If you’ve worked as a staffing pro or hiring manager for a few years, you’ve probably encountered this familiar scenario: Your candidate says he’s a natural leader (or a team player, or an “experienced sales pro”). “Great!” you say. “That’s exactly what we need for this role. Can you tell me about the biggest leadership challenge you’ve ever faced on the job? What were the circumstances and how did you respond?”
As the candidate launches into an enthusiastic story, you start to sense a few gaps in his description of events. A few minutes in, and you suspect that this story is riddled with exaggerations. By the time the candidate reaches his breathless conclusion, you have doubts about his “natural leadership,” and worse, you have some doubts about his loyalty to the truth and maybe even the strength of his character.
But you want to be fair. And just as important, you’d like to be respectful. As a professional, you know you gain nothing by turning this session into a hostile cross examination. But you also gain nothing by allowing this story to tarnish the candidates good name if, in fact, it IS true. What should you do? Here are a few follow-up questions that can help you iron out this awkward moment before the session comes to an end.
By simply coaxing your candidate to provide more detail, you may satisfy yourself that the story is, in fact, too embellished to hold much practical value. But the opposite may also happen, and you may prevent your initial doubts from allowing a talented and highly qualified candidate from slipping out the door. In either case, keep your follow-up questions meaningful, direct, and polite. Gently apply pressure to the weaker points of the story to see how well they hold up, and keep an open mind as you do so.
For more on how to uncover the facts without turning your interview into an interrogation, contact the staffing experts at Cordia Resources.