When you hire, you want people who can take your company into the future. Who cares what they’ve done in the past? What can they do in the future?
This is a great way to hire, but sometimes you can get frustrated when you can’t seem to find anyone who wants to talk about the future-all candidates seem fixated on their past. Where are these elusive candidates?
They are everywhere, and you can’t find them because you are asking the wrong way. Here are your mistakes and what you can do about them.
To keep reading, click here: You’ll Get Better Candidates if You Stop Focusing on These Things
Also, be willing to hire people who are willing to learn. Don’t restrict your candidates to “must have experience.”
This happened to me. I was turned down by a current employer because I did not have experience using software X. I got a job with another employer who allowed me to learn Software X. I learned it in about a day.
This!
Agreed, and I would take this a step further (or backwards?) and really think about what skills you can train for vs. what you really need right now BEFORE you post the job, or at least before you start screening candidates. It’s easier to be open to “people willing to learn” if you make that construct part of your thought process going in.
I love the rewording of “Tell me about a time when” to “Can you tell me how you’d handle this.” Candidates can use a past experience as an example and better demonstrate problem-solving abilities.
‘These “tell me about a time…” questions are inherently backward thinking. They aren’t bad-the best indication of future performance is past performance. But they are focused on the past. Instead, use the interview to present a situation and ask, “Can you tell me how you’d tackle this?”‘
I’ve been saying this for years and this is the first time I’ve heard someone else say it.