Don’t interview to “Fill a position”, focus on “Solving a problem”
Artemis Consultants partners with the country’s most sought after employers helping them find talent. Our goal is to help hiring managers know how to identify and recognize which candidates will offer the greatest positive impact to their organization. For all you hiring managers out there, here is a quick assessment that will help you become an effective interviewer.
We value our relationship with our existing partners and welcome an opportunity to work with any hiring manager that is serious about finding someone that will not just “fill a position”, but “solve a problem”.
Here are the key qualities of skilled interviewers:
- 1. They understand their real needs.
- 2. They ensure candidates can come prepared.
- 3. They do more research on the candidate than the candidate does on the company.
- 4. They make the interview a conversation, not an examination.
- 5. They bring shy or nervous candidates out of their shells.
- 6. They wisely go off script.
- 7. They never take over.
- 8. They thoroughly describe the next steps.
- 9. They never fall into the “checklist trap.”
- 10. They provide closure to every candidate.
A great employee doesn’t just fill a slot on the org chart. A great employee solves at least one critical business need.
So while credentials, qualifications, and experience are important, never forget you’re not hiring a position: You’re hiring a result. You don’t need a Sales Director; you need someone who will sell. You don’t need a VP of Ops; you need someone who can produce on time.
Identify your real business need… determine what successfully meeting that need looks like, because that defines the skills and attributes you’re looking for… think about cultural fit… and tailor the interview (and everything else in your hiring process) to finding the perfect person to solve your critical business need. Otherwise you’re just wasting your time.