For those of you who don’t know Zappos, they are an online shoe/accessories store. The beauty of Zappos is their open communication- public and private. The company is incredibly present on twitter, with the CEO frequently posting about the daily happenings at the company.
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Thanks to HR Wench for posting this info!
“CEOs around the country have come together to encourage their employees to take an hour on November 4 and go vote.”
Are you encouraging your employees to take time off to vote tomorrow?
How is this for a layoff story?
The company is small and the layoff was minimal, so there was no official notice. The week before the actual layoff, the employee, “Sam”, was talking with co-workers. One co-worker mentioned they were surprised to be working on a new project with “XYZ Company”. This was Sam’s client and through the conversation, Sam realized the project discussed was her project. In asking questions, Sam discovered that not only had her manager told the co-worker they would be on the new project, the project database, accessible to all employees, had been updated with the same information.
Do you stick to the standard interview questions?
Do you read through someone’s resume asking questions about past jobs?
Do you sit across from them at a desk or conference room table?
Do you interview alone, or with multiple people in the room?
On average, how many interviews does someone go through before you make them an offer?
IDEAS
Ask Non-Standard Questions
I am a firm believer (and practitioner) of going outside the standard/norm. Asking questions that throw off the interviewee gives me a glimpse into the real person. And, in general, I rarely go over their resume in the first interview. It got them in the door, but I want to learn more about the actual person who wants to join the team. Fit is so important, especially when working on a team.
Ask Questions That Test Qualities You Desire
One manager I worked with tended to challenge candidates during the interview to see how they handled conflict. He would make an obviously wrong statement, then see if they would respond or tell him he was wrong. (Only about 50% did so.) The purpose behind this approach was specific to the team- it was a problem solving team, so any hires would need to be able to debate, challenge and engage their peers and manager.
Gauge Actual Interest
One of the most important questions I ask in an interview is “Tell me what you know about this company”. If the person is serious in their interest, I expect them to have at least a general understanding of the company, to have looked through the website and be able to tell me some basic facts. Although I continue the interview beyond that question, those who say “I don’t know” or get it completely wrong usually don’t make it to a second. The interest, passion and desire to learn are just not present.
Find Out What Motivates Them
I will often ask what about a job makes the candidate excited to go to work everyday. Some give answers relating to contributing, learning, making a difference. Sadly, I also hear “getting a paycheck”. (yes, people are sometimes that honest) If a person’s prime motivator is simply a paycheck, do you want them on your team?
Make Sure More Than One Person Interviews a Candidate
Some people are better at gauging a candidate’s fit, some are better at uncovering job-specific skills. Making sure at least 2 different people interview a candidate during the process ensures a broader scope of skills and fit are covered.
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