December 17, 2008
Advanced interview strategies
And how to say goodbye to under-performers
By: Tom Gegax
In our November issue, we took a look at basic interview essentials to take the guesswork out of hiring.
We covered nine important items on our interview checklist — mission, vision and values; job history; drive and ingenuity; integrity; judgment; ambition; personality; self-analysis and compensation.
In this article, we’ll examine some more advanced methods of choosing the perfect candidate for an open position at your dealership.
Interview techniques
Asking the candidates about their past jobs and money, let alone poking around under the psychic hood, is not enough.
Sometimes, candidates hide behind pat answers and the impulse is to move on to a new question. Instead, soldier on. The greater the resistance to answering a question, the more important it is to question the answer. Keep going deeper.
Here are two techniques to squeeze even more information out of an interview:
Funnel Down Technique: If she hesitates, whether from pondering the question or not wanting to share the answer, it might be tempting to fill in the silence. Don’t. An awkward pause (and I’ve seen them go on for an eternity) usually gives way to a valuable outpouring of information. Thanks to the Funnel Down Technique, I quickly terminated an interview with “Janet” and saved both of us valuable time.
Me: How did you like your last position, Janet?
Janet: Oh, it was okay.
Me: Was there anything about it you didn’t like?
Janet: No, I liked it all right. It was pretty good.
Me: There was nothing at all you didn’t like?
Janet: Well, maybe my boss.
Me: Well, bosses can be that way. What didn’t you like about him?
Janet: He was too requiring.
Me: What do you mean, too requiring?
Janet: Oh, he really worked me hard.
Me: Yeah, sometimes bosses can do that. How many hours a week did he want you to work?
Janet: Forty!
Me: Forty, huh? (Red light. After a few more questions, it was a wrap.) Well, it’s been good talking to you, Janet. I wish you luck in your job search.
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