Barbara Bruno

The ever-evolving interview process

- Imagine you're at your desk, you just got out of a meeting and you have your lunch half-eaten in front
of you, you just received 10 new job requisitions, and you're in the middle of a reference check when an
alert pops up on your calendar that you have an interview with a candidate starting in five minutes. So,
what do you do? Well, you squeeze the interview in between your other 10 priorities, but it shouldn't be
that way. Attracting top talent is our greatest challenge and conducting a solid interview is the
foundation for everything we do. That's what this course is all about. I'm Barb Bruno and I've been
working in the recruiting profession for over 25 years. I've interviewed thousands of candidates. And in
this course I share what I've learned with you so you can interview more effectively. I'll show you how to
prepare interviewing objectives, strategies for conducting an interview, and how you can improve the
overall candidate experience. The better you interview, the better you understand what is important to
your candidate, the more requisitions you'll fill. So, let's get started.

DNA of past successful hires

- Imagine how much easier recruiting and interviewing would be if you knew the DNA of past successful
hires. Your DNA makes you uniquely qualified to accomplish many business and personal endeavors, and
the same holds true of every candidate you interview. Let's start off by reviewing the DNA of past
successful hires. The first step is to speak with your hiring authorities to identify common denominators
of their most successful employees. This information may differ greatly from one department to another,
but will accurately guide your recruiting and interviewing efforts. I'd like to share nine traits that are
consistently included in the DNA of best hires, which can serve as a guideline. Successful hires take
responsibility for what they do, good or bad, and never pass the buck or blame others. They consistently
work to improve themselves, possess determination and have a competitive drive and desire to win.
They handle crises well by focusing on solutions versus problems. In addition, they're trustworthy,
persistently work their network, are not defined by failures, but rather how they overcome failures.
Lastly, they're aware of their accomplishments, and the positive impact they've had on their employers.
Another tool to identify DNA of successful hires is stay interviews. Employees are asked why they stay.
Too often you interview a candidate when they're hired, and the next interview is their exit interview
when they leave. A stay interview is conducted in the middle and asks an employee what they like about
a company before there is any sign that they might leave. This can be done online, or in a conversation
with someone who is not their supervisor. Some questions could include, what do you appreciate about
our company? What do you like most about your job? If you were your boss, are there any changes you
would make? What do you like or do not like about our company culture? Do you have any talents that
are not being utilized. The stay interview should be short, simple, and confidential. This shows your
employees that you value their input and helps you engage and retain peak performers. The information
obtained during stay interviews will also help determine the DNA of successful hires. If you're a third-
party recruiter, you have the added challenge of identifying the DNA for successful hires in every
company you represent. It's important to show your clients how knowing the DNA of their successful
hires can help fine-tune your search efforts on their behalf. And provide them with top talent faster.
Hiring is the most important job of all companies, and represents the most important driver of their
success. People are not a company's greatest asset, unless they are the right people. You play a
significant role in the hiring process. And knowing the DNA of successful hires, will make you a better
recruiter. You will validate if your candidate has the DNA of successful hires throughout the interview
process. Just imagine how much faster you will fill jobs with candidates who succeed, become engaged,
and are retained.

Company culture and core values

- Why are company culture and core values important? The simple answer is the millennials. They
represent over 50 percent of the workforce and value company culture more than any other generation.
In fact, many millennials are willing to accept less money to work at a company that has strong core
values and a great culture. So what exactly are core values? Core values support the vision, shape the
culture, reflect what a company values, and helps the companies you represent run smoothly. Core
values also impact a company's decision making process. If a company you represent stands behind the
quality of their products, any products that are substandard would never reach customers. Their actions
prove that quality is one of their core values. How do core values impact your recruiting and
interviewing? Core values impact recruiting and interviewing because it's extremely easy to research
companies online. Job seekers are doing their homework and won't work for companies that don't
possess core values they feel are important. On the other hand, if your company has core values that
appeal to perspective candidates, this provides you with a strong competitive advantage to recruit and
interview top talent. Since millennials are now the majority in the workforce, it's important to
understand the core values that are most important to them. This includes, work-life balance, diversity
and inclusion, feedback and growth, engagement and purpose. Share these desired values with your
hiring authorities and tell an acquisition team so that you can attract high achieving millennials. Now
why does a cultural fit matter? When you recruit, interview, and end up hiring a candidate, you want
them to become an engaged and retained employee. Your hiring managers can provide resources and
tools to help your candidates succeed at their job. However, they can't teach someone to algin with their
company values and culture. It's important to build cultural fit into your recruiting, interviewing, and
hiring process. It's your job to uncover the intangible elements of a candidates personality and values.
Consider the questions you're asking and incorporate open ended questions focused on the qualities
that align with the company culture. Questions could include, what do you value most at work? What do
you like most about working on a team? Can you give me an example of when you went out of your way
to help a coworker or create a positive experience for a customer? Candidates will then display their
values and capabilities. In turn, you could emphasize how your company recognizes achievement and
has flexible work schedules, training opportunities, and opportunity for career growth. Have candidates
meet their perspective teams and potential teammates as part of the interviewing process to see how
the team gels before you officially welcome new employees. These are the people they'll be seeing and
collaborating with daily. So you want to ensure there's a mutual positive feeling among team members.
Knowing the culture and core values of your company will improve your ability to place candidates who
are qualified and will also become engaged and retained. Because they fit with your company's culture
and values.

