招聘面試抓核心,三個問題試真金
????高管培訓師特里?R?培根曾經歷過讓人痛苦的面試過程。但有時,表現一塌糊涂的反倒是面試官,而不是求職者。 ????其中,有一位工程師兼項目經理,我們暫且叫他吉姆。他加入了公司的招聘委員會,平生第一次面試未來的員工。他忐忑不安,不知道該說什么,本應該由他問的問題,他也跟不上。最后,委員會對吉姆認為適合該職位的第一和第二人選都視而不見,而是選擇了另外一個人,而這個人也確實勝任這份工作。 ????培根認為:“吉姆失去了其他委員會成員的信任。像他這樣的新晉面試官,通常只能在較淺的層面對應聘人員進行了解,而不能進行深入的考察,因此無法掌握求職者在價值觀、技能、選擇或學習能力等方面的信息。”培根是光輝學院(Korn/Ferry Institute)的駐校學者,并著有《影像力要素》(Elements of Influence)一書。 ????隨著就業市場日漸轉好,招聘經理們又準備拿出他們那套老掉牙的面試技巧登臺亮相了。但對于剛剛成為面試官的人來說,他們沒有太多經驗,專家建議,在衡量求職者時,抓住重點即可。 ????喬治?布萊特是《新官上任百日行動計劃》(The New Leader's 100 Day Action Plan)一書的作者。他建議:“每次面試的時候,只需要問三個問題:你能勝任這份工作嗎?你會喜歡這份工作嗎?你能讓我們接納你,與你共事嗎?” ????換種說法,也就是:你有我們需要的技能嗎?你有足夠的動力嗎?你是否適合這個崗位?不論是招賢納士的面試官,還是努力推銷自己的求職者,都應在面試中將這三方面視為最關鍵的部分。 你有我們需要的技能嗎? ????關于技能或能力,求職者的簡歷肯定講得非常清楚。但在面試過程中,面試官可以讓求職者用自己以往的經歷來證明自己能夠達到面試官的要求。 ????培根稱:“面試官想要知道的關鍵是求職者過去所取得的成功。最理想的情況是,應聘者的條件恰好與公司所要求的條件完全吻合。”這通常很難,而且對應聘者來說,可能有些不公正。 ????假如一位求職者曾是一名經理,但他是在不同的行業或規模更小的公司擔任過這樣的職務。這時,面試官可能想知道這個人的學習能力如何——他或她之前是否有過“在逆境中被迫拓展”并取得了成功的經歷,。 ????而作為求職者,則需要仔細傾聽,確認雇主所期望的能力——除了要展示出招聘廣告中所需要的能力之外,還要對應聘的職位進行調查。 ????高管職業教練、《絕處逢生——找到理想的工作》(Get the Job You Want, Even When No One's Hiring)一書的作者福特?R?邁爾斯表示:“如果求職者詢問雇主的需求、問題和挑戰,他們通常都會如實相告。這時就要豎起耳朵仔細聽:抓住那些描述能力的字眼。” ????例如,邁爾斯建議,如果面試官希望招聘一位做事井井有條或者長于分析的人,求職者就可以描述自己的經歷,證明自己在這方面的能力。求職者應該提前寫出這些事例,反復練習,以簡潔的方式闡明自己的觀點。 ????他說道:“這就像是在作畫一樣。講故事確實很有市場。只要你的故事合乎邏輯,而且是真實的,就不會讓人覺得是在吹噓自己。” 你是否充滿成功的動力? ????或許,你曾經有過這樣的同事,他的能力做某些工作綽綽有余,卻缺乏追求卓越的動力,甚至在幾個月之后就辭職了。對于任何招聘經理來說,這就是一場噩夢,不論面試官是新手還是老手,都會盡量避免這樣的情況發生。 ????在評估求職者的積極性時,面試官應該仔細分析求職者對職位和公司的理解,以及他或她提前做了哪些功課,效果如何。 ????培根稱:“他們是否對我們做了充分的調查?他們是否對我們感興趣?如果你問他們是否對這份工作充滿了激情,他們必然會做出肯定回答。”針對他們在應聘崗位上可能面臨的挑戰,對他們提出一些問題。從他們的回答中,可以觀察到他們是臨時做出的倉促回答,還是提前已經做到了深思熟慮。 ????而對于求職者而言,要想展示自己的激情,必須提前準備,做好功課。求職者還需要說明應聘的職位與自己的職業規劃的契合程度,以及喜歡這家公司的原因。 ????培根建議:“對于自己當前的位置和未來希望達到的高度,要深思熟慮。”培根還建議在恰當的時候可以提及關于公司的媒體報道或新聞。“要證明自己確實真心投入。在我看來,與其他方面相比,這一點更能為求職者加分。” ????邁爾斯建議,求職者應該問一些關于上司、公司、企業文化和價值觀等更加深入的、明智的問題,而不是問“我什么時候可以上班?”或者“能給我多少工資?” 你是最適合的人選嗎? ????在這三個問題中,是否“適合”最難確定。這在一定程度上是因為,一千個老板就會有一千種標準。 ????培根稱:“這絕對是一門藝術。你心目中的那個人是否具備公司的核心價值觀。他們的職業道德和工作作風能否融入公司?他們對于如何開展業務及如何與他人合作的看法,是否與你一致?” ????如果可能的話,可以將求職者介紹給公司當前的員工,觀察他們如何互動,并且可以在事后聽取員工的反饋。他認為:“這就像是化學反應一樣。” ????求職者一定要慎重選擇推薦材料,確保資料能充分說明自己就是公司最合適的人選。戴爾?卡耐基公司(Dale Carnegie & Associates)董事長兼CEO彼得?韓鐸表示:“推薦材料無法表明我充滿激情和動力,但它們至少可以說明我的個性和我的團隊精神。” ????翻譯:劉進龍/汪皓 |
????Executive coach Terry R. Bacon has seen his share of painful job interviews. But sometimes the wince-inducing performance comes from the interviewer, not the candidate. ????In one case, an engineer and project manager -- call him Jim -- joined a hiring committee for his first-ever experience interviewing prospective employees. He felt unsure about what to say and couldn't follow up the questions he was assigned to ask. The committee ended up bypassing Jim's first and second choices for the position and selecting a person who did succeed in the role. ????"Jim lost some credibility with other hiring committee members," says Bacon, a scholar in residence at the Korn/Ferry Institute and author of Elements of Influence. "Novice interviewers like Jim often accept the initial response without doing the kind of probing that reveals more insight about the candidate's values, skills, choices, or learning agility." ????As the job market slowly begins to pick up, hiring managers are breaking out their creaky interviewing skills. For the many people thrown into the new role of interviewer with little or no preparation, experts suggest keeping the focus narrow when weighing candidates. ????"There are only three interview questions in every job interview," says George Bradt, a consultant and author of The New Leader's 100 Day Action Plan. "Can you do the job? Will you love the job? Can we tolerate working with you?" ????In other words: Do you have the skills, motivation, and fit for this position? For both hiring managers selecting a new employee and job candidates looking to sell themselves, these are the three most important elements to demonstrate. Do you have the skills? ????When it comes to skills or strengths, a candidate's resume will