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No one has ever asked our firm to “find someone average.” Employers are always seeking high-performing employees. The best indicator of future performance is past performance.

To help identify the high performers we like to ask “intelligent interviewing questions” to help determine a candidate’s past job performance and ability to thrive with our client. Coupled with thorough reference checking, intelligent, probing questions of the candidate will help you determine if your candidate has the experience, attributes and skills that you are looking for.

Here are two examples of how a search could unfold. First, let’s take a look at hiring a new collection manager.

The reason you are searching for a winning collection manager because your collection department is underperforming. In fact delinquency has increased and dollars per collector dropped 12 percent in the past six months. You decide you need to look outside for a stronger collection manager.

Prepare a list of intelligent questions designed to help you better understand the interviewees’ experiences, abilities and limitations.

During the interview, explain the situation to each interviewee by beginning with a phrase such as, “Here is our problem.” Then ask:

— Do you think that you could fix this problem?

— Have you had a similar situation in your career?

— Tell us how you handled it.

— What metrics would you use to assess our problem?

— What information would you need from us to prepare for your first day of work?

— What are your thoughts on how long it will take to fix this problem assuming we have a pretty good team of collectors?

— Tell us what your first few days here would look like.

Of course we ask a lot more questions than these. However, with just these questions, both you and the interviewee will know if you are interviewing the right candidate. This is what I mean by preparing intelligent questions that will yield the information you need to make an intelligent hire.

Here is another example. Imagine your finance company is on the hunt for a new regional sales manager.

Here are some questions we are using for a regional sales manager search we are currently conducting for an automotive finance company:

— What are the performance measurements for your position?

— Tell us how are you doing.

— So you reached a company goal. That’s terrific. How did you do that?

— What were the biggest obstacles you ran into?

— How did you overcome them?

— What lessons did you learn?

— Show me. Can you confirm those accomplishments? Sales sheets? Documentation to support this?

— Can we confirm these facts with your past supervisor?

— Do you think you could duplicate this success in our position?

After going through those questions, share more about your company.

You could share more about the opportunity, mentioning how the region is underperforming with eight sales representatives who are mix of good, average and underperforming.

— Have you been in a similar position?

— Tell us how you handled it?

— What is your process for evaluating a sales rep?

— How do you determine if a sales rep needs more coaching, time to develop, additional help from us or be fired?

— Tell us how you plan to earn the respect of our sales staff.

— What information will you need from us to evaluate our sales staff?

— Tell us what your first 30 days will look like.

— The nonprime automotive finance business is very, very competitive.  Tell us what you teach your sales reps to help them earn more business from their dealership clients.

Here’s another scenario to share with your regional sales manager candidate.

Suggest that there may come a time when company executives make temporary changes to the sales programs necessary for profitability but make programs less competitive.  The sales reps will get push back from their dealerships and will be upset with the company and complain about the program.

— Have you been in a similar situation?

— How did you handle it?

— What do you tell the sales reps when changes are made to the program?

As you can see from this line of questioning, we are taking the time to learn about each candidate’s job performance and how they think. This will help you visualize how a candidate will fit into your position and company.

Here’s another tip: Great candidates can be just as nervous in interviews as weak candidates.  Judge them by depth, intelligence and thoroughness of their answers. Did they listen to your question and endeavor to answer it or did they dance around it?

Finally, here are a few questions you and the rest of the hiring team after you manager candidates complete their interviews:

— Do you think the candidate can duplicate that success with us?

— What obstacles may prevent the candidate from achieving that same level of success with us?

— What help, training and investment from us will he need?

— Do we have the ability, time and personnel to help her duplicate her past success?

— Why is it the compelling reasoning for the candidate to take our position?

I teach executives and managers that “going with your gut” only produces consistently intelligent hires when backed by the hard work of intelligent interviewing and reference checking.

The best indicator of future performance is past performance so take the time to understand it.

Don Jasensky founded Automotive Personnel in 1989. Automotive Personnel is a national search firm that places managers and executives in automotive finance companies and dealerships. He can be reached at (800) 206-6964, ext. 21 or via email at don@searchpro1.com.