Eliminate obstacles of traditional hiring

- Have you ever extended an offer only to learn that your candidate had already accepted another offer?
You keep explaining to your hiring authorities that time kills deals. But until they've lost several great
candidates, it's often difficult to encourage them to streamline the hiring process. In this candidate-
driven market, you must eliminate obstacles that slow down the hiring process. First, eliminate obstacles
that you may be creating. It's easy to blame everyone else, but first be honest about obstacles that you
may be creating. Have you ever tried to call your office at night? After someone is asked to spell your
name or listen to more than one message, they will hang up. Providing your cell phone to potential hires
can eliminate this obstacle. If you post positions, have you ever tried to apply? Job postings only attract
the 15% of the talent pool who are conducting an active search and can take an excess of an hour to
complete. Candidates should be able to answer a few quick questions from their cell phone and then
upload their resume or CV, or share their LinkedIn profile. If your company's online process is long, it's an
obstacle between you and top talent. Second, determine what is most important to change. Review
where exactly in the hiring process you're losing candidates. There may be too many interviews or long
delays between interviews. It might take too long to extend a job offer after a final interview. As a
recruiter, you are not normally the person who upgrades the hiring process. However, if you start with
the most important issues first, you have a better chance of inspiring change. This also helps elevate your
relationship from only filling requisitions, to becoming more consultative to your hiring managers. Third,
focus on the what's in it for me of your hiring managers. When proposing any change, focus on how the
change will benefit your hiring managers and their company. Show them how the change you're
proposing could easily be implemented and will improve their chance of hiring the best talent. Provide
them with examples of what other companies are doing to streamline their hiring process. Fourth,
define the roles of individuals involved in the hiring process. One of the fastest ways to streamline the
hiring process is to schedule the first interview as a phone screen and the second interview as a panel
interview. Select panel members who have a vested interest in hiring the best person for the job. If
possible, they should either directly or indirectly interact with this candidate, if the prospective
candidate is hired. One person is assigned as the leader, while other panel members play a supporting
role. All panel members should prepare in advance by reading the job requisition, understanding the
performance objectives, and being aware of the characteristics and culture of the department.
Information is also not misinterpreted from one interview to the next. And a panel interview also
eliminates duplication of questions. Lastly, this prevents one person in the hiring process from
disqualifying a candidate who may turn out to be the best hire. I know you're not the person who
created the hiring process for companies you represent. I do believe though, that you can be the person
who proactively makes suggestions that helps streamline their hiring process. And as a result, you help
them eliminate obstacles so they can hire, engage, and retain the best talent in today's very competitive
job market.

Obtain performance vs. skill-based requisitions

- You're asked to recruit and interview candidates who have 100% of the skills and experience listed on
job requisitions. But if someone has 100% of the skills and experience listed why would they be
interested in your job? Your job probably sounds like a lateral move, versus career advancement. And
today's candidates want their marketability to improve with each career move. That is one of the
primary reasons you need to help convert skill-based requisitions to performance-based. The Millennials
who now represent over 50% of the global workforce are also driving the need for this change. The
traditional skill-based requisition doesn't highlight many of the preferences of Millennials. They want to
know how their work will matter. How what they do contributes to a company's goals and mission. What
training they will receive. And how they can advance their career. Many hiring authorities want to
provide you with a job title and tell you they want to hire someone like the last person they hired from
you. They're under tremendous pressure to fill their open jobs. And providing you with skill-based job
requisition is something they've done for years. To help them transition into providing the information
you need, just ask two important questions. First, "In six months to a year from now, "what would
determine if the new hire is successful?" And second, "Can you share the five or six "performance
standards they would need to achieve?" If you recruit a candidate who is performing a similar job, but
has less experience than required, you don't want to screen the candidate out. Remain somewhat
flexible when pre-screening for credentials and experience required when you've recruited a candidate
you know could achieve the performance objectives. You'll schedule more interviews and fill more jobs
when you are not trying to find someone with 12 out of the 12 skills listed on a traditional job
requisition. If someone has successfully attained the performance objectives on your requisition, maybe
on a smaller scale, you know they will succeed in this job. We received a job requisition from a hotel who
needed to hire a sous-chef. They were very specific that they did not want to hire a line cook, because
the job involved management responsibilities in the absence of the executive chef. One of the
candidates we presented was a line cook from a very high-volume fine dining restaurant group. He had
done everything the executive chef had listed, managed up to 23 people in the kitchen and was known
for his ability to put out quality food while controlling food costs. He was initially screened out, but after
a few conversations and sharing outstanding reference checks with the executive chef, he was
interviewed and hired. The amazing ending to this story is that this sous-chef was promoted to executive
chef in less than two years, and is now a regional culinary chef for the same hotel chain. Performance-
based requisition simplifies recruiting, because you're not limited to a laundry list of required skills. You
and the talent you place know exactly what they need to achieve in order to become a successful,
engaged and retained employee.

Impact of timing and expectations

Selecting transcript lines in this section will navigate to timestamp in the video

- Do you realize that most hiring authorities and clients are confused about what to expect from us?
Most of them have worked with recruiters before but really don't understand the knowledge you have
and the value that you bring to the table. Third-party recruiters have caused even more confusion. When
I address audiences of hiring authorities, they've shared their perceptions of recruiters with me. Now I'm
not agreeing with this list, but it's important to note that their perception is their reality and this list
hasn't changed in three years. They feel third-party recruiters know nothing about their business before
recruiters call them and don't really represent candidates they can't find on job boards. Other
perceptions are that we disappear when problems occur. We don't take the time to understand their
challenges. We get very defensive if they disagree with us, and lastly, they feel third-party recruiters
charge as much as they can. Hiring authorities also feel third-party recruiters are all alike, can't be
trusted to tell the truth, bombard them with calls after they run a job board ad, can't overcome simple
objections, and were one of the many vendors they use often as a last resort. One way to resolve this
confusion is to provide written expectations to hiring authorities and clients after your initial
conversation. This helps eliminate confusion and can help shorten the time it takes to provide them with
top talent. You would provide two lists: first, what they can expect from you, and second, what you need
from them in order to attract the talent they will hire without hesitation. I've shared the expectation list
that we share with our clients in the handouts of this course. You can revise it to fit your company
culture and the way you interact with hiring authorities and clients. The one expectation that gets the
most attention is we promise to call every Friday afternoon to provide an update on our recruiting and
interviewing activities. Almost 100% of the time, when we obtain a client referral, we're asked if it's true
that we provide a verbal update on all open jobs every Friday afternoon. Too often, your hiring
authorities and clients don't know if you spent one day, one week, or no time at all trying to fill their job.
When you provide an update every Friday, they know you're working for them and often will alter the
specs when they realize what you're learning as you're out there recruiting. When you list what they can
expect from you, it's important that you differentiate yourself from other recruiters. Share how you've
established a network of great talent and can provide them with access to the 85% of top talent who are
currently employed. You then clarify what you need from them in order to find top talent they will hire.
You will notice on the handout I've shared that we show the benefits hiring authorities will enjoy if they
provide us with what we need to represent them. The great news is providing expectation up front clears
the air. It eliminates all confusion and shows how we all work together with the same end goal: attract,
interview, and hire the best talent in the job market.

