Are You Challenging Job Candidates with Adversity in an Interview?
No matter how hard you try to get to know a job candidate during an interview, the entire situation is stilted, formal and full of premeditated questions and responses.
In order to get the information you need from a candidate, you may have to challenge them with some adversity to see how they react. The idea is – we are often pushed to make decisions under pressure on the job, and you need to know how a person will respond in this type of situation.
One way to challenge your candidate
If, during an interview, you have a candidate in front of you who may be “on the bubble” when it comes to making the cut – you can find out how they respond when challenged by telling them you “don’t see them fitting into the company.”
Average and substandard candidates will typically fold. However, a candidate with a Type A personality will push back against this initial rejection. You want candidates that believe in themselves and want to be a part of what the company stands for. Telling them you “don’t see it working” will only inspire these people to argue that they do belong at your company.
Gimmick or great technique?
Telling a candidate he or she doesn’t look like a good fit might sound like a gimmick or ‘gotcha’ question – but it’s these kinds of uncomfortable questions that do the best job of probing for information.
Seeing how a candidate handles rejection can be particularly valuable when hiring for positions that involve sales. Sales men and women must be able to handle rejection several times a day and keep pushing forward. By creating an adverse situation in the job interview, you are essentially asking a candidate to sell you on the idea of hiring them.
Creating adversity through rejection can also be important when hiring for non-sales positions. Let’s face it: Occasionally, you or someone else in the company will come up with a bad idea. You need to have some people on staff with the confidence to push back on what they see as a bad idea and work toward and even better solution.
Finding a superstar
Qualified candidates can perform a routine job and contribute on a satisfactory level. However, when production ramps up or a crisis hits, you need one or two superstars to step up and take charge.
And that’s what creating adversity in a job interview is all about – finding your next superstar. Creating adversity may not come naturally at first. You will have to develop your own style and technique, which means a few bumps along the way. However, refining your interview process with a dash of adversity will only make your company more valuable in the long run.
If you are currently looking to hire the best possible match for your open job position, feel free to contact the supply chain recruiters at ZDA. We have access to a range of talent fully capable of meeting your needs.