begin to tell the story. But in the interview itself, you can draw out examples of how the person's track record demonstrates the capacity to accomplish what you need in the open position. ????"The key thing you look for there is success in a past experience," says Bacon. "The ideal is when somebody has an exact match with what you're looking for." Often though, it can be a bit oblique. ????Say a candidate was a manager, but in a different industry or smaller organization. In such a case, you'll want to look for evidence that the person is an agile learner -- that he or she has been forced to stretch in the past and succeeded. ????As a job seeker, you'll need to listen carefully to identify the skills the employer wants -- in addition to lining up your strengths with those desired in the job ad and doing research on the position. ????"If you ask an employer about their needs, problems and challenges, the employer will generally tell you," says Ford R. Myers, an executive career coach and author of Get the Job You Want, Even When No One's Hiring. "Then listen carefully for the key words: strength words." ????For instance, if the interviewer wants someone very organized or highly analytical, you'll want to tell a story that demonstrates that strength. You should write out these stories in advance and practice telling them in a succinct way that makes the point clearly, Myers says. ????"You're painting a picture," he says. "Stories really sell. The stories are never bragging, they're never boasting, if they're accurate and true." Are you motivated to succeed? ????You've probably worked with someone who had all the skills necessary for a given job but lacked motivation to excel or even quit after a few months. This is the nightmare scenario that every hiring manager, novice or pro, desperately wants to avoid. ????When evaluating a job candidate's motivation, interviewers should look at how deeply the individual understands the position and organization, and how well he or she has done homework in advance. ????"Have they done enough research on us and are they interested in us? If you ask them, are they highly motivated for this job, of course they're going to say, yes," says Bacon. Ask specific questions about the challenges the person would face in the position, and look for whether he's answering on the fly or has given some thought to the issue ahead of time. ????To demonstrate motivation a candidate must prepare in advance by doing this research. You also need to tell a compelling story of how this position fits with your career plans, and why the organization appeals to you. ????"Be thoughtful about where you are and where you're going," says Bacon, who also advises mentioning recent media coverage or news about the organization when relevant. "Show that you're really engaged. That does more for job candidates in my view than just about anything else." ????Myers advises asking deep, intelligent questions about the supervisor, company, culture, and values, not things like "When do I start?" or "What's the salary?" Are you a good fit? ????Fit is the toughest of the three questions, in part because it's unique to each employer. ????"That requires real art in my view," Bacon says. "What you're looking for there is whether this person has the values that are really central to your organization. Do they have the kind of work ethic and work style which is going to fit? Are they compatible with your view of how business is done and how people work together?" ????If possible, introduce the candidates to existing employees and observe how they interact, as well as getting feedback from your staff afterwards. "It's about chemistry," he says. ????Job seekers should be sure to select references who will sell you as an excellent fit with the organization. "The references can't communicate that I'm motivated," says Peter Handal, chairman and CEO of Dale Carnegie & Associates, "but they certainly can communicate my personality and how I would be a team player." |