Identify career path and training

- Do you understand the career path and training offered for each job you're attempting to fill? If not,
you may have a difficult time attracting millennials in Gen-Z. These generations are now the majority in
the workforce and have not only changed the way we think about work, but also the way we think about
development. Everyday, 10,000 baby boomers are retiring, while 10,000 millennials in Gen-Z are entering
the workforce. That's a tremendous shift, and you're in the middle of it. Millennials are not afraid to
leave their jobs to find something better, that would offer career growth and personal development.
According to a Gallup poll, turnover can cost 150% of an employee's annual salary. Another study by
Deloitte found the cost of losing an employee can range from tens of thousands of dollars to 1.5 to two
times their annual salary. When a candidate you placed ends up as a costly turnover statistic, it has a
negative impact on your reputation. You're a recruiter, which means you're a workforce, workplace
expert. You are talking to hiring authorities and candidates daily. You have access to information and
trends that can help your hiring authorities and clients. When you learn of trends, you have a
responsibility to share them with your hiring authorities and clients. Have these discussions before you
are both under pressure to fill job requisitions, contracts or temp assignments. When you provide
information that improves engagement and retention, you will gain the respect of your hiring authorities
and clients. They will sense that you not only want to provide talent for them, you want that talent to
make them look good and prosper in their company. The new generations are driving change and often
will not accept a job if training and career growth are not a priority. You must be prepared to answer
their questions about training and career growth, or they will lose interest in the opportunity and
company you are representing. In fact, they probably won't agree to an interview or they'll let you
schedule an interview and just won't show up. When you tell your hiring authorities that they are losing
out on some great talent, they will listen to you. Once you have their attention and share these two
trends, they'll want to know how to improve training and discuss a candidate's career path. First, suggest
that they review their current training and how it's being delivered. Many training programs are
outdated and the topics addressed don't appeal to millennials or Gen-Z. YouTube has changed the way
people learn and videos have, in many instances, replaced reading. Training must be easy to access and
preferably accessible by mobile devices. E-learning has revolutionized training and can offer training
24/7, when it's most convenient for the employee. Having your hiring authorities place emphasis on
training and career growth is not something that will happen overnight. The longterm ideal solution
would be for managers to create a specific plan for each employee's training and development, capitalize
on their strength and identify their needs for future career growth. Millennials are looking to the future
and are more interested in developing their strengths than fixing their weaknesses. When you are
accepting new requisitions, you could help your hiring managers and clients continue to focus on training
and career growth by the questions you ask during your intake. Ask for training that will be offered in the
career path for the candidates you are scheduling. This will consistently prove the importance of these
two areas to your candidates. It will also make sure you can answer questions asked by potential
candidates. When your millennials and Gen-Z candidates realize they can expand their knowledge, grow
and develop, they will become engaged, retained and will help your clients and hiring authorities attain
their goals. In addition, you will elevate your relationship with your clients, from recruiter to strategic
partner.
Understand new workforce model

- Are you aware that there is a new workforce model that is changing the traditional full-time, 40-hour-a-
week job? This new model is impacting your candidates, hiring authorities, clients, and you. So what is
this new model? Top Echelon published an article on the Anatomy of a New Workforce Model which
outlined the components of this new workforce model. In this model, a company typically maintains a
small core of traditional direct employees which is then supported by a larger ring of contractors. The
direct employees making up the core are key personnel who are vital to the stability and the growth of
the business. They have the experience and longevity that often can make or break the business. High
turnover in this core could be very detrimental to the business. U.S. News & World Report describe the
contractors in the outer ring as knowledge workers. Their work is no less important, as they are often
responsibility for day-to-day tasks and critical projects. But turnover in this ring is not as disruptive as it
would be within the core group. The beauty of this outer ring is that it can be easily adjusted to meet
business demands. Most of your companies are looking more strategically at each open opportunity to
figure out if the job requires a traditional full-time hire. In many cases, the answer is no, and they
determine the job is better suited to the outer ring of contractors. You will be affected by this new
workforce model which is why it's important you understand and embrace it. During the last recessions,
companies learned to run lean and reduce their workforce to the bare minimum needed to get the work
done. Post-recession, companies are not willing to dramatically increase their employee count, and
instead learned how to utilize temp and contract workers to handle their workload. A much higher
percentage of jobs added to the economy post-recession have been contract, compared to just 15% pre-
recession. Another driver of this new workforce model is the evolving talent pool. For the first time in
history, almost half of the workforce will be working in a non-traditional working arrangement. Your
candidates know they have options including working as a contractor, temporary worker, independent
contractor, virtual worker, part-time employee, job share, flexible employee, or work for an online virtual
company like Upwork. These opportunities are offered in almost every career. Some examples are
accountants, financial officers, engineers, IT professionals, nurses, doctors, scientists, attorney, and the
list goes on and on. If you want to place the most talented millennial and Gen Z candidate, it's important
that you realize they work to live. They often prefer to work nine months and then take off three months
and enjoy life. Then they return to the workforce for nine months and take time off to enjoy the fruits of
their labor. This is very common when they accept work that involved relocation, for example, traveling
nurses. They realize the value of enhancing their resume with additional skills, work experience, and
company cultures they acquire as a result of the flexible workforce. If your company or client doesn't
offer these opportunities, they will work for someone who does. If your company or clients are not
embracing this new workforce model, they could be overstaffed. When you explain the benefits to your
hiring managers, they will immediately see the positive impact these options would have on their hiring
budgets. In addition, they will appreciate the fact that you are offering them options to attract the talent
they need to achieve their goals. Lastly, ask your hiring authorities and clients, "What is your strategic
hiring plan "to replace baby boomers who are retiring?" This generation lived to work, and as a result,
they have become the bungee retirees. They retire, go back to work, retire, and return to work. Most
employers are not prepared to replace this wealth of talent and are more than happy to welcome back
retirees as contractors, which fits into the new workforce model. This new workforce provides many
benefits including a more efficient workplace, a more flexible job market, and greater opportunities for
your hiring authorities, clients, candidates, and you.

