INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Here is how to go about getting answers to our three basic questions.

What have you done?

It is at this stage you find out what experience and qualifications the person has. For a very technical area there are certain technical skills that are essential. We look for people who describe their career in terms of milestones or achievements, that is project-oriented people. Typical questions are:

• What was the greatest moment of your life?

• Tell me the three things you've enjoyed doing most in your life.

• What was your biggest setback?

Things to look for are:

• Punchy replies “ the person tells you the answer, gives you what you asked for and shuts up. Rambling replies make me very edgy, as they seem to me to be indicative of a jumbled or unstructured sort of mind.

• A feeling that the person has pushed through difficulties to get a job done.

What do you want to do?

The key question. All along we have talked of harnessing people's personal objectives to enable us to make our project happen. If the person doesn't know what they want, then I will almost always not hire them. If they don't know what they want, then how can you use them in your project “ it may not be what they want?

Obviously, I won't just ask the bald question and if they can't answer kick them out. I'm prepared to probe, and have done so to an excruciating degree on occasions. However, at the end of the day, you have to winkle it out of them. Incredibly, this can sometimes be the first time they realized what they want to do. We ask questions like:

• What do you definitely not want?

• If you could pick any job in the world what would it be?

• How would you like your career to go?

• What drives you?

• Are you a task-oriented or people-oriented person?

• What do you do in your leisure time?

• What would someone else say about you “ a former boss, your girlfriend? It almost doesn't matter who it is “ it's just that if the person is hanging tough on this question, you need to get an answer.

• How hungry are you for the job?

You need to know what the person will be like when they show up on your team. You know what you want to do with your project, and what part you want him to play. The question is what does this fellow want to do?

What are you like?

Finally, you need to get a feel for the person's personality. Do you feel that they'll fit in with the general chemistry of your group ?

• Describe your personality.

• Are you the kind of person that if I ask you to do a job I can regard it as done?

• What strengths and weaknesses would you be bringing to the table?

• Say something negative about yourself.

• What do you like to read?