Factoring Jobs ABL Recruiter, Commercial Finance Consultants

BEHAVIORIAL GUIDE TO INTERVIEWING FOR EMPLOYERS

Since each individual – and each interview – is different, these points should serve only as basic guidelines, not as inflexible rules.

Meeting the Candidate

At the outset, act friendly but avoid prolonged small talk – interviewing time costs money.

Introduce yourself by using your name and title.

Mention casually that you will take notes ("You don’t mind if I take notes, do you?")

Assure candidate that all information will be treated confidentially.

Questions

Ask clear concise questions in a conversational tone.

Ask open-ended questions which will force complete answers. "Why do you say that?"

Don’t ask direct questions that can be answered "yes" or "no."

The Interview - Prepare for the interview the day before you appointment. Develop a list of questions that you will ask each candidate. If you ask the same questions of each individual, you will be able to make a better comparison. As you interview a candidate, keep in mind that your objective is to determine what the candidate is really saying about him/herself, and to determine if he/she is the right person for the job. When the candidate answers your questions, ask for an example of past behavior that illustrates his/her answer. Remember you should never ask questions about race religion, age, ethic background, sexual preferences, and martial status or health issues.

Analyzing

Attempt to determine the candidate’s goals.

Try to draw the candidate out and allow him/her to talk.

Don’t sell – interview.

Try to avoid snap judgments.

The following are behaviorial questions that may help you in the interview process to better understand the candidate and their personality and fit with your organization.

I. ATTITUDE

If you want to know:

Can the candidate compete without irritation? ASK: Have you ever lost in competition? What were your feelings?

Can he/she balance interest of both company and personal interest? ASK: How can the American way of
business be improved?

What are his/her life priorities? ASK: Do you feel you’ve made a success of life to date? How?

Is this person loyal? ASK: Who was your best boss? Describe the person.

Does he/she take pride in doing a good job? ASK: What duties did you like most in your last job? Least?

Indications of being cooperative-a team player? ASK: What has your experience been in working with others?

II. MOTIVATION

If you want to know:

Is he/she settled in choice of work? ASK: What ambitions do you have for yourself?

Does he/she work from choice or necessity? ASK: What mortgages, debts, etc., press you now?

Does he/she make day-to-day and long range plans? ASK: What have you done on your own to prepare
for a better job?

Does he/she use some leisure self-improvement? ASK: How will this job help you to get what you want?

Is the candidate willing to work for what he/she wants in face of opposition? ASK: What obstacles are most
likely to trip you up?

III. INITIATIVE

If you want to know:

Is he/she a self-starter? ASK: What things get you excited in doing your job? What things distract you?
…disturb you most?

Does he/she complete own tasks? ASK: How do you follow up after have an assignment?

Does he/she follow through on assigned tasks? ASK: Tell me about missing a deadline. What if you do?

Does the job fit his/her long term goals? ASK: What do you like and dislike about you kind of work?

Can he/she work independently? ASK: Which supervisors have let you work alone? How did you feel about this?

IV. STABILITY

If you want to know:

Is this person excitable or even tempered? ASK: What things disturb you most?

Is he/she impatient or understanding? ASK: How do you get along with people you dislike or don’t respect?

Does he/she show likes and dislikes freely? ASK: What individual actions irritate you?

Does he/she use words that show strong feelings? ASK: What were your most unpleasant work experiences?
Life experiences? How did you meet the challenges they posed?

Will he/she broaden or flatten under pressure? ASK: What are your most pleasant work experiences?
Tell me about them.

Is he/she enthusiastic about the job? ASK: How do you handle job pressures? Explain.

V. PLANNING

If you want to know:

Ability to plan and follow through? ASK: How do you plan a day’s work?

Or will he/she depend on a supervisor for planning? ASK: Give me an idea of how you spend a typical day.

Ability for he/she to coordinate work of others? ASK: How do you set priorities for others?

Ability for he/she to fit into company methods? ASK: If you were the managers how would you run your present job?

His/her ability to think outside the box? ASK: What work improvements have you instigated in other jobs?

Will he/she complete the whole job or get caught up in detail? ASK: What are the differences between planned
and unplanned work?

VI. INSIGHT

If you want to know:

Is he/she realistic in appraising self? ASK: Tell me about your strengths. Weaknesses.

Is his/her desire for self-improvement? ASK: Are your weaknesses important enough to do something
about them? Why or why not?

Is he/she interested in problems of others? ASK: How would you size up your last employer?
How would he/she size you up?

Is he/she interested in reactions of others to self? ASK: Most useful criticism received? From whom?
Tell me about it. Most useless?

Will he/she take constructive action when criticized? ASK: How do you handle people who criticize you?

VII. SOCIAL SKILLS

If you want to know:

Is he/she a leader or follower? ASK: Have you ever organized a group? Tell me about it.

Is he/she interested in new ways of dealing
with people? ASK: What methods are effective in dealing with people? What methods are ineffective?

Can he/she get along best with what types of people? ASK: What kind of people do you get along with best?

Will he/she wear well over the long term? ASK: do you like to do in your spare time?

Can he/she make friends easily? ASK: Do you prefer making new friends or keeping old ones? Why?
How do you go about making friends? What must a person do to be liked by others?