Look for a fit
After resumes suggest who makes it to the interview phase, look for more signals that indicate a good match.
Before you start scheduling appointments, spend more time preparing by revisiting the job description.
“When individuals are interviewing an individual, they have that position description in front of them,” Boone says. “I ask them to make sure they reread it before they start the interview so they’re asking questions against the specs.
“What happens with many organizations is they don’t nail down exactly what they’re looking for to begin with. Then they start interviewing people and — the old saying, ‘When you don’t know where you’re going, any road will do’ — they’re not exactly sure what they’re looking for. Then something really catches your eye and you tend to ignore some of the other things that would demonstrat
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that this person isn’t the best fit for that role.”
Similarly, make sure candidates have done their homework with the job description. To gauge their preparedness, Boone asks why they’d be a good fit for the role.
“I’ve had people actually hand me typed papers where they’ve taken the job descriptions and, under each bullet, they’ve typed — maybe in a different color — why they think they’re an excellent fit for that role,” he says. “Other people just articulate it. But the key is being very specific on what you’re looking for and then having that person interview to the specifics. Then the results increase dramatically for success.”
Boone spends the first 10 or 15 minutes discussing the position, filling in details that may not have been covered by the description.
“There is no opportunity at any company that’s all hunky-dory and high fives,” he says. “There are going to be negatives in any position. Most people would like to know the good, bad and ugly. You have to establish a bond of honesty and integrity on both sides of the desk.”
So, for example, Boone shares CORESTAFF’s aspirations and potential roadblocks. He also drills into specifics about the position’s potential for helping the company overcome obstacles, illustrating that the candidate would play an important role in achieving success.
By starting with that mutually familiar topic of the position, Boone hopes to relax candidates.
“You have to ask open-ended questions, certainly things that don’t generate a ‘yes’ or a ‘no,’ to get them talking,” he says. “You want to create an environment where they feel comfortable speaking. If someone is in that mode, sometimes they may say something they inadvertently didn’t mean to say if they had been more guarded.”
Then the questioning begins. Boone asks about candidates’ proudest professional achievements and how they handled challenges, adversity and failure. Whether they overcame it or it overtook them, you can reap valuable insights about their demeanor and how they learn from experiences.
“Ask and then be quiet,” he says. “Too many senior executives, if it’s an hour interview, they will spend 40 to 45 minutes talking. That is a huge mistake. The candidate should be doing the vast majority of the speaking.”
Obviously, listen to their responses but also stay keen to clues beyond the audible answers.
“First, it’s just body language,” Boone says. “When someone comes through the door, … the first thing to look at is just their demeanor, their approach to you, their style. Do they have energy in their voice? Are they pretty excited about being there? Are they somewhat defeated?”
Then, piece things together. Don’t be afraid to put candidates to the consistency test, using them to check their own claims.
“If you say, ‘I increased sales 150 percent when I was vice president of sales at XYZ company,’ then I say, ‘Tell me how you did that. What specifically did you do versus the other individuals?’” Boone says. “Just keep boring down into more and more specific information and see if this person can ride with you.
“People that have done what they say can match you toe-to-toe as you go through that interviewing process. People that may have been on the periphery of something and not really in the decision-making part will run out of steam at some point.”
If candidates get fuzzy when you push for details, red flags should shoot up. Boone also looks for consistency when he compares the written reports of everyone who interviews a candidate — which usually includes him, his senior vice president of human resources and peers to the position.
