Topgrading

I’ve had the chance to sit with a lot of new Topgrading interviewers over the past several months and there is one piece of advice that was given to almost all of them.  (…and it didn’t matter if it was their first or 20th interview!)

The advice is to stick to the script in the Topgrading Interview Guide.  Too often, new Topgrading interviewers are too creative, rewording questions so as not to sound monotonous.  Rewording can result in not getting the information you need.  For example, asking, “What were some things you learned in that job?” instead of asking, “What mistakes did you make in that job?” gives the interviewee an easy way to dodge the “mistakes” issue and give you a positive answer when you were looking for a situation that did not go so well.

Another mistake is allowing the interviewee to lead the interview by saying something such as, “So, tell me about the Senior Accounting position at United Industries,” and then letting the interviewee tell them what they want to tell the interviewer.  In that case, you lose control of the interview and usually won’t get the information you need to make a good hiring decision. 

Asking the same questions about each job makes your job as an interviewer a lot easier.  You can save your mental energy for figuring out what follow-up quesitons to ask, rather than trying to figure out how to word every question.  You remain in control of the interview, guiding your interviewee through the telling of their story, so you are sure to get the information you need.

Asking the same questions about each job is easier for the interviewee too.  After the first job, they know what questions to expect and what types of information you expect from them.  They are put at ease, resulting in your getting more and better information easier.

If you were to listen to several Topgrading Professionals interview, you would hear us asking the same questions in the same way for every interview.  The Topgrading Interview Guide is set up the way it is currently because it is the most effective way to get thousands of data points about 50 competencies in a relatively short time (4 hours or less).  Ask the questions in the recommended order and stick to the wording…because they work!