Interview objectives
- When you conduct an interview with clear objectives in mind, it's easier for you to identify the best
candidates to present. Your interview should provide you with valuable insight into a candidate's
credentials, core values, and if they would succeed in the job. Objectives should include reviewing a
candidate's work history, soft skills, and most importantly, accomplishments, and the impact on past
employers. First, let's address what a candidate's work history reveals. Have you heard that past
performance is an indicator of future performance? Well, it's been proven that this is not a foolproof
method. However, asking certain relevant questions during your interview can help predict performance.
You want to gain a basic understanding of them as an employee during the last several jobs they've held.
Start with the most recent job, and ask about the people on their team, reporting relationships, their
role, major projects they completed, and what they liked most and least about their job. Do this for jobs
they've held in the past 10 years. Then, delve into their reasons for leaving past jobs. Look for candidates
who change jobs to learn, grow, and make an impact over changes, instead of short-term convenience or
money. Address any gaps in employment of more than a month. If this candidate has grown in their
career, do they have a successful track record? And have they changed jobs for the right reasons? It's
amazing what you can uncover by reviewing a candidate's work history. Next, let's talk about the impact
of candidates' soft skills. Start out by looking at their ability to solve problems, which is a trait needed in
any job. Peak performers should be able to identify the cause of a problem, analyze a solution, take steps
to solve the problem, and then confirm the problem was resolved. Customize your questions to address
the type of problem-solving each job requires by asking these two questions. First, explain a situation
where you faced a difficult problem, and the steps you took to solve it. Second, share an example of a
solution you provided to a problem, that you would do differently if given another chance. The second
question is key, because if a candidate can assess where they can improve, you gain more insight into
their ability to solve problems. Lastly, it's important to discuss past accomplishments. Ask the candidate
to describe a major accomplishment that aligns with the job's performance objectives. Ask them to
identify the role they played in the accomplishment. Some questions you could ask, did you volunteer for
the assignment? And if so, why? If someone asked you to do it, why you? What was your specific role
and outcome? Next, determine how they interacted with the members. Then, ask your candidate about
other accomplishments at different jobs to learn more about them. This helps you observe the growth of
a candidate's individual and team accomplishments throughout their career. Compare your candidate's
major accomplishments to the performance objectives of the job. Next, ask about promotions, added
responsibilities, and formal recognition. High quality employees get recognized for being the best. You
determine clear objectives before you interview, so now you can determine if the candidate is
competent and motivated to do the actual work that needs to be done.

Screening and courtesy interviews

- Your time is too valuable to waste, which is why you must learn how to conduct a courtesy interview. If
you find yourself interviewing a candidate who is not qualified for your current opportunity pivot
smoothly into a courtesy interview, which has three possible outcomes. First, the candidate is a good fit
and could be considered for future jobs. Second, the issue they have with their current company exists in
your company, which would eliminate them from consideration for hire. Or, third, they have unrealistic
expectations, again, disqualifying them from future consideration. When courtesy interviews are done
right you are the only person who knows you've conducted a courtesy interview. And the candidate has
had a positive experience. Courtesy interviews save you a tremendous amount of time. So you can
interview candidates who do have the credentials needed. Now, let's focus on the initial screening
interview. The good news is that technology has greatly improved the screening process. After the
automated screening process conduct a phone screening interview to decide if a candidate should be
scheduled for a more in-depth interview, panel interview, or be screened out. Most screening interviews
are conducted on the phone to save time and money. But they need to be conducted as seriously as an
in-person interview. A phone interview reveals the communication skills, competency, and interest level
of each candidate. Candidates can also provide the circumstances behind any gaps or any red flags on
their resume. Your conversation can also determine if you're non-negotiable parameters or performance
objectives will cause this candidate to be screened in or out, again, saving time and money. There are
also advantages for prospective candidates who quickly determine if their level of interest increases or
decreases as a result of the phone interview. There are nine steps to conduct an effective screening
interview. First, prepare questions. Time is limited, which is why it's important to focus on essential
questions that will provide you with the most useful answers. You may choose from the following list of
questions, or customize a list for your company's specific hiring needs. Why are you interested in this job.
This question reveals the candidate's understanding of your job. You may ask, why are you interested in
working for our company? This shows you the amount of research that was conducted by this particular
candidate. Next, why are you leaving your current position? You need to determine if the situation exists
at your company? What qualifies you for this position? This shows you the confidence level and
credentials of this specific candidate. What will be your greatest challenge? This shows you the
apprehensions this candidate may have about your job. What is the greatest problem you've solved?
This helps you to determine the level of the candidate's problem-solving skills. What is your greatest
accomplishment? This shows you their priorities. And, lastly, what was the impact of accomplishments
on your past employers? You want to see if the accomplishments were company focused or individual
focused. Second, let's go to scheduling. The scheduling process should be simple and automated. Set up
a 30 minute conversation, but block off additional time on your calendar. Third is your introduction. Your
introduction should be friendly and brief lasting no more than two minutes. You want to focus most of
your time conducting the telephone interview. Fourth is consistency, every candidate should be asked
identical questions to ensure consistency and improve your ability to compare candidates. Fifth are your
follow-up questions. Some answers may prompt you to delve deeper to obtain clarification. It's
important that you understand answers provided. Sixth, accomplishments and impact. What separates
good from great candidates are the accomplishments they've achieved and the impact they had on past
employers. Seventh are notes, your interview notes are valuable to individuals conducting subsequent
interviews. Eighth is screening in or screening out. You have to trust your instincts. And don't forward a
candidate that doesn't feel right. And, ninth, scheduling your second interview. The purpose of the
phone interview is to screen candidates over the phone, and then schedule strong candidates for a
second interview. Screening out candidates is one of the tougher responsibilities of being a recruiter.
When someone is screened out be sure they understand why. Provide them with a bit of advice and
resources they can use to advance their job search. You want every interview to provide a positive
candidate experience.

