. “USE COMPETENCY (BEHAVIORAL)
INTERVIEWS BECAUSE THEY ARE THE
MOST COMMON.”
Our research suggests those common
interview methods lead to 75 percent
mis-hires! Example: Well Organized is
the competency and the question is, “Pat,
please give me an example of a time
you were well organized.” Candidates
anticipate those questions and can make
up any answer, knowing that reference
calls will not be with their bosses who
might dispute their claim.
Recommendation: Use chronological
interviews that cover all jobs.
8. “CALL THE REFERENCES THE
CANDIDATE PROVIDES.”
Ouch! C Players “provide” their buddies for
you to call.
Recommendation: Tell candidates in
advance THEY will have to arrange calls
with their former managers and then make
the calls they arrange. +