I Can Talk the Game
From the Ask Tom mailbag – Question: In your post on Wednesday [Hypothetical Questions are a Trap], you caught my attention. As an interviewer, I use hypothetical questions all the time. It lets me...
View ArticleInterview for a Bad Attitude
“We always hire people for their technical skills, but we fire them for who they are.” Russell explained. “Tell me more,” I asked. “What do you mean you fire them for who they are?” “Well, they may...
View ArticleA Bad Attitude is Invisible
“So, tell me,” Russell asked, “how can we interview for a bad attitude?” “Well, let’s think about attitude,” I started. “Is attitude, particularly a bad attitude, something inside a person, perhaps...
View ArticleFour Power Questions Before the Interview
It’s all about the work. Most managers make hiring mistakes because they didn’t know what they were looking for in the first place. How to know what you are looking for? How to transform that vague...
View ArticleHow to Define Decision Making in a Role
In a role, until we identify the specific decisions to be made and specific problems to be solved, the hiring manager will never hire the right person. This is not magic. For a technician – In this key...
View ArticleMisinterpretation
“I just wish I understood people better,” Roger complained. “What do you mean?” I asked. “Sometimes, when I interview a candidate, I wish I could better interpret what they say. You know, their...
View ArticleInterviewing for Soft Skills
From the Ask Tom mailbag – Question: I attended your presentation a couple of times. At the last event, you mentioned that you would share a list of interview questions which would help us to evaluate...
View ArticleQuestions for Soft Skills
From the Ask Tom mailbag – Question: This is a follow-up on Interviewing for Soft Skills. You said to interview for behaviors connected to soft skills. Fit. How does a person who “fits” our...
View ArticleInterest, Passion, Required Behaviors
From the Ask Tom mailbag – Question: We recently had a new hire not work out, so we decided to terminate. The mistake on our end, I think, was in the Required Behaviors element, but I’m not sure. The...
View ArticleWhat Question Should We Have Asked?
Trevor was puzzled. On Monday, his new programmer, Dennis, arrived at work. Trevor waited for HR to fill this position for three long weeks. The backlog in programming the CNC machine was building and...
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