Benefits of a general interview

- Have you ever scheduled an interview that turned out to be a total waste of time for both your hiring
authority and candidate? Not only did you waste their time, you wasted your time and this could
damage your credibility. One of the main reasons for the scenario I just described occurs when you
conduct your interview with a specific job in mind. I understand you're under pressure to fill several
open requisitions and every hiring manager expects their position to be your top priority. You then
receive a resume or CV that seems to be the perfect fit for one of your requisitions and you can't wait to
get them in front of your hiring authority. As a result, without even realizing it, your questions are
slanted to qualify this candidate for the job. One of my clients was having issues recruiting, hiring, and
retaining talent. I received a resume from an HR generalist who appeared to be the perfect fit. She was a
recruiter for years and had reduced turnover at her last three places of employment. Throughout the
interview I was hitting the areas most important to my client by asking these questions. How many
requisitions were you able to balance at one time? What percentage of the offers that you extended
were accepted? I noticed you reduced turnover in your last three places of employment, how did you
achieve that? When I debriefed her after the interview with my hiring manager, I asked her on a scale of
one to 10, 10 being the highest, what is your level of interest and she responded two. When I asked her,
what would make it a 10? She said, "I'm tired or recruiting and interviewing, "but really really enjoying
improving engagement "and retention and would love "to get into more organizational development
work." I missed the mark because I assumed what she was doing was what she would enjoy doing in her
next job. Never make that mistake. Conduct a general interview before you get into performance
objectives or specs of a specific position. During your general interview, ask every candidate consistent,
general questions like if you were your boss and could make five changes to improve your job, what
would you change? This question reveals the reason they'll consider another job. What do you like about
your job most? Is there any part of your current job that you don't enjoy? Please share your great
accomplishments and the impact they had on past employers. And why have you made changes in the
past and what must be there for you to accept a job today? Where do you see yourself in one year? In
three years, in five years? Have you received any offers that you've turned down? Their responses will
determine if your job and company are a match for this candidate. Once you determine what is most
important to this candidate, you can now proceed to specifics about jobs you're attempting to fill. If any
of the five things they change at their current company exist at your company, they are not a match. The
other questions reveal what is most important to this candidate which you must understand if you want
your candidate to become an engaged and retained employee. Another tip is to use percentages when
you interview candidates. Ask them how much time they spend on each task currently and how much
time they want to do each task at their next job. If you also use percentages when writing requisitions, it
makes matching easy even for the newest recruiter. The greatest benefits of a general interview are you
will not waste anyone's time. You will not lose credibility. You will make better matches and, as a result,
candidates hired will have a much greater likelihood of becoming engaged, retained employees.

How to conduct a behavioral interview

- Have you ever wished you could watch your candidates work before you present them to your hiring
authorities? That would guarantee that you know the capabilities of your candidates before you place or
hire them. The way to accomplish that would be hire to someone on a contract or temp-to-hire basis,
which turns out to be a working interview. However, this limits the talent pool to candidates who are not
working a full-time job. Another option would be to conduct behavioral interviews which focuses on past
behaviors and performance. The exception would be if you're working on a high-demand skillset, for
example, a .NET developer who is receiving multiple calls from recruiters weekly. Or if you're working on
fast-faced, high-volume positions like light industrial or call center. There is no time to conduct a
behavioral interview. Preparation is essential to conduct an effective behavioral interview. This helps you
identify the competencies, skills, and performance objectives necessary for each position. You then write
probing questions to reveal whether candidates can attain the performance objectives that will ensure
their success. Lastly, you ask how and why your candidate performed certain tasks. Let's review the five
strategies to conduct an effective behavioral interview. First, after your initial question, clarify answers to
better understand their response. Second, take a big picture approach realizing the importance of
revealing the combination of a candidate's strengths and limitations. The competencies and
performance objectives your hiring authorities have requested don't stand alone. They need to be
considered in relation to all your candidate's qualities. For example, one of the qualities you need to
determine is the candidate's leadership skills. During your interview, you determine a candidate has
extremely strong leadership abilities, but then you learn this candidate doesn't adapt well to change.
That second revelation will likely cause the candidate to be screened out, because they also want to hire
someone who embraces change. Third, request multiple examples to show a pattern of behavior
covering jobs for the past 10 years. It's important that you uncover consistency in behavior, even though
the job title or environments could differ greatly. Fourth, quantify results whenever possible by asking
for stats and metrics. Numbers take the emotion out of discussions and provide a clear picture. Probe for
additional details and the percentage of your candidate's involvement in the goals achieved as well as
their role. Did they lead the effort or were they part of a team? Fifth, ask your candidates what they
learned from their past experiences. Ask if they had the chance to do things over, would they change
anything to possibly improve results? This confirms the accuracy of the accomplishments and the
candidate's ability to strive for improvement. 10 sample behavior interview questions are included in the
handout section of this lesson. You can use them as a guide when customizing it to your specific needs.
Behavioral interviewing does not give you the opportunity to observe your candidate on the job, but it's
the next best process to screen in candidates who will have the best chance of success.

Prevent problem areas by establishing rapport and trust

- It's not easy to develop rapport with candidates when basically, you're a stranger they don't know or
trust. They don't know if you will help them advance their career, or become a waste of time. It's for that
reason that answers to your questions are often short and guarded. Candidates are being bombarded
with calls from corporate and third-party recruiters, and often feel that you only represent your hiring
authority and company, and don't really care about what's important to them. There are three questions
every candidate wants answered, but will not ask. Can you be trusted? Do you care about me? And are
you committed to deliver what you promised? Throughout the entire interaction with your candidate,
focus 100% on how you can benefit them. It's not your job to agree or disagree with your candidates. It
is your job to put yourself in their shoes and become the best listener in their life. As a result, you will
understand what opportunity they will accept without hesitation. Position yourself as their career agent.
Ghosting, offer turndowns, no-starts, and counter offers accepted are often being written off to
candidate bad behavior. But there are things you can do to reduce these issues. Let's start with how to
solve ghosting their interview with you, your client, or their start date. I conduct weekly webinars for
hundreds of job-seekers. They've shared the following reasons why they ghost interviews with you. They
don't understand how you can benefit them. You sound like every other recruiter. The job you pitched is
a lateral move, not career advancement, and you didn't help other people they know, you wasted their
time. To resolve ghosting interviews with you, focus on what your candidate sees as their next career
move. Share testimonials and recommendations from people just like them who've you've helped
advance their careers. Next, why do candidates ghost interviews with your clients? Often, they're
nervous, they're unsure if they're qualified, the company is not one they prefer, they have other
interviews that interest them more, they read negative posts on Glassdoor, or they don't see
advancement potential. These can all be resolved if you conduct a thorough interview and prep the
candidate the night before the interview. During your prep, you will discover additional facts that didn't
come up in the interview. Quantify their level of interest on a scale of one to ten, and if it's less than a
seven, resolve issues or cancel the interview rather than having them not show up. Candidates walk off
the job when they don't like their boss, onboarding was a bust, they don't like the company culture, or,
they received a better offer after they started. These can be resolved by your consistent follow-up and
nurturing to make sure they are happy with the job, their boss, and the company. Often, you can solve
small issues before they become major problems that cause turnover. To avoid counter-offers from being
accepted, always ask for five things they'd change about their current company if they were their boss. If
they answer money and advancement, they will accept a counter-offer. Other items listed cannot be
resolved by a counter-offer. If you develop trust with candidates based on rapport, you will dramatically
reduce the problem areas, and your candidates will be come engaged, and retained employees.

