Probing Interviews

Don D

I often tell managers that I can get just about anything out of an interviewee. Proved it again yesterday. One of the senior managers interviewed the guy first. Spent over an hour and a half with him (time wasted). I already knew I wouldn't recommend him. Arrived at that conclusion when I met him in the lobby and introduced myself. Size 'em up quick sometimes, don't we? In the first five minutes of my discussion with him, almost before his chair got to body temperature, I knew he was recovering, which is fine; got him to admit he was defrauding the UI system while drawing for over a year and working cash jobs; forced him to tell me the worst thing he had ever done in an employment setting and listened to him tell me he was an honest, God-fearing man (the same guy who is stealing from the UI system). Oh, the question I sprung on him about the worst thing you've ever done in an employment setting...he admitted he is on a two year, non-adjudicated probation. Asked him what for. Wouldn't say. Told me he'd rather not tell me. Told him I'd rather he did tell me. He says, "Well, since it's non-adjudicated, you can't use it against me, but, I got laid off and they said I called in a bomb threat to the factory; but, you can't use that, I'm an honest God-fearin' man and I'm recoverin' and you can't use that since I volunteered it and I don't remember doin' it anyway 'cause I fell off the wagon. I thanked him for his time.

Sunny

Wow - your gut was certainly right on this one and your Company dodged the bullet. Good job. I usually screen before I let the managers interview - saves everyone time. On the occasions when they have overridden my negative recommendation they were invariably regretful. Like you, I've been doing this for many years and can usually obtain information that bears out my gut feeling.

Don D

Normally I would have spent time with the candidate first, but was knee deep in an environmental/safety audit and passed him off to a manager. As it worked out, the interviewing manager saved MY time. He needed something to do though.

marc

Great story. I am curious how you got him to admit to a felony? I admire a great line of questioning.

Also, do you do anything more with the crime admission?

Don D

I may find a way to drop a hint about the crime involving unemployment fraud. He's already been before the judge on the other, that's why it's determined to be a non-adjuticated two year probation. I asked him to tell me about the dumbest thing he had ever done on a job or related to a job. We just stared each other down until he saw me look at my watch. Then he began to twitch and moved over on the other cheek. I knew I had him then. I can't reveal my tactics but I put him at ease and told him it would be OK, that he could feel OK about sharing anything related to his past employment. When he said he wouldn't reveal the details and I let him know the interview would be over if he couldn't be totally honest about his past employment, he rolled it all out, like a break in the dam. I told him all I was interested in were the details of his past employment and the question I had just asked him to answer. He told me he was a Mason, a member of a particular group, a believer in God, an honest man, a good person, a recovering alcoholic, was committing UI fraud and a 'non-adjudicated bomb reporter', THEN HE ASKED ME IF I WERE ANY OF THOSE. I think he wanted to bond. I told him, "The only thing you need to know about me is that I'm the personnel manager here". He may be one hell of a maintenance mechanic, but I'll never find out.

marc

Thanks for sharing that. Very well done, I admire the skills you have described. I especially liked your descriptions of the "stare down" where you have been comfortable waiting for the applicant to speak, not having to fill the silence with more talk or additional information. One treatise I read many years ago advanced the premise that he who speaks first loses. The tactic you describe sounds like some corollary (sp?).

njjel

Sounds to me like the applicant needs a shrink - not a job.

Paul in Cannon Beach

Don is right about sizing people up quick. In HR, you better have that skill or learn to develop it because you don't always have the luxury of time when a decision needs to be made. I would guess that most of us who survive for any length of time in HR have pretty well developed intuition.

I feel the interview starts the very first moment the applicant makes contact with me and it doesn't stop until a decision has been made. I make allowances for people that seem nervous but my radar never gets turned off.

I am the gate keeper and if you want the privilege of serving with our organization, you have to get by me first.

Paul in Cannon Beach

TN HR

BINGO! I have developed my own technique over the years as well. I favor informal, probing, wear-your-shield-down conversation prior to moving to the more structured part of the interview.

I too, like Don D, always get candidates to spill the beans. My claim to fame happened several years ago when I was interviewing am ammonia refrigeration mechanic. He revealed that he was a recovering addict (no biggie), had been convicted of a misdemeanor, which he later admitted was really a felony, gave me an alias on his application and resume because he had a warrant out on him for violating his probation and wanted to work under an assumed identity so the authorities would not find him.

The interview was short-lived when the probation officers burst through the door (I had excused myself during the interview and called law enforcement officials), hand-cuffed him, hog-tied him, and carried him out kicking and screaming. These guys were brutal! He almost got a wooden shampoo (read billy club to the head) by one of the officers.

OK, enough, I got carried away, sorry. My point WAS that I agree that as HR professionals, we need to develop those soft skills and intuitive "gut feelings" about people. After all, people are our business.

Gene

Crout

Ok Don, where's the rest of the story? You left out the part where you had a pistol held to his head as you asked the questions....or maybe it just seems that way.