When you are recruiting people, your job postings have to be like a magnet.

Magnets both attract things, and repel things.

Your Job Descriptions have to do the same thing to be really effective.  They have to be written in such a way to get the right candidates vibrating with excitement, and have the wrong people running away in fear or disgust.

Try it.

If you’d like email me Cameron@BackPocketCOO.com and I’ll send you a sample of the job posting I used to recruit my Exec Assistant – we nailed it using this strategy.  And if you want to know how to interview all your job candidates there are some awesome systems here too.

Other than thoroughly reviewing a job candidate’s past employers online, dig around on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube to see how they portray themselves. Social Networks are public domain, so don’t feel like you’re infringing on anyone’s rights.  Some of the things you find may surprise you!  Read on, and get more insights here too.

Formulate a list of questions related to the preferences you’ve already decided you need in a candidate. Your preparation should give you a list of areas to delve into deeper. I love making my questions right on their resume and then, once I’ve got a ton of questions written down, putting a number beside each in the order I’ll ask them to ensure I cover it all.

One-on-one interviews should always be two hours and can often go as long as four hours if you’ve really prepared and really grill the candidate, asking multiple questions around each area.

The setting for the interviews should be appropriate. Use your intuition to know whether a more or less formal atmosphere is appropriate.

The interviewer explains this stage of the process to the candidate. Build rapport with the candidate, but don’t do all of the talking. The interviewer has to stay in control of the discussion, so don’t let the candidate control the time or the questions. They’ll have their turn to ask questions later.

Always look for transition points in their job history because that’s where the most illustrative stories lie, and if a candidate shares them, you’ll begin to see more of them as a person. Moving between jobs, schools, career changes, and marriages help you get a better idea for who the candidate is as a person.  Probe into the transitions –respectfully – and find out why they happened. Don’t assume all transitions are bad – ask the candidate why they made the choices they did in order to get a comprehensive picture of them as an individual.

During job interviews, ensure your questions are asked directly and clearly, and be sure to follow up. When a candidate answers a question but you don’t fully understand their response, ask them to elaborate. Find out who they turned to for advice, how they made decisions, and what influenced their decisions. Again, be sure that you’re respectful of people during the process, yet still obtain the answers you need.

Examples of ‘probing’ questions:

• What made you chose that area of study in university?
• Who influenced you in leaving your last career?
• How were you feeling at your last company when ‘X’ happened?
• Why do you let everyone else tell you what to do?

Yes or no questions should be kept to a minimum.  Ask short questions that require long answers.  Interviewers should spend 80 percent of the time listening. When you hear yourself telling a story or talking about the company, stop and get the candidate talking again. The purpose of the interview is to find out about them, not tell them about you!

Use pregnant pauses to get candidate to reveal more. Count to ten in your head a few times after they’ve already given their answer and watch how much more they reveal. Then when they give you more, pause again, until they have nothing left. It is amazing how much that silence reveals.

Ensure proper notes are taken and that you have a rating for each area of experience and skill set. Each of your ratings must be supported by three reasons from their past work or life history. If you rate a person a ‘5’ in ‘Attainment’ you need three different, solid, irrefutable reasons that support that rating.  The ratings should all reflect the past performance of the individual.

During the interview ask yourself some questions:

• Do I know enough about them to make a decision yet?
• What is bothering me about them that I haven’t probed into yet?

Don’t leave ANY question un-asked.

Focus on the decisions they have made in the past. Decisions mean choices, and choices show you the values and preferences they have (although not everything is as it seems, which is why you probe). Your interview should be tough, pointed, and probing.

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from interviewing is that everyone lies, or they at least exaggerate a little bit.

When you’re interviewing people, you must make sure that candidates actually have experience doing what they say they do. You’re not looking to see if they know how to do it.  There are lots of great books out there for people to read to learn how they might do something.  You want to find people that have proven past performance.

You want someone who has the practice and has perfected their craft. Your business deserves nothing less than that.

Don’t be afraid of grilling people hard in a one-on-one interview.

Here is a list of traits you should look for when interviewing a job candidate. I suggest you pick ten critical ones and focus on those.  I’ve put (*) beside the ones I always focus on.

• Attainment/Goal-oriented (*)
• Decision making
• Interdependence
• Introspection (*)
• Leadership (*)
• Organizational skills (*)
• People/interpersonal skills (*)
• Pressure – can they handle it? (*)
• Sales ability
• Tenacity (*)
• Values (*)
• Assertiveness
• Coaching ability
• Conflict – ability to handle it (*)
• Customer service
• Emotional intelligence (*)
• Patience
• Analytical skills
• Communication skills (Written and verbal)
• Diplomacy skills
• Listening skills
• Negotiation skills
• Precision/attention to detail (*)
• Problem-solver (*)
• Resourcefulness
• Risk taking
• Teamwork
• Technology skills (*)
• Work/life balance
• Ability to delegate
• Job knowledge
• Management of change
• Strategic thinking
• Creativity
• Imagination
• Inventiveness

Rating Guide
When you interview 10 people, only one of them should have a ‘5’ in each of the areas you are using to profile them. By implementing this rigorous process, you won’t let average candidates slip by because you rated them too high.

