2 ways to uncover top talent in an interview

Guest blog by Ariel Halevi, CEO of Choozer 

Attitude, character, emotional intelligence, values… these are things you should be looking for when considering applicants for open positions in your company. While education (or more accurately, certification) and previous experience are crucial prerequisites for specific professions, these parameters are not the most important indicators of success for top candidates.

Here are 2 things you should be evaluating during a job interview (and how you should be evaluating them):

1. “Problem Oriented” or “Solution Oriented”

Problem oriented people tend to live in the past and in the present. They see reality through the prism of problems and obstacles they face. When asked why they need certain tools or resources, their answer will usually be a description of these problems and obstacles. Solution oriented people on the other hand tend to live in the future. They have goals and aspirations and are mostly target oriented. When asked why they need certain tools or resources, their answer will usually start with a description of the value these will enable them to yield, in context of the problems and obstacles that need to be overcome in order to get there.

To discover which of these two mindsets best represent the person sitting in front of you in an interview, simply ask them to which cause they would donate $1M dollars and why. If their answer to the “why” is a description of the current negative state of affairs or injustice — they are likely to be problem oriented. If, on the other hand, their answer is a description of their vision of the positive impact this donation would bring — then they are likely to be solution oriented people. Solution oriented people tend to do well in leadership positions and are generally better at handling crises and tough challenges.

What I have found valuable in this question is that it takes people by surprise, giving you great visibility into their mindset and values.

2. Self-awareness and organizational awareness

“I’m a perfectionist” has become the standard joke of an answer to the “What’s your major weakness?” question. And yet, the right follow up question to this “cop out” of an answer can serve you well. The original reason behind this question is to see if the person is aware of his/her shortcomings. People who are aware of their weaknesses are more likely to openly invest in improving and finding ways of compensating for them through collaboration and team work. Another way of achieving this objective is by shifting from questions that draw “descriptive” answers (I’m a perfectionist is a description of the person) to questions that draw analytical answers, placing the focus on the “cost” of this weakness . For instance, “Give me a few examples of how your being a perfectionist has impeded your performance and harmed the company you worked for?” This could be followed by “Give me some examples of how you’ve gone about mitigating this weakness and gradually eradicating it.” These questions make the weakness real and force the person sitting in front of you to demonstrate a broader perspective and understanding of the detrimental impact of this weakness. Failure to answer this question properly and comprehensively could show a failure to think the issue through or a tendency to overlook the broader perspective of the interviewee’s own shortcomings. Hiring candidates who do not deal with their own shortcomings in a constructive manner could have dire consequences for team work and overall collaboration in the workplace.

Specific skills and procedures can be learned. Professional content or data pertaining specifically to your company or a given job opening can be transferred very quickly via well-designed on-boarding processes (and are rarely provided for during academic certification or even previous experience). Changing a person’s mindset and emotional awareness however, is much harder. Companies that do not hire well based on these parameters, end up spending tremendous resources on leadership and teamwork training.

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