Comments on: The Most Powerful Questions That Recruiting…Never Asks

By: Eric Schifone

Eric Schifone — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:08:48 +0000

True... Any strong recruiting department should have a structured series of qualifying questions such as these. It is a recruiters due diligence so they can not only qualify the candidate but also refine their recruiting process to reduce incidences of process failure. InovaHire.com

By: Determining the Correct Source of Hire: the First Step in Recruiting Excellence : ERE.net

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:32:22 +0000

[...] Note: other powerful recruiting questions that you should be asking can be found here. [...]

By: Sung Kim

Sung Kim — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:38:20 +0000

Well written piece. Strong work.

By: Amie Wallace

Amie Wallace — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:17:09 +0000

We don’t really know why people take jobs do we? They either do or they don’t. Is it any of our business really the whys and wherefores? In recruitment it doesn’t really matter, if you say you need to information gather to find out why someone did or didn’t take a job to become more successful then YOU will need to do this. You set the parameters. Equally one could find just as much evidence to back the fact that you don’t need to ‘do’ any of this to be more successful. You level of success is set in your head, it comes from you, not you trying to manipulate or control a process. So you’ll either ask the right questions or you won’t depends where you’ve decided to pitch your sucess levels in your head.
Recruitment is creative – it’s the perfect job to experiment with alchemy.

By: Stephen Lowisz

Stephen Lowisz — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:54:28 +0000

Great article John! I think is would be appropriate to add a few additional questions, especially if you are really dealing with top talent that is currently employed. Its not enough to ask a candidate what the three thing are that would make the new apportunity superior to their current role. Remember, as consumers or candidates we buy emotionally and justify rationally. Marketers understand this concept by drawing us to buy their product even if we are happy with the product we already own.

In the same way, it is important to understand the emotional side of the candidate by understanding both the “points of pain” and the “points of pleasure” that the candidate has. Understanding what they do like about their current or previous role is just as important as finding out how their current role could be improved. If they rattle off 10 items they really like about their current role and we only focus on the three things they don’t, the control of their emotions will often remain with their current employer.

Asking probing questions like: Why have you stayed there this long? What keeps you there today? etc will provide you with the ammunition needed to properly present the opportunity. Driving down the emotional path, if you start with the “points of pleasure” and present your opportunity addressing those first and then address the “points of pain” you have a much higher chance of getting them to buy the position emotionally – It reduces the importance of the rational – usually in the form of compensation!

By: James Weston

James Weston — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:12:05 +0000

Valuable insight, as always Dr Sullivan.

Regarding the concerns about asking questions, the simple way may be to ask the most important one of all: “Is it alright if we have a candid conversation so we don’t waste anyone’s time? This may involve asking some probing questions, which don’t have to be answered. But I trust you’d agree that knowing is better than not knowing, right?” Of course, it can be shorter. The point is to have an upfront contract wherein each person can get the facts upon which to make the best decision.

For me, it’s often my own head-trash that prevents me from asking the questions that the candidate actually enjoys answering.

By: Felix Velez

Felix Velez — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:58:01 +0000

Great Article. One that I would share when I land my next job. Also, some great tips for me as a job seeker.
I have ask some of these questions in the past and I obtained some great results!

By: Merlynn Bertini

Merlynn Bertini — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:32:40 +0000

A really great article. However, I would add one additional question to the list, “How will you respond once your current company is aware you have another offer and presents a counter-offer?” I have found asking this question early on, not only prepares the candidate but also allows the recruiter to better position her/him-self in the process.

One strategy I have used is to have the candidate consider, “why would a company only be concerned with rentention when its employees’ have an offer”?

Merlynn Bertini

By: Ronald Katz

Ronald Katz — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:01:32 +0000

Dr. John,
Thanks for your response to my concern. Please understand, I am not saying that we shouldn’t ask the question, just that we tread carefully in this area. Perhaps I’ve spent too much time in Employee Relations as well as Staffing and have dealt with litigation around interviews and terminations (though I am not an attorney).

I fully support the idea that HR needs to fully join the 21st century in how business is done. I also recognize that if I ask the candidate who they’ll consult and they start rattling off several clergy people, psychiatrists and parole officers and then for some reason the offer is rescinded, that company is potentially going to be in hot water.

I like the idea of using the question, I just wanted to alert our readers that they need to be prepared for the answer, and how to deal with and use the information. We’re in agreement, I just get a little more conservative than you when getting close to potentially personal or revealing information. Maybe it’s because I’m on the east coast and you’re on the west!

Thanks again for the thought provoking and challenging article. We do need to keep pushing the envelope to improve our processes and that’s what you’re urging us to do.
Ron Katz
Penguin HR Consulting

By: Links 03/31/2009

Links 03/31/2009 — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:29:42 +0000

[...] The Most Powerful Questions That Recruiting…Never Asks : ERE.net [...]

By: Susan Walls

Susan Walls — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:03:26 +0000

Great article, John. I am not an HR professional, but rather a hiring manager. With the desire for HR to be “business partners” with operating areas of their companies, it is imperative to gather and understand the answers to the questions you pose. Every company wants to hire the “best and brightest” and without fully understanding why people join/leave the organization the want may never become reality.

By: Dr John Sullivan

Dr John Sullivan — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:40:23 +0000

Ron

Asking questions always has potential downsides but in my experience, there has literally been no resistance to asking these types of questions providing that the reason for them is fully explained. The consequences of not having a feedback loop far outweigh the potential problems.

The whole world lives in an information age; it’s time for HR to become a full member.

John Sullivan

By: Deborah Lange

Deborah Lange — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:36:10 +0000

Excellent piece which I will share with my colleagues for our continuous improvement efforts. Thanks very much, and thanks to Ron for pointing out the potential negative regarding the personal information. I do find that candidates share this information without my having to inquire, thankfully.

Thanks again for sharing your wisdom!

Deborah Lange
Brookhaven National Laboratory

By: Ronald Katz

Ronald Katz — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:31:56 +0000

Dr. John, another insightful piece. Most recruiters don’t have the guts or gumption to ask these questions, yet this is the only way we’ll improve our process or reduce turnover. My only concern is the question of candidates of who they’ll consult prior to the final decision.

The potential is there to discover some personal information. As the offer has been made at this point, the company is most likely protected from any accusations of discrimination, but I could imagine some candidates being uncomfortable with the question. I fully understand the rationale for asking it, but this question, like all the others, needs to be handled very carefully.

Thank you once again for holding up a mirror for us all to look into.
Ron Katz
Penguin HR Consulting

By: Todd Noebel

Todd Noebel — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:48:29 +0000

This is spot-on! Having worked on the agency side before moving to corporate I find it interesting that some of the topics that we considered “must ask” on the agency side are often not anywhere on the radar for corporate recruiting.

Oddly, I now find that I am having to prod some of the agencies looking to partner with our firm to ask these kinds of questions so that they can provide better candidates to us. In other words, I need them to do more then push paper at me to fill a role.

The article points out the need to think in terms of broader implications then simply fillig the role and closing the req.