Get Food & Beverage Job Candidates to Drop Their Interview Mask

July 5, 2016 in HR Best Practices

 

 

Candidates hiding behind pat interview responses?

Playing games or clamming up?

Today’s professional food & beverage candidates are prepared. Savvy. And experts in controlling what you learn about them.

How can you be sure you’re getting (the whole) truth?

3 Ways to Get Candidates to “Drop their Masks” for Interview Responses

Below, Kinsa shares the right questions to ask – and the right way to ask them – to learn what you really need to know about your food & beverage candidates:

Ask Revealing Interview Questions

Like you, candidates find standard interview questions pointless and tedious – so why waste time asking them? Cut to the chase with these exceptionally revealing interview questions that breakthrough a candidate’s “interview facade”:

  1. Imagine we’re sitting here a year from now celebrating what a great first year it’s been for you in this role. What did we achieve together?
  2. Describe the project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career.
  3. What things do you not like to do – and why?
  4. Why have you held (X) amount of jobs in (Y) years?

For more insightful questions and a full explanation of what each will reveal, read the full post.

Ask Interview Questions that Prompt Discussion

In a job seeker’s market, it’s important for you to understand a candidate’s true motivations and career goals. At the same time, you must also position your opportunity as a smart career move. Customize these engaging interview questions and use them to evaluate a candidate’s interview responses as a fit within your organization while showing the food & beverage professional what’s in it for them:

  1. Tell me about your career progression to this point.  How did you wind up in your most recent role?
  2. What needs to change with your current employer for you to consider staying put? -or-  Why have you chosen to pursue this position with our organization?
  3. How would this opportunity help your future career progression or help you build your resume?
  4. If you accepted this role, how would you explain the position to a potential employer five years from now?

To find out what these questions reveal – as well as the best ways to sell your opportunity – read the full post.

Use Proven Follow up and Probing Techniques for Better Interview Responses

Savvy job seekers can be pretty tough nuts to crack. If you’re hearing “canned” responses, use these probing techniques to dig deeper, clarify responses and get more complete answers:

  1. Be an active listener. Take notes on what requires clarification or additional information.
  2. Restate the question. If the interviewee goes off on a tangent and fails to adequately answer your primary question, don’t hesitate to politely repeat it, using slightly different language.
  3. Validate an answer’s accuracy. Use the journalists’ “top five” (who, what, when, where, and why) questions to distinguish between “canned” responses and authentic ones.
  4. Probe for contrary evidence. If you receive a positive response to a question, ask for reverse information to prevent candidates from giving rehearsed answers.
  5. Do not lead a candidate. As you ask follow-up questions, make sure that the way you phrase them doesn’t clue the candidate in as to what the best interview responses are. Keep probes neutral and open-ended.

For more detailed advice on each of these tips, read the full post.

Kinsa Group – A Better Way to Hire Food & Beverage Professionals

As a national food & beverage recruiter, Kinsa has the resources and interviewing expertise to deliver executive and c-level food & beverage professionals with the skills, experience, and personality to thrive in your organization. Our professionally trained interviewers are experts at uncovering a candidate’s true talents, personality, and motivations – to ensure the long-term success of your next hire.