Education and experience can be important, but not as important as one’s ability to do the job that is needed. Everyone knows someone who is excellent at their job despite lacking the normal qualifications. Everyone also knows someone who looked perfect on paper but ended up failing miserably on the job. In the end, every hiring manager would prefer to hire someone who can knock it out of the park, regardless of their background.

Determine what you want accomplished, what problems need solved, what metrics need met, what internal relationships need developed in order to get the job done well. The more specific and time-based, the better.  Ask yourself:

• What part of this job, if not handled properly, will cause the most problems?
• What are the talents/qualities of other star performers in your department? What did they do that made them so successful while others failed?
• What are some of the major problems or issues facing your group in the next 6-12 months?
• Hypothetically, if one year from now, this employee you hired has ended up actually exceeding your expectations – what will he/she have done?

You are defining what superior performance looks like, so that you can better identify it in someone. Look for people who have actually accomplished something similar to what you need and you will hire much more effectively.

Hiring is always a bit dicey because you are dealing with humans and things don’t turn out the way you think. BUT… many hiring managers can increase their hiring effectiveness 50% by asking questions a different way. Don’t ask vague questions like “What are your greatest strengths?” or “What is your most significant accomplishment?” People have many numerous skills and achievements, and you’ll risk passing on someone ideal because they chose the wrong example.

Interviews don’t last long, so take advantage of this precious limited time talking specifically about what you need accomplished in the role and why. Instead of opening with a vague question like “Tell me about yourself”, start immediately talking about the problems, the situations, the most important things that need to be accomplished in the role and ask the candidate to describe a time they have done or overcome something similar. Ask for examples and drill down into specifics.

Surprisingly, a candidate’s ability to answer traditional vague interview questions well has very little to do with their ability to perform on the job. Candidates that have stellar resumes but are poor performers will melt when you ask for specific examples and peel back the onion a bit with follow up questions. Exceptional candidates who are star performers but not necessarily the best interviewers will shine under this line of questioning.

Have you ever had an offer rejected by a candidate and had no idea of the reason behind it? Would you find it helpful to know how the candidate will answer BEFORE a formal offer is made?

When working with a good recruiter, this insider’s knowledge is one of the benefits you should expect. They should be having numerous preliminary money discussions with the candidate during each step of the hiring process (vs. waiting until the end) to better manage everyone’s compensation expectations and identify the major hurdles to an accepted offer. Weak recruiters avoid these questions because candidates prefer not to divulge this information, usually due to a lack of trust, and the parties find out at the end of the process that they were miles apart.

An experienced recruiter who is looking out for both the candidate’s and the company’s best interests can gain the level of trust needed at the beginning of the process. Knowing each side’s starting point allows them to slowly work towards a win/win situation for everyone.

Market knowledge is key to making informed decisions on compensation packages, strategic needs assessments and even interviewing. Since recruiters spend countless hours meeting with both candidates and hiring managers, they have a wealth of knowledge in essential areas, including:

Compensation – We can share what candidates are currently earning as well as pay trends, such as competitors’ willingness to pay sign-on bonuses, spot bonuses or award restricted stock grants.

Competitive Intelligence – In-depth insight into how your competitors are dealing with similar problems and issues you are facing such as systems, compensation, recruiting and retention.

Current Events – Trends in your industry including who is new, who is growing and who is having trouble.

The most important thing to remember is that people are no longer loyal to their company, but they can be fiercely loyal to their boss or their team. People will stay in a bad or failing company if they love their boss, and will leave an excellent job at a great company if their boss is a jerk. That gives you a lot of control – you just have to be a great boss! Showing genuine appreciation and interest in them goes a long way.

A good recruiter always spends a substantial amount of time up front with a candidate going through their job history. Asking both why they left this particular job and also what attracted them to the next one, drilling down and truly understanding what was going through their head. This exercise tells a tremendous amount as people’s careers usually follow a pattern and you have a blueprint on what you need to do to keep them.