“Interview Jargons:  “Hard button, hot point, Hot button, Turn offs, Side line etc.”

Being an HR professional, honestly I never understood the very purpose of this question? Many a times, I put this thought across my friends who are in assessment centers and in interview panels.

But the super-progressive views on BEI or CBI were no match for the residue of a tradition that expects people to have a weakness & strength point.

At times it’s like a death blow to many interview candidates.

I have seen people covering weakness points with strengths and goofing up with “google-answers”

Probing More

I have decided to take this out from the jargon-box of Human Resources.

I have started asking people, what will you draw from these weakness points?

1. How many of you have rejected or selected candidates on the basis of this point?
2. How many of them (points) were really pertinent to the position/role/culture?
3.  How many of the points which people said- you have thought can trouble the team or the productivity?

What we find?

Most of the answers were vague. Not enough -statistical data facts to make a conclusion. Even at times they have said- I have seen this in interview guide, so I thought to ask this!

How we made it effective?

Making it short, we have facilitated our interview panel to reframe these questions. Instead of asking people weakness; we made them to think through these lines

1. What steps or plans you have taken to improve an area which you have thought will help you in future?
2. How you have measured the results and what were the root causes of the same?
3. Can you cite a plan which you have facilitated to helped your colleague to further work on his strengths or his area of development?

Results:

People came up with brilliant answers rather than typical “google-ones”. Someone have moved from last minute doer, using “google keep” sharing tasks with his team; someone started thinking about the value of his questions, before dumping all sorts of questions to the clients – which irritated his team & troubled the time factor; someone took help of Evernote to de-clutter his thoughts & actions, to focus on his daily tasks etc.

Re-framing questions changed the entire paradigm. We thought from a value perspective. It helped the candidates to open up & see it as an opportunity rather than threat. It generated new ideas & insights for us. Also it helped us to facilitate rational thinking & to draw logical conclusions towards the position competency.

–         BEI : Behavioral Event Interview

–         CBI-Competency Based Interview

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