WHEN SCREENING APPLICATIONS AND CVS, TRY TO AVOID INTERPRETING THEIR MOTIVES

Spending 10 minutes longer on the phone with a candidate will ensure you won’t make the mistake of declining a promising talent.

ALWAYS SCREEN THE CV FIRST

Save the application for after. The CV offers a factual track record, while the application is an exercise in dreams, visions and ambitions. You can easily get distracted from a candidate’s true qualifications.

ASK FOR FACTS AND EXPERIENCES

“What did you do,” “How did you do that?” It’s easy for a candidate to dream up future scenarios, but more difficult to rewrite the past. Listen carefully to the answers.

REMEMBER THE 80/20 RULE

You should be talking 20 percent of the time and the candidate 80 percent of the time during an interview. Listen to what the candidate has to say – don’t listen to yourself talking.

FACILITATE THE DISCUSSION BY ASKING CANDI- DATES TO PREPARE TASKS BEFOREHAND BASED ON SPECIFIC CASES

Also employ cognitive skills tests and compile personal profiles. Make sure to benefit from the feedback session where the candidate will explain how he or she reached their conclusions. These tools offer a shortcut and help us pinpoint what is relevant.

KEEP IN MIND THAT THE CANDIDATE HAS SPENT ALL HIS OR HER LIFE BECOMING THE PERSON THEY ARE

That’s difficult to change. Consider how difficult it may be to teach a candidate about a given internal administrative system or certain market knowledge.

BE SURE TO ENGAGE WITH THE RIGHT PERSONAL- ITY WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE AND CHEMISTRY 

We navigate in a work culture where individual responsibility, ownership and good decision-making are keys to success. If the candidate is bright, he or she will quickly learn the basic facts.

QUANTIFY

When evaluating candidates, grade them from 0 – 10 (or whichever scale you prefer). Preferably on several parameters relevant for this position. Be sure to involve several people in the process and to evaluate immediately after each interview.

DIG DEEPER INTO WHAT THE CANDIDATE IS TALKING ABOUT

“What”, “How” and “Why” are good words to start a sentence with. They will generate interesting answers. And if you want to know more,keep digging.

GIVE SCOPE TO INTUITION

If you draw on your own experiences – also the subliminal ones – and trust your gut feeling you will often be right. When in doubt, simply hold back!