the human touch
effect can help. The halo effect is a
term created by Dr. Edward Thorndike
describing how just a few positive
actions or attributes can cause you to
perceive someone as perfect. Everyone
has an ‘achilles heel’. no one is perfect.
Body language and word choice are
also important to consider. Positive you say you are most like and why?”
When evaluating an applicant’s
answers to questions like these, look
at their reaction first. is the applicant
uncomfortable, frustrated or worried
about an uncommon question, or
excited and playful?
here are some answers that are
body language and positive word
usage are key. good signs for the questions
mentioned above:
out-of-the-Box
QueStIonS “What color best describes
you and why?”
Every once in a while, during my
experience as a professional recruiter,
a manager would tell me that they
asked an uncommon question to
catch the candidate a bit off guard, so
that they couldn’t say a rehearsed
answer. unusual questions can also
be fun for both the interviewer and
the candidate. for example, you may
ask, “what color best