21. FALSE. Unfortunately, listening is very difficult for many people to sustain. This is why you want to write down only objective key words/phrases during the interview. By doing so, you'll be able to listen and observe the candidate.
22. TRUE. All people have biases and personal filters. Identify and understand your biases. Establishing a clear and objective position description/benchmark, prior to the interviewing process, is a great tool in removing your biases.
23. FALSE. Hiring managers often have received little or no training in how to conduct interviews. All persons in a company who interview applicants should be given training. And update this training on a regular basis!
24. FALSE. Today, more than ever, candidates are "shopping around." Staying in contact with your new hire, prior to their first day, helps ensure their interest and buy-in to their decision. It's another way to build rapport with your new employee.
25. FALSE. Whenever specific details are provided to outside applicants, an argument (started by the candidate) almost always ensues. It is best to say something like, "We have decided to pursue other applicants whose qualifications are more closely aligned to our needs." If you are rejecting a current employee, you should always discuss their limitations and outline the avenues they must take to be considered for advancement.
26. TRUE. A good description of the organization and the job under consideration can do much to sell the applicant on your company. Today, more then ever before, candidates expect to understand the company, its culture/values before they accept an offer. They are looking for "fit" as much as you are.
27. FALSE. A mis-hire can cost you upwards of 4 times a person's annual income. You expect a second, objective opinion from a qualified surgeon prior to a major operation. Why not ask for a second opinion prior to hiring a candidate?
28. FALSE. The salary offered should be in line with the going rate for the job.
29. TRUE. There are statistically validated assessment tools that you can use in pre and post employment situations that will accurately measure a person's work behaviors, attitudes and soft skills. Up to 90% job terminations can be traced back to inappropriate behaviors, attitudes and soft skills.
30. TRUE. There are statistically valid instruments that can be used in pre- employment and pre-offer situations that measure these important factors.
31. FALSE. While this is an extreme example, one company made a job offer at the time of the interview. The candidate started, and the company discovered during the post-hire background check that the person has recently been released from prison - paroled for murder. Extend a job offer only after you complete proper reference and background checks!
32. FALSE. If you make a hiring decision based on skills, experience, and education alone, you are missing the other key ingredients. Since up to 90% of job failures are due to inappropriate behaviors, attitudes, and soft-skills, adding these factors to your hiring decision gives you a comprehensive view of a candidate. Hiring managers still tend to hire for "skills and experience" alone, and terminate employment for "attitude." Why not hire for "attitude?"
33. "TRUE." Applicants want you to believe they are "prefect." Note: National Referencing Corp indicates that 30 million people have secured employment by lying on their resumes. Do your homework, and verify the facts!
Scoring Guide
0-9 "Stop! Do not pass go! Do not collect $200." Your lack of interviewing knowledge almost guarantees that you'll hire the wrong candidate. You need to learn all the basics about hiring - the philosophy behind hiring the right person - the first time, the required steps of recruitment and interviewing, conducting a successful interview, and the candidate evaluation process. Consult an expert to teach you the basics.
10-22 Your score indicates a basic understanding of the interviewing process. However, you still run the risk of making costly hiring mistakes. You should further develop your skills in all these areas: writing comprehensive job descriptions, establishing job benchmarks, developing behavioral interview questions and refining your interviewing skills, defining position/department culture, selecting validated pre-employment tests and assessments, developing a candidate scoring guide, and conducting thorough background checks.
23-28 Congratulations. You have a very good understanding of the interviewing process. You are ready to eliminate the remaining guesswork from your hiring process. This includes measuring and integrating attitudes, soft skills, behaviors, employment tests, and advanced interviewing techniques (i.e. interviewing for attitudes) to your mix. With these refinements, the quality of your hire will improve, and you will be hiring for "job fit," not hiring for skills and experience alone.
29-31 Excellent. You have an advanced knowledge of the interviewing process. You already recognize that hiring for skills/experience and education alone is not sufficient. You should have already incorporated behavioral and attitudinal interviewing into your process. You may have already integrated "employment tests" or are looking for higher quality "personality" tests. You should understand that the culture of a job, department, and company might differ. Always evaluate the "entire person." You should measure a candidate against the position benchmark that incorporates attitudes, soft skills, behaviors, experience, education, credentials, and hard skills.
32-33 Superb job! Your knowledge exceeds that of many hiring managers. You recognize that hiring/retaining the best talent is a strategic move! Your performance benchmarks need to be re-validated regularly. You already understand the impact that attitudes, soft skills, and behaviors play in an employee's success. You should have validated employment/personality tests, reliable background checks and drug screening in place. You should always incorporate specific performance measurements into your job descriptions. You are prepared to migrate from behavioral/attitudinal interviewing to a competency-based interviewing process. You should also take the next step and integrate your hiring process with employee development, retention, and succession planning.