Take emotion out of the equation

- Without realizing it, you can allow your own bias and emotion to impact the interview and hiring
process. If this isn't resolved, your decision on who should be hired may not be the best candidate for
the job, but rather the candidate who reflects your personal bias. The first mistake most recruiters make
is to reach a yes or no decision on a candidate within the first few minutes of an interview. If a
candidate's personality and demeanor is comparable to yours, you will probably like the candidate. As a
result, the interview is successful, and the candidate is forwarded on to the next step of the interview
process. On the other hand, if you don't necessarily like the candidate's personality or demeanor, the
candidate may be deemed unqualified and screened out. Whatever the bias, you could prove yourself
right when evaluating your decision. The structured telephone screening interview helps eliminate bias
because decisions are reached based on the answers provided. The second mistake recruiters make is to
schedule an extensive interview for someone they're not going to hire a place. That is wasting precious
time. The good news is that technology has greatly improved the screening process. Automated systems
screen out resumes or C.V.s that don't contain relevant keywords. After the automated screening
process, your phone screening will help you decide if a candidate should be scheduled for a more in
depth interview or screened out. Most screening interviews are conducted on the phone to save time
and money, but they need to be conducted as seriously as an in-person interview. The phone interview
process is important, because it prevents the first impression of a perspective candidate from being
based on the candidate's appearance or possible bias of the interviewer. A phone interview reveals the
communication skills, competency, and interest level of each candidate. Candidates also provide the
circumstances behind any gaps or any red flags on their resume. Your conversation can also determine if
your non-negotiable parameters or performance objectives will cause this candidate to be screened in or
out. Again, saving time and money. There are also advantages for perspective candidates who quickly
determine if their level of interest increases or decreases as a result of the phone interview. The third
mistake made by most recruiters is that they don't follow the nine steps to conduct an effective
screening interview. This consistency also guarantees legal compliance. Prepare your questions in
advance and ask essential questions versus broad, general questions, because your time is limited.
Automate scheduling to simplify the process. Keep your introduction short and friendly to relax the
candidate. Ask identical questions so you can accurately compare candidates, and ask followup questions
to clarify answers. Next, separate good from great candidates by clarifying the candidate's
accomplishments and their impact. Enter your notes into your ATS for subsequent interviews, and review
facts so you can determine whether you will screen in or screen out each candidate. Lastly, schedule the
second interview or panel interview for the candidates you screen in. Screening out candidates is one of
the tougher responsibilities of being a recruiter. You just want to make sure that they were not screened
out because of bias or emotion. Follow the steps we've outlined and you'll screen in the best talent.

Present the best candidates

- Wouldn't it be great if you could predict which prospective candidate is the best hire? Your job would
be so much easier, and you would fill open requisitions faster. However, you can't present the best talent
if you're working blind. It all starts with your intake session, where you determine how the candidates
you place will be evaluated after six months or a year. Your job requisition is your GPS to present the best
candidates, and in order to obtain the information you need, explain, "I only want to send you the best
candidates "who will succeed in this position. "The more information you share with me, "the less time
we will spend filling your job "with someone who will succeed and be retained." If you don't understand
the job you're recruiting for, you can't present the best candidates. Ask questions to clarify your
understanding of the job. Now the ball is in your court. It's critical that you create and follow a
consistent, repeatable recruiting and interviewing process. Your process must include sourcing,
recruiting, interviewing, and your presentation process. Review the results of each phase of your process
to determine what resources are producing the highest caliber of candidates. If you want to consistently
represent the best candidates, it's important to add at least one new resource for top talent every
quarter; for example, a LinkedIn group that candidates in your niche follow. You and I both know it's not
always the person with the greatest credentials who is hired. So what do you look for to determine the
best candidate for each job? The following nine criteria will help. Number one, you understand what
your candidate sees as their next career move, and that aligns with your job. Number two, they possess
a track record of high achievement and success. Number three, the candidate is serious about making a
career move, and you know the five things they'd change about their current job if they were their boss.
Number four, they've shared their resume, and their answers to prequalifying questions have caused you
to screen them in. Number five, their timeframe to make a change matches the timeframe of your
client's target date to hire. Number six, they will make themselves available for interviews. Number
seven, their core values and preferred company culture matches your client's. Number eight, they can
successfully achieve the performance objectives. And number nine, they can pass background checks.
Once you've found the best candidates using the nine criteria, it's important that you take steps to keep
them in the hiring process. Provide your hiring authorities with ways they can streamline the interview
process, so they don't lose highly qualified candidates due to delays. Share that in this tight market, the
best companies are limiting interviews to no more than four. They conduct a phone screen, panel
interview, job audition, and the final interview. It's the job audition that proves you've presented the
best candidates. The potential hire is experiencing the company culture and peers firsthand, while they
audition for the job. Hearing about a job is much different from experiencing it, and this will prevent
your hiring managers from making a bad hire. Candidates who perform well during the job audition have
a great chance of becoming an engaged and retained employee. Explain the benefits of the audition to
get the buy-in of your hiring managers. One of our clients arranged a job audition for an HR assistant
position. The candidate greeted potential hires, confirmed appointments, and checked references. She
then proceeded to share her experience and specific details on Snapchat with her friends. She was
immediately screened out because of her lack of confidentiality, and the fact that she was Snapchatting
during a two-hour job audition. If done properly, your process will not only identify the best hire; it can
reveal red flags. It will also provide the candidate's supervisor with great insight into the candidate to
improve their chances of becoming an engaged and retained employee.

