How to Hire Only the Best People - 7 Questions to ask candidates

Summary

In this video, the speaker shares seven powerful interview questions designed to help hiring managers identify high performers, or 'A players.' These questions aim to reveal candidates' true motivations, achievements, and growth potential, moving beyond traditional brain teaser questions. The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding a candidate's past decisions, accomplishments, and alignment with the role to predict future success. The video also offers practical advice on avoiding hiring mistakes and highlights key traits of successful candidates who take responsibility, show passion, and continuously develop themselves.

Takeaways

• 😀 Predictive interview questions help identify high performers and improve hiring success.
• 😀 Avoid brain teaser questions like 'Why are manhole covers round?' as they don’t predict success.
• 😀 Understanding why a candidate joined a company reveals their values, passions, and motivations.
• 😀 The reason a candidate left their job can indicate whether they are likely to fail or succeed in a new role.
• 😀 Asking what a candidate was hired to do helps assess their responsibility and accountability for success or failure.
• 😀 A candidate's biggest accomplishments should be genuine achievements, not just regular duties.
• 😀 Assess the impact the candidate had at their previous company to gauge if they’ll make a meaningful contribution.
• 😀 Candidates should show alignment with what they are passionate about and enjoy in their work.
• 😀 A role should ideally match 90% of a candidate’s passions to ensure long-term engagement and job satisfaction.
• 😀 Candidates who are actively working on improving skills demonstrate a growth mindset, which is key for success.
• 😀 Asking what question the candidate wished you had asked them can provide deeper insights into their priorities and potential.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of asking interview questions?

The main purpose of asking interview questions is to learn about the candidate's judgment and assess whether they are likely to succeed in the role.

Why should hiring managers avoid using brain teaser questions in interviews?

Brain teaser questions, like those about manhole covers or bird houses, have been proven to be ineffective in predicting a candidate's success. Google, for example, found these questions don't correlate with identifying successful candidates.

What does the question 'What led you to join ABC company?' reveal about a candidate?

This question helps you understand the candidate's passion and what motivates them. It also provides insight into their past job choices, showing if they prioritize money, growth, challenge, or other factors in their career decisions.

Why is it important to look for patterns in why a candidate accepted past positions?

Identifying patterns in a candidate's job changes helps predict whether they are likely to stay with your company. If they frequently change jobs for growth and challenge, they're more likely to be a high performer and stay longer.

How does the question 'What led to your decision to leave your job?' differ from 'Why did you leave your job?'

Asking 'What led to your decision to leave your job?' gives the candidate an opportunity to expand on their reasoning, providing more context. It helps identify if they left for personal failure, dissatisfaction, or because they were pursuing greater challenges.

What does the question 'What were you hired to do?' help reveal about a candidate?

This question uncovers whether the candidate was hired to handle specific responsibilities or challenges. If they failed to meet these expectations and blamed external factors, it could indicate they lack accountability and may not be a strong performer.

What should you look for in a candidate's response to 'What were your biggest accomplishments in your last job?'

You should look for responses that go beyond daily duties and describe real accomplishments that required effort, problem-solving, and impact. If the response lacks substance or grit, it could be a sign of a candidate who hasn't been a high performer.

What kind of impact should a candidate have made in their previous roles?

You want to hear about a candidate's ability to make a significant impact in their previous roles, such as improving business outcomes, driving change, or significantly influencing the company or team. This shows they can replicate success in your organization.

Why is it important to know what a candidate enjoyed most and least about their previous job?

This question helps ensure there's alignment between the candidate's passions and the role you're offering. If a candidate dislikes significant aspects of the job you're hiring for, they're unlikely to be happy in the position, which could lead to turnover.

What does the question 'What three skills are you working on right now to develop?' reveal about a candidate?

This question assesses a candidate's commitment to personal growth and their ability to self-reflect. High performers (A players) will confidently list skills they are actively working on to improve themselves, while low performers (C players) may struggle to answer.

What is the purpose of asking 'What question haven't I asked you that you would have liked me to ask?'

This question provides the candidate with an opportunity to highlight any important information that hasn't been discussed yet. It can give you valuable insight into their personality, qualifications, or motivations that may not have come up in the standard interview.

How can asking predictive questions help in the hiring process?

Predictive questions remove guesswork by providing concrete data about the candidate's potential for success. This helps hiring managers make more informed, data-driven decisions, increasing the likelihood of hiring high performers.