Do you know your Employability Score?

[pjp]

Ask The Headhunter: Big data in HR means big problems for job seekers

Here's Your Sign.

[porodzila]

In my business we just use google on each applicant. While my partner makes up his mind from this data I choose to take a different approach:

I leave the radio on during an interview.
I mispronounce a word or two.
I ask them questions with no right answer ( kobayashi maru style .
I ask them a question that doesn't seem relevant but actually says a lot about their character.

I feel I can judge a persons work ethic better this way than any other except :

If i find a criminal record.
If I find they have had 8 jobs in the last 8 years ( et sim. )
A reference says they are not (re)hireable
They are not eligible or able to work at one of my locations.

The interview is much more important. People are just being lazy.
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ubi primum potero, me hinc subduco.

[pjp]

[notageek]

For anyone to be employable, one has to be affordable.
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What looks like a cat, flies like a bat, brays like a donkey, and plays like a monkey?

[porodzila]

[porodzila]

Also to put this in context. This is a small part of the interview. Each candidate is interviewed by three people.

The first segment is conducted my partner and office manager who gives them a tour and grills them about the details of their resume.

My segment is conducted in the break room (where the radio is on) and centers around schedule availability and personality. I try to make them feel more comfortable by asking mostly simple questions. What was their best and worst day at work? at home? What kind of music do you like? Whats been the biggest obstacle to attaining your goals?

The third segment is conducted by the assistant manager who asks them to explain and demonstrates practical skills they will need to see if they will catch on.

Then there is a vote. This way my partner and I don't stalemate.
_________________
ubi primum potero, me hinc subduco.

[pjp]

The break room setting does make a difference. An office or other small meeting room would seem odd and deliberate. For me, the type of noise makes a difference. If it is generally quiet with a small amount of noise, that can be extremely annoying and subsequently distracting. If there's enough noise to provide a "din," then I'm OK. Also depends on mood. I've found headphones and listening to anything to make the small amount of "annoying noise" go away works well. Obviously not something that would work in factory settings, but then again, they're usually not all that quiet. There's enough machinery or something chattering away.


Fortunately I've not had many trick questions. I've had some that were borderline, and very well may have been intended more for the how of the answer than the answer itself. That's fine, but it is still a warning bell. If I don't know what kind of an answer the interviewer is looking for, then my answer is probably not going to satisfy. Answers are always contextual, and unless I know the intent, I'm probably not going to provide a satisfactory answer. Most people aren't likely to. IMO anyway. *shrug* Maybe that's the test.

My biggest interview weakness is probably not asking questions, not enough questions, or not the "right" questions. I often find that my questions get answered during the interview, and it isn't really a good idea to ask if their culture sucks. I know of no way to determine that without actually working there (or knowing someone who does).
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lolgov. 'cause where we're going, you don't have civil liberties.

In Loving Memory
1787 - 2008

[porodzila]

I haven't had to fire anybody or give any negative reviews since we started interviewing this way.
_________________
ubi primum potero, me hinc subduco.

[pjp]

Hopefully I'll never need to interview for a position :D
_________________
lolgov. 'cause where we're going, you don't have civil liberties.

In Loving Memory
1787 - 2008

[John-Boy]

[porodzila]

[John-Boy]

[porodzila]

[Muso]

Music & Films are both excellent questions. Along with their favorite H.P. Lovecraft story & which character from "The Stand" they identify with the most.

(Though, mostly to see if they would fit in)
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“If the words 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" don't include the right to experiment with your own consciousness, then the Declaration of Independence isn't worth the hemp it was written on.” ~ T. McKenna

[pjp]