Pre-close, prep, and debrief candidates and hiring authorities

- If you're like most recruiters, you hate surprises, because they are rarely in your favor. One of the
greatest challenges for recruiters is we have people on both sides of our process who can change their
minds, timing, and priorities. The combination of the pre-close, prep, and debrief for both candidates
and clients not only prevents surprises, they help you identify the best talent. Let's start with the pre-
close, which clarifies your understanding of what is being said to you. To pre-close, merely repeat your
understanding of what someone said. For example, your candidate may say, "I prefer to work
independently." You may then follow up with, "So, you're asking me to find you a job where you work
alone as opposed to a member of a team?" The candidate may respond, "No, I enjoy working "as part of
a team, I just don't want a micromanager." The pre-close changed your understanding of their response.
Start out every subsequent conversation with candidates and clients with the same question. "Has
anything changed since the last time we talked?" You may not like the answers you get, but this
eliminates surprises. Next, let's talk about the importance of prepping your candidates for interviews.
Unless your candidate is a sales person or job hopper, interviewing is not easy. Your prep process can
eliminate nerves and your candidate will appear more confident during the interview process. This will
also drastically reduce the number of candidates who goes to interviews. During your prep, review each
responsibility of the job and ask your candidate three questions. First, "Have you done this?" Second,
"Can you give me an example of when you did this?" And third, "Is this something you would enjoy doing
"in your next job?" Your prep will show you where you may have missed things in your interview and
how to fine-tune your interviewing skills. You then ask the most important question of the prep. "If I
were to obtain a job offer at the salary range "that we discussed, does this sound like a job "you would
accept today?" If your candidate says anything but yes, you ask probing questions to determine if they
should interview or be pulled because of a lack of interest. You then ask simple interview questions and
listen to their answers, so they become more relaxed with the interview process. You do not provide
them with answers, but if they are negative, explain how that might come across and cause them to be
screened out. Your candidates should understand what is most important to your hiring manager and
your hiring manager should understand the hot buttons of your candidate. Most candidates will book
more than one interview. So there is always competition for the best talent. By preparing your hiring
manager, they stand a better chance of attracting the talent they want to hire. After the interview,
debrief both your candidate and client. Ask the exact same questions of both to determine the results of
the interviews and any possible red flags. I have included a sample of a candidate and client debrief form
in the handouts. During the debrief, you are also pre-closing both parties, so if an offer is extended, you
know it will be accepted. Quantify answers on a scale of one to 10 to obtain a clear picture of the level of
interest. When you pre-close, prep, and debrief both your candidates and clients, you will be more
successful, because you will all but eliminate surprises and you will fill more jobs faster with great talent.

Extend offers that will be accepted

- Have you ever interviewed the perfect candidate, only to have them screened out later in the interview
process? This is especially frustrating when the candidate has hard-to-find skills and experience. To help
top talent get hired, suggest the creation of an interview scorecard for each position. When a scorecard
is utilized, there is a much better chance that the best talent you interview will be hired. If you
implement a scorecard, it would be used by everyone in the interview process to quantify answers and
remove emotion and bias from the decision-making process. The information on the scorecard will differ
based on the performance objectives and characteristics needed for each position. There are seven
guidelines to create a comprehensive scorecard. Number one are performance objectives. The primary
focus during an interview is to determine which candidate will be more successful. The most effective
way to score a candidate is to determine if the candidate would accomplish the performance objectives
of a job. It is important that everyone involved in the interview process has a clear understanding of the
performance objectives that are listed on the scorecard. Number two are technical skills. Technology has
impacted change and growth of most companies. When hiring, it's important to evaluate the technical
knowledge, experience, and training of each candidate. When evaluating technical skills, quantifying
answers will help you evaluate the level of a candidate's expertise. Number three are soft skills. Soft skills
have a direct impact on a candidate's ability to effectively accomplish goals and objectives. Some
examples could include communication skills, success in a team environment, or problem-solving. A
candidate who can complete performance objectives and has the technical skills could still fail if they
don't have the soft skills and characteristics that align with your team and culture. Number four, ratings.
For interviewers to score fairly and consistently, they need to understand the definition for each rating.
It's better to limit your ratings to a scale of one to five to simplify scoring. The definitions for each
number used in your rating system should be defined in detail and provided in writing for everyone
involved in your interviewing process. Number five is screen-out score. Determine upfront what score
eliminates a candidate from consideration. You may decide if a score averages a three in any category on
the scorecard, the candidate is eliminated from consideration. Or you may decide if a candidate is scored
a three by any one of the interviewers, they are eliminated from consideration. Number six are notes. An
interviewer could've identified a strength, skill, or talent the candidate possessed that is not addressed
by the scorecard. This information should be included in the notes section of the scorecard. This
additional talent could be utilized by your company and cause this candidate to be one of your top
considerations. Number seven are concerns. When experienced interviewers have a gut instinct that a
candidate is not being truthful or holding back information, this is something that must be listed and
verified during reference checks. Using a scorecard accomplishes two things pre-hire. It rates the
candidate during interviews and helps you hire talent that has the best chance of success. The scorecard
also accomplishes three things post-hire. It helps rate the performance after the hire, identifies gaps in
the interviewing or hiring process, and helps identify actions or additional training that is needed. If you
are not able to convince your hiring managers of the benefits of implementing a scorecard, pre-close
your candidate during every conversation. When you obtain an offer, pre-close one last time. If I were to
obtain an offer at, and you state the salary amount, in a start date of two weeks, is that an offer you
would accept? If your candidate does not say yes, you need to overcome whatever objections are
presented or go back to your hiring authority and share the candidate's concerns to see if there is any
chance to revise the offer. Whether you pre-close in advance or utilize a scorecard, the offers you extend
will be accepted.

