Have you ever observed someone advancing within an organization, only to fail for reasons that should have been clearly apparent before the fact? Or, even more likely, have you watched someone who had not succeeded in previous assignments move into a new position only to fail once again?
Hiring and promoting the right people is critical in business. Better hires mean increased productivity, lower turnover, higher morale and a better overall customer experience. Even so, many hiring managers have trouble identifying the right candidate. So, how do you recognize the real and capable candidates? How do you find that person who can hit the ground running?
First, traditional gut feeling interviewing is often a poor predictor of good hires. If you ask a manager, "Are you a good interviewer?" most will say, "Yes." But when you ask about their interviewing approach, most will tell you that they rely on their gut feeling.
Instead, structured behavioral interviewing can dramatically increase your success in hiring the best people. This method is based on the premise that the best way to predict future behavior is to determine and evaluate past behavior.
In a behavioral interview, the candidate demonstrates their knowledge, skills and abilities by providing specific examples of past experiences. Thus, rather than being asked to tell the interviewer what they would do in a situation, in a behavioral interview the candidate must describe, in detail, how they actually handled such a situation in the past. For example, an interviewer might ask a candidate to name a time that they accomplished a task on the job without being asked. Then, the interviewer may probe more deeply with open follow-up questions such as: "How did you deal with it?" or "What was the outcome?"
The key to success for every hiring is in first determining the competencies that the organization specifically needs, and then using the behavioral method of interviewing to determine whether the candidate actually possesses the requisite experience for the job.
At CE Hagarty, our skills and expertise reside in sourcing and evaluating high potential candidates possessing formal qualifications and expertise that are readily transferable, thus enabling them to quickly fit into an organization and immediately begin adding value for the company.
We would welcome an opportunity to discuss your recruiting needs and invite you to contact us directly at any time.
