No matter how many you've conducted, interviews can still be one of the most challenging tasks in your role as a manager. With so many factors to consider and questions to ask, it's easy to miss important bits of information that can mean the difference between finding someone who's the perfect fit for the job, or hiring someone who doesn't fit the boots and having to start the process all over again. When your reputation and company success is at stake, the pressure is on.
Will they be a good fit for your company culture?
Do their skills fit the position?
What about their motivation levels?
What combination of these factors is ideal?
Obviously, you'll want to hire someone who is both qualified and great to work with, but it can be tough when charisma overshadows holes in experience. Use these interviewing tips to get to the bottom of what you really need to know to make a smart hire:
Tips for Determining Skill Fit
One of the most basic and yet most crucial elements of determining fit is figuring out whether or not the candidate has the required skills to get the job done. What are the role requirements? What are the candidate's qualifications? What about their experience? Review their resume thoroughly, confirm with their references, and ask questions to dig deeper if you need to, such as what they would do in specific scenarios that could come up in the role. Unfortunately, if these basic requirements aren't met, other kinds of fit don't really matter.
Tips for Determining Cultural Fit
You've determined they've got the skills, but what will they be like to work with? Determining cultural fit can be a bit more complicated than skill fit because you're not merely evaluating a person's resume, you're evaluating their personality type. Will they get along with their coworkers? Does your corporate vision fit with their long-term career goals?
Determining cultural fit can be done by communicating a clear picture of the company culture, mission and vision and asking whether or not it aligns with your candidate's career goals. You can also conduct a personality assessment, which evaluates their behavior patterns as it relates to their work. This will give you an idea of not only how well they'll fit within your company culture, but also with the specific inter-personal requirements of the role.
Tips for Determining Motivational Fit
Another important kind of fit to evaluate is motivational fit. Will the candidate be motivated to achieve organizational goals? Will they be motivated to meet the requirements of the position? A personality assessment is also helpful in this case. These assessments can determine a number of important factors, such as their opinions on goal setting.
Example questions to determine motivational fit:
- Tell me about a time when you faced a challenge that required an exceptional amount of motivation to overcome.
- Tell me about an accomplishment that you're very proud of. How did you reach it and what does it mean to you?
- Tell me about a time you felt you weren't challenged enough in your job. What was the situation and how did you handle it?
Use a Mix of Questions for Optimal Success
Finding the perfect candidate that fits in well with your organization both in terms of skills, culture and motivation depends on finding the right mix of questions to ask during the interview. Using the above tips should help you refine your strategy and hopefully help you find the candidate that's not only perfect for the role, but for your organization's culture and business goals.