At least one candidate out of 10 will be a ‘1’, perhaps two of them will be a ‘2’, ‘4’ maybe be a ‘3’. If you’re rating them all the same, force yourself to get more realistic with your ratings.

How to Score
a. 5 = 10% of population
b.   4 = 20% of population
c.   3 = 40% of population
d.   2 = 20% of population
e.   1 = 10% of population

NO half marks allowed

OK – My Feb 16th blog post sucked was way too much of a sales pitch.  Yes, I believe in recruiters- at the right time, however, I also know companies can get great at recruiting & interviewing. You deserved more than me just pushing recruiting firms at you…

Here are some tips:

• The best employees aren’t looking for jobs, you have to know where they are, and go find them.  They work for the top companies to work for in your market, or the INC 500 winners, the Top 40 Under 40, Best Workplaces etc.  A Players work at the best companies.  You’ll find them on FaceBook & LinkedIn too.
• A Level employees change jobs for alignment, culture, clarity of roles, and opportunity.  They aren’t going to jump ship to just any old company, so make sure that you’ve set your company up to really attract them.  Ask your current employees for 5 things (that don’t cost money) that would make your company a best place to work, and put them in place now.  It’s a start.
• Job Ads MUST attract – don’t be boring…  Here is one I used (it fits my culture) and was for an Exec Assistant.  The ad helped me find a person who is a perfect fit.
• Behavioral Traits – Think in advance about the key traits the person must possess.  Make a list of them – like: Leadership, Attainment, Tenacity & Introspection…
• Interview Questions – Once you know the traits you’re looking for, come up with 3-5 questions you can ask to probe for answers on each trait.
• Scorecard – Describe in detail the 10 things the person being hired will have to get done during their first two years in the role.  Then interview them in depth to ensure they have done similar work before.  Hire for Experience and Cultural Fit.
• Group Interview – Use a Group Interview to look for cultural fit.
• Reference Checks – Do as many as 10 if you have to.  Draw out names of people to call during the interviews.  Don’t just call the names the candidate gives you.
• Raise The Bar – Every new hire should raise the average skill set of your group.  Just like a sports team, work to keep bringing awesome employees into your company.

So, you want to be an expert recruiter ?  You want to get strong at interviewing ?

In all likelihood, this will never happen.  MOST CEOs and Entrepreneurs have far too many things on their plate to get good at this.  I’m not talking about being competent, I’m talking about being awesome at it.

As Malcom Gladwell says in his book Outliers, it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something.  Let’s say he’s exaggerating, let’s say it only takes you 1,000 hours, or even 100 hours, are you really prepared to put that much effort into getting great at interviewing & recruiting, if you’re not – then it’s easy – outsource it to the professionals.  Especially when it comes to key hires.

I’ve personally spent close to a thousand hours interviewing and working on my interview skills.  I can stack up with the top 2%.  That’s why I finally decided that instead of simply training CEOs on how to recruit and interview their key hires, I’d source 2 TOP Recruiting companies who could do it for them- for the key hires at least.

I’ve found two:

-one focuses only on C-Level roles where the total comp is $300,000 or higher.

-the second focuses on VP, Director, and C-Level where the comp is $150-$250k.

It you’re interested in having them do retained searches for you, drop me an email, let me know what you’re hiring, comp etc., and I’ll happily intro you.

OR, spend a thousand hours, and perfect your recruiting & interviewing skills, and do it yourself…

Here are some of the typical questions I’ve used in group interviews. Keep in mind that I’m only looking for cultural fit and leadership at this stage.

• What are your favorite books/magazines?
• What is your favorite movie/why?
• What car is most similar to you & why?
• What was the most stressful time of your life and why?
• What was the most complex project you ever led and why?
• What stresses you out?
• Why do you want to work here?
• Who is the best candidate in the room?  Why?
• If we hired two people, who in this room would you want us to hire to work with you?
• When could you start and how much do you need to make year one? Year three?

I love this last question because candidates will actually give you the real dollar amount they’d work for versus an inflated number they’d give if no one else were around.

If you follow this process properly, you won’t overlook star candidates whose resumes you’ve already reviewed prior to inviting them to the group interview. The purpose of the group interview is to screen for cultural fit and leadership—that’s what gets candidates into a second interview.

I like to compare this process to a similar practice Steve Jobs initiated at Apple. He’d show a prototype of the Mac computer to prospective employees and if he couldn’t see the sparkle in their eyes when they first saw it, he didn’t bother interviewing them any further.

If you have hundreds of people applying for one job, how do you sort through all of the candidates to find the best of the best?

Easy. Group interviews.

It’s the fastest and most effective way to find the best cultural fit and identify the leaders in the group.