Maintain your negotiator status

- Have you ever dropped the ball after you hired a candidate or placed them in a job? If you answered
yes, you're not alone. It's not easy following up and nurturing because you're constantly being pulled in
different directions and by competing priorities. The good news is there are strategies you can use that
will not consume a great deal of your time. Very early in your recruiting and interviewing process,
establish yourself as an effective negotiator. Ask questions of your candidates to influence the outcome
they want. Fine-tune your listening ability and always focus on what's most important to each candidate.
This will help you negotiate throughout the hiring process and after they're hired. Remember, you're not
only judged on the number of requisitions you fill, but also on the engagement and retention of your
candidates. So how do you maintain your negotiator status and nurture your candidates on top of
everything else you're doing? At a minimum, you could welcome your candidates on their first day and
contact them after their first week to see how things are going. Let them know you have their back and
are open to being their sounding board. If you're not following up or nurturing or know you could be
doing more, here are five tips to improve. First, track pertinent information in your ATS or calendar to
remind you to reach out to place-candidates. Second, be thoughtful and caring. Send birthday cards,
handwritten notes, or something as simple as a candy bar. Anything will be appreciated. Third,
communicate with your hiring managers to obtain feedback on your candidate's performance. Fourth,
always be at your best and position yourself as one of the best listeners in their life. Fifth, be honest and
willing to share good and bad news promptly. Treat your candidates the way they want to be treated. As
a result, they will begin to view you as a caring expert who is knowledgeable and consultative. If they're
having an issue, they should feel comfortable calling you as someone who could negotiate on their
behalf. Often you can prevent a small issue from becoming a major problem that ends up as a turnover
statistic. The definition of nurture is to support and encourage. That is a great way of looking at your
relationships with your place-candidates. Nurturing can lead to great word-of-mouth advertising,
referrals to other qualified candidates, and improves engagement and retention. You should support and
encourage them and do all that you can to make sure they succeed so you will also succeed. Another
reason to position yourself as a negotiator and someone who supports them is technology. It's easy for
the candidates you place to reach out to their personal and professional network, social media, or job
boards if they're not happy with their job. It's better if they reach out to someone they trust for advice,
and that person should be you. You may be watching this video thinking you don't have time to reach
out to candidates you place. I'm telling you it's important that you make time. If not, you're going to be
spending more of your time refilling jobs that are available due to turnover.

Help improve engagement and retention

- Do you even realize the impact you have on the engagement and retention of candidates hired? Hiring,
engaging and retaining talent is the greatest challenge companies face today. Without talent, companies
won't attain their goals and objectives. That makes what you do for a living incredibly important. Every
day of your life you change people's lives for the better, while you help companies achieve their goals by
hiring top talent. So what can you do to constantly upgrade your interview process to continually
improve the quality of hires? First, it's important to keep data and metrics on every step of your
recruiting, interviewing, and hiring process. This provides you with the precise data on what is working
and where you may need improvement. Second, share the data and metrics with your hiring authorities.
Often engagement and retention can be askewed by metrics from one department that has tremendous
turnover. When you studied the data, you realized the greatest percentage of turnover were employees
who reported to one specific manager. So often people quit another person, not their company. In this
instance it's obvious that the manager either needs to change or be relieved of their responsibilities.
Third, educate everyone involved in the hiring process about the greatest shift in our workforce that is
impacting engagement and retention. Millennials now represent over 50% of the workforce, and by 2025
they will represent over 75%. If you want to engage and retain this generation it's necessary to embrace
them. They also put a much higher emphasis on training, career advancement, having their work matter,
and a better work/life balance. Following close behind them is Gen Z who are now entering the
workforce. Separate out your metrics to study the engagement and retention rates of these two
generations. Study what drew them to your company, and if they referred their friends, which they will
do if they're happy. Let me share an example, I hired a recruiter and on her first day of employment she
showed up with one of her friends. My manager was stunned, thought it was ridiculous and came to me
upset and asked, "Who shows up on their first day of employment "with their friend? "Isn't that
irresponsible and ridiculous? "I'm not interviewing her." She was looking for me to agree but instead I
offered to interview her friend. I asked our new hire why she brought her friend to her first day of
employment, and her answer was, "She's just like me. "She recently moved to Chicago "and I think she'd
be great at this job." We put her through our interviewing process and ended up hiring her one week
later. To this day they compete, which is great for my business and they are both excellent recruiters.
They have also placed many of their friends because they are so well networked. Study your most
successful hires and determine their DNA, so you can repeat that process. Conduct stay interviews, so
your employees will share what they like and what they would improve. Embrace change because the
way we communicate, source, recruit, interview and hire will continue to evolve because of technology.
It is important to note, however, the most valuable resource you have when it comes to engagement and
retention is you. It's your ability to present the best talent and then nurture them so they stay. Never
underestimate the importance of what you do every day.

Next steps

- Your interview is the foundation for the hiring process and the engagement and retention of the
candidates you hire or place. Your ability to understand your candidates' goals and priorities gives you a
tremendous edge to either hire or place that candidate. You are constantly pulled in different directions
but conducting thorough interviews must always remain a top priority. Your interviewing training doesn't
have to end here. If you'd like to learn more, there are other resources I've created that I'd encourage
you to check out. Check out Recruiting Fundamentals, which also addresses the interviewing process.
Check out Talent Sourcing, which helps identify top talent to interview. If you want to provide the
candidates you don't place with a resource to help advance their job search, go to [Link].
If you want to access a career portal, go to [Link]. You can stay in touch with me by
connecting on LinkedIn and I hope you do, and sign up for my free biweekly No B.S. Newsletter.
Congratulations on completing this course which hopefully has reinforced the importance of your
interviews and provided you with additional strategies that will help you make better matches that end
up as engaged, retained hires.

Question 1 of 2

Why is it important to discuss a company's culture and core values during an interview?

Correct answer:

If employees are not comfortable with the culture, they are less likely to remain with the company.

Question 2 of 2

You are interviewing candidates for a high-pressure, mid-manager position. One of your questions is how
the candidate would handle a crisis. When faced with a crisis, how do successful employees react?

You are correct!

They focus on finding solutions.

Question 1 of 5

How will you most likely schedule more interviews and fill more jobs?

Correct answer:

Forward candidates who have achieved the performance objectives, even if on a lower scale.

Question 2 of 5

In order to avoid obstacles that keep you from attracting top talent, how should you conduct the
interview process?

You are correct!

Question 3 of 5

How does the current workforce model affect companies that have not embraced this new model?

Correct answer:

They will find themselves overstaffed with salaried employees.

Question 4 of 5

As you work with Millennials and Gen Zs who are the majority of job seekers, what must you be able to
show them?

You are correct!

the training and career growth in the company

Question 5 of 5

How can you differentiate yourself from the other recruiters who many companies think are just money-
grubbing vendors, like so many other vendors?

You are correct!

Ask what the company needs from you to attract top talent.

Question 1 of 2

You are working on engagement and retention strategies. One theme keeps running through your mind:
very often, employees quit _____.

You are correct!

because of another person

Question 2 of 2

What should you do, at a minimum, to show your newly placed candidates you are a nurturing
negotiator on their behalf?

You are correct!

Welcome the new employee the first day and at the end of the first week.