www.KornFerry.com

Shattering the interview illusion

Like strangers at a party

looking for “kindred spir-

its”, first meetings between

recruiters and candidates tend

toward the superficial. Even when

recruiters take a clinical ap-

proach—following “behavioral”

or other structured interview

styles —savvy executives come

prepared with well-rehearsed re-

sponses that show themselves in

the best possible light.

You might hope such perfor-

mances wouldn’t fool anyone, and

yet even seasoned interviewers

can suffer from a certain level of

self-deception when screening

top candidates face-to-face. They

are taken in by the pretty frame,

without really examining the pic-

ture in the middle.

When that happens, the inter-

view becomes predictable instead

of predictive, which leads to hir-

ing mistakes. To select the very

best people for a company, an

interview needs to quickly get

beyond the “elevator pitch” of

someone’s career highlights and

find out who they really are.

To go deeper, Korn Ferry con-

sultants report using blended

interview techniques that help

them develop an accurate im-

age of a person and their unique

skills, experiences, core values

and interests, and observable

behaviors. These conversations

also foster trust with the aim of

building a mutually rewarding

relationship over time in which

opportunities, leads, and market

intelligence is shared.

5 ways to reveal the true heart of a candidate during the first meeting.

The Korn Ferry InsiderAdvice from the world’s most

influential executive search consultants.

DEC. 2014

© 2014 Korn Ferry. All Rights Reserved.

Issue No. 2:

www.KornFerry.com

1. Break the ice. Start the conversation by shar-

ing something about yourself.

This sets a more relaxed tone.

Pay close attention to their level

of curiosity and how quickly they

understand and respond to your

story. This gives an immediate

indication as to whether they are

“brilliant” or “average.”

2. Interview like a biographer.The desire to do something

unique and perform at a higher

level of service will emerge as a

thread throughout a person’s life.

A biographical interview style un-

veils themes that tie together their

choices and achievements, indi-

cators of who they really are and

what will motivate them in the

future. Sample questions might

include: What is something your

parents said repeatedly about you

while you were growing up? What

did you do outside school as a

kid? Who do you still remember

for having an impact on you?

3. Depart from the CV.Once you have gotten to know

them a bit on a personal level,

shift the conversation to their

qualities and capabilities to see

if they match what you are cur-

rently looking for. Rather than

having them talk you through

their CV, come to the meeting

having read their resume com-

pletely and selected a few specif-

“High potential people started being ‘different’ very early on. The way they screen information is fixed at an early age. While skills and behaviors can be developed, reactions to an outside impulse, a first-time

situation, or meeting, stay remarkably consistent over time.”

The Korn Ferry InsiderAdvice from the world’s most

influential executive search consultants.

DEC. 2014

www.KornFerry.com

ic areas that you want to explore

in greater detail.

Pick particular accomplishments

and ask why they were uniquely

qualified to succeed. Encourage

them to reflect on their successes

and failures in terms of their rela-

tionships to others, for example:

Q Think of three or four peak

experiences in the past twenty

years when you were super suc-

cessful, empowered, and full of

energy. Who was your boss? Your

peers? Your subordinates? Tell

me about them. How were they

different, and why did they stand

out to you?

Q Now, remember the ultimate

down times when you invested

a lot of energy and felt like you

were in a bad movie and nothing

worked out. Who were your boss

and peers then? If I had to inter-

view them, would I find strengths

in them? Who are you still in

touch with? Why?

4. The ‘dream team’ excercise.Presenting the following “dream

team” scenario gets the interview-

ee talking about other people in a

way that accurately reflects their

own strengths and weaknesses at

the same time. This exercise also

will further build your knowledge

of the talent market. You likely

know half of their “Dream Team”

already, and this will help you to

connect the dots when you final-

ize your short list.

SCenarIo: An investor offers

you as much money as you need

to start a new company. The

amount of funding is unlimited,

but they expect a 15% return on

their investment. Who would be

the first people from your career

“Ask why something was particularly successful because they were the one who did it. What was it about having them in the

role that made a difference? When you challenge people on this, you get them to think about things in a deeper way.”

The Korn Ferry InsiderAdvice from the world’s most

influential executive search consultants.

DEC. 2014

www.KornFerry.com

that you would take with you,

and why? These people have

to be able to make a statement

about you, what do you think

they would say?

5. Look beyond today’s opening.At the end of the interview, tell

the candidate what you have

noted as their strengths. Senior

executives appreciate feedback

and few recruiters take the time

to share it with them. Ask what

it would take for them to move

from their current job. The lasting

value of these intensive conver-

sations is the ability to project

where they will fit best and entice

them to explore other opportuni-

ties in the future.

Persuading shortlisted can-

didates to join an organization

requires not only insight into

the individual, but also business

intelligence and knowledge

of compensation trends. In the

next segment of The Korn Ferry

Insider, we discuss how to

conduct sophisticated and suc-

cessful negotiations. ■

a Checklist for reference ChecksReferencing is an invaluable way to develop a more precise/complete picture of a candidate’s aptitude and fit:

✔ Contact the people on the candidate’s list, people who were mentioned during the interview, and one or two others recommended by your sources.

✔ Ask the candidate directly why they did not give you certain names (e.g., their most recent boss).

✔ Find out how the reference suggests motivating and getting the best out of the candidate.

✔ Get beyond “strengths and weaknesses,” to find out how well a person performed in a certain context, and what attributes contributed to that success or failure. This is the real insight.

✔ References aren’t perfect mirrors. Examine their input in the context of when they working with the candidate.

The Korn Ferry InsiderAdvice from the world’s most

influential executive search consultants.

DEC. 2014

www.KornFerry.com

Setting the stage for a great interview.

Set aside up to two hours. The more senior the person, the more they have to say that you’ll want to hear.

Meet in a convenient spot with adequate privacy and few distractions.

Test any video conferencing technology well in advance.

Focus your full attention on the person. Put away your cell phone.

Do not take notes on their CV. Use blank sheets of paper. Take verbatim notes, without interpretation.

Know that the first answer will be rehearsed. Keep asking probing to get to what is authentic and true.

Learn this person’s context. What was going on when they succeeded or struggled in their career?

Pay attention to their behavior as well: how do they interact with the people at reception, for example?

Stay closely connected to the market to understand how those you meet measure up against the competition.

Listen to answers not only with regard to immediate openings, but also future opportunities.

Leave with questions to follow up on during reference checks.

Know what will not work in your organization’s culture, or with a certain hiring manager, or for a given role, however. If it is obvious that this isn’t a good fit, say so and talk instead about where they want to go.

Remember that attributes are not “good” or “bad” per se. Rather, they either match or do not match a given situation.

Interviews are just one part of a multi-step process of evaluating talent. But you can get the most out of them with these simple tips:

The Korn Ferry InsiderAdvice from the world’s most

influential executive search consultants.

DEC. 2014