Do you know anyone who interviews like this?

I call this the “Trick Question” interview, and there have even been books written on the subject (How Would You Move Mount Fuji?) Now, there may be some special cases where this kind of manipulative interview might be justified. But, normally it’s a bad idea.

Unless you can prove the trick questions are correlated with actual job performance, and interview like this could get you in legal trouble. And, what kind of relationship do you think this creates with a new employee?

I recommend a straightforward, structured interview that thoroughly covers a candidates past — You’ll learn a lot and have solid data to use in selecting who you hire. The Topgrading Interview developed by Brad Smart is the best as far as I know. I wrote a post on effective interviewing that will give you a quick overview of how to do a structured interview.

The question was:

I am looking for examples to guiding managers on how to perform employee performance evaluations? Something not terribly complex but not beginner stuff either. I need some scenarios that would make a good discussion exercise for “how would YOU rate this person and why?

A lot of managers find performance evaluations hard because they don’t take the time up front to define clear performance benchmarks. The key part of a performance benchmark is to specify 5-7 MEASURABLE Accountabilities — Things you want to employee to actually get done.  For more see:

• Performance Benchmarking Part-1
  
• Performance Benchmarking Part-2

Another important part of a performance benchmark is to specify the required skills and competencies. If an employee has weaknesses in an area that matters for their job, it will be clear that they have a gap and need to take actions to address their weakness.

So, if the manager and employee both have a clear idea of what results must be created and what skills must be developed, the performance evaluation becomes straightforward. Did the employee deliver the results or not?

If there is room for interpretation, then the accountabilites were not measurable or clear in the first place! For most managers, it is challenging the first time they try to create clear accountabilities. Why? Because they don’t really have a clear idea what they want from the employee. Or, maybe, they don’t have a clear idea what their boss wants from them!

The other day, someone asked “How do you spot management talent in an employee?.” Here’s the answer I provided:

The best way to spot management talent is to:

1. Learn about the employee’s past.
2. Look for patterns where they have shown natural leadership or management.

Even for younger employees, there should be examples where they organized a club, held some kind of elected office, or had another leadership role.

Some people will try to use a behavioral interview question like “Tell me about a time you organized something?” This isn’t usually that effective. It measures how well someone thinks on their feet. What you want to look for is someone who has a pattern or organizing things or ending up in leadership positions, not just someone who is good at telling stories!

I realize these are employees who may are already hired. But, I still recommend a structured interview that focuses on the person’s history. Please see the post on the basics of how to do a structured interview.

People who go through this process are regularly surprised at what they learn about their employees — Even for employees they’ve worked with for years.