Perfman HR: Assessing Attitude
Perfman HR: Assessing Attitude
Perfman HR: Assessing Attitude
Many employers believe that people can betaught skillsbut that their character is fixed.Thus, they specifically look for people with theattitude or personality that will mesh with theirorganization's culture.To weed out candidates who might have theexperience for the job but not the right stuff, atechnique called behaviour-based interviewingwas developed. In this approach, candidates areasked to give examples of how they performedor behaved in the past in specific situations. Forexample, to assess leadership ability, you mightask, "Can you tell me about a time when youhad to persuade someone to do something thathe or she did not want to do? What did you sayto them and what was the result?" In behaviour basedinterviews, all questions attempt to elicitexamples of how the candidate has handled situationsin the past that demonstrate particulardesirable qualities.
It's important to get detailed descriptions. If acandidate's fi rst account of his experience is toogeneral or vague, follow up with more questions.
experience for the job but not the right stuff, a
technique called behavior-based interviewing
was developed. In this approach, candidates are
asked to give examples of how they performed
or behaved in the past in specifi c situations. For
example, to assess leadership ability, you might
ask, "Can you tell me about a time when you
had to persuade someone to do something that
he or she did not want to do? What did you say
to them and what was the result?" In behaviorbased
interviews, all questions attempt to elicit
examples of how the candidate has handled situations
in the past that demonstrate particular
desirable qualities.
It's important to get detailed descriptions. If a
candidate's fi rst account of his experience is too
general or vague, follow up with more questions.
Probe for a couple of recent examples of eachsituation. Look for answers that show that thecandidate took responsibility for the outcome.This technique works well in many situations.The secret is to identify the qualities andbehaviors you want in a candidate, and then toformulate questions that will elicit accounts ofhow candidates have displayed those qualitiesin the past. Here are a few examples of typicallydesirable traits in job candidates and the questionsor approaches designed to reveal whethersomeone has demonstrated them:
If you are looking for someone who's passionate about her work, find out what she likes most about her current job and why. Solicit anexample of a time when the candidate was soinvolved with a project she put everything elseaside to work on it. Ask how the candidate hashandled a situation when she didn't believe ina project or a mission.
If you are looking for a person who deliverson commitments, ask how the candidatemanaged commitments in previous jobs. Whoset the direction and made the plans? If there were setbacks, how did she deal with them? Towhat extent did she achieve her goals?
If integrity matters, ask the candidate todescribe a situation in which her integrity waschallenged at work for instance, a colleagueasked her to tell a lie.
If flexibility is important, ask the candidate to talk about a situation in which she had tochange plans to accommodate the needs of acoworker.
If time management skills are critical, ask thecandidate to describe a situation in which shehad to prioritize among various demands onher time. How did she decide which task tocomplete fi rst, second, and third?
If the ability to innovate is important, have the candidate tell you about a situation inwhich she had to develop new methods andtechniques.
If you want to know how the candidate dealswith obstacles, ask her to tell you how shetackled a particularly challenging goal.
Atin Dasgupta is director and co- founder ofPerfman HR.
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