I studied a company called Mad Science out of Montreal that had a unique group interview process. It consisted of bringing eight candidates into a boardroom for 60 to 90 minutes. The candidates are told that they’ll be participating in a group interview in advance and then briefed on the group interview process before starting.  They advise the candidates that the interview is a ‘lightning round’ of sorts, and that they may be cut off once they answer.

When doing this, don’t appear disrespectful–although you want this to be a speedier process, a candidate should never be made to feel foolish. It’s a balancing act.

In a group interview of eight, you’ll usually find two to three candidates with whom you’ll want to do more in-depth interviews, and one that you’ll hire.

You can get the entire Group Interview system laid out for you from my book Double Double here in the chapter on People.  Or here from my DVDs on Culture or Growth.

The following interview questions are from a survey I found years ago and also include a bunch of my favorites.

I only listed the ones I really like best, categorized according to personal background, skills and abilities, academic preparation, and other topics.

This list of questions would be an excellent resource to use when preparing for interviews with prospective employees.

ABILITY TO DEAL WITH ADVERSITY, THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING

• What are your personal goals, and have you achieved them? If not, why?
• Who was the most difficult person you’ve dealt with? How did you respond?
• Describe a frustrating experience from work. How did you deal with it?
• What are some of the greatest personal challenges you have faced?
• How do you handle rejection?
• What aspects of your past jobs were most frustrating?
• What life experiences have given you the greatest reward?
• Can you tell me about the toughest job you’ve ever had?
• What was the most difficult aspect of obtaining a college degree?

CAREER GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

• What are your career interests?
• What are your standards of success/goals for a job?
• What are your goals and aspirations for the next three years?
• What are your long-range goals and how are you preparing to achieve them?
• If you could create the perfect job for yourself, what would you do?
• Please tell me about your plans for the future.
• What work would you like to do that really interests you?
• What is your timetable for achievement of your current career goals?

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

• What skills do you possess that will help make you successful in this job?
• Why should we hire you?
• Have you ever worked in a similar position with another organization, and what did you enjoy most about and least about it?
• Please discuss some of your past jobs and what you accomplished in them?
• What prior work experiences have you had?
• What were your accomplishments in these prior work experiences?
• Please tell me about the duties/requirements of your last job.
• Elaborate on one of the work experiences listed on your resume.
• What did you enjoy most about your previous job experiences? Least?
• In addition to your educational and professional experiences, what else would you like us to know about you in order to make an appropriate decision?
• What skills will you bring to the job that will enhance our team or company?

LEADERSHIP

• What are your major strengths and weaknesses?
• What did you see as your major strengths and/or weaknesses on this job?
• What would your last two employers say about you, good and bad?
• How would you describe your supervisory/leadership style?
• Who or what had the greatest influence on your life?
• Describe the difference between motivation and inspiration, and how these apply to you in the work environment.

INITIATIVE AND FOLLOW-THROUGH

• What are your greatest achievements at this point in your life?
• Tell me about your accomplishments during college that make you proudest.
• If friends/colleagues were to describe you to a stranger what would they say?
• What do you consider most important when evaluating yourself?
• What were your most significant achievements?

COMMUNICATION

• How would you describe your style of communication?
• Tell me about a time you had to sell an idea to someone else.
• What do you enjoy doing most?
• Tell me about a time you had to present information to a large group of people. How did you feel and how successful were you?

WORKING EFFECTIVELY WITH OTHERS

• How well do you work with others?
• What are some of the pros and cons of working on a team project?
• When have you led a team to achieve a specific goal, what were the results?
• What have you admired in people who have previously supervised your work? What haven’t you admired in these individuals?
• How would you resolve conflict in a group situation?

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION

• What changes would you make in your school’s academic program?
• Tell me about a time you found a new and better way of doing something.
• What was the largest, most creative project you’ve been involved in to date?
• Tell me the most creative solution you have come up with to solve a problem.
• Tell me a time when you had to bring out the creativity in others.

DECISION-MAKING

• Please tell me about a conflict and how you resolved it.
• Tell me a time you had to make an important decision with limited facts.
• Tell me a time you had to make an unpopular decision.
• Tell me about a bad decision you made and what you would do differently?

DELEGATION AND ORGANIZATION

• How do you organize your day?
• Tell me about a time you delegated a project effectively.
• Describe to me a time when a supervisor delegated a task to you when you had a full workload. How did you handle the situation?
• Describe what your closets and garage look like today.

CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SALES

• What personal qualities do you bring to this firm?
• Tell me about when you dealt with an irate customer.
• What does the term “the customer is always right” mean to you?
• What’s the best example of awesome customer service you’ve provided?

GENERAL

• What starting salary do you expect as an employee?
• When comparing one company offer to another, what factors will be important to you besides starting salary?
• Please tell me about yourself. How would you describe yourself?
• Name three people who have inspired you and why.
• What personal qualities do you bring to this firm?
• What do you know about our company?
• Why are you interviewing with us?
• Why do you want to work in the position you are seeking?
• What are your expectations of us?
• Why did you select us?