The Nievity in which management recruit staff defies all logic. Time after time, experienced managers will make a duff decision. Before you commence your next recruitment, I advise that you learn from Jack Welch and Peter Drucker and carry out the following to understand:

  • What the job is.
  • The knowledge base required to take out the tasks.
  • The necessary individual characteristics needed from the staff member. E.g. problem solver, connector, self-starter.

When you have got this information at hand I would read Jack Welch’s chapter 6 (Hiring) from ‘Winning‘ and use the 14 questions from my article.

The 14 Questions are as follows:

  1. Why did you leave your last job? Why do you want to leave your current job? Jack Welch says you should ask the five whys
  2. Of what achievements are you most proud?
  3. What has been your hardest decision you have had to make that may have made you unpopular?
  4. What are your strengths?
  5. What sorts of things irritate and frustrate you most, and how do you express your emotions when frustrated?
  6. When was the last time you celebrated team members?
  7. What will reference checks disclose about your personal and operating style and how will your style impact on other team members?
  8. How do you plan to grow and stretch yourself in the next five years?
  9. What would your colleagues say is the best thing about you?
  10. Give examples of your commitment to innovation?
  11. Tell me about a time when you had to persuade people to do something they did not want to do? What happened?
  12. When I call your last boss, how will he/she rate your performance on a 0-10 scale and why?
  13.  How would your colleagues describe your team-playing abilities?
  14.  Why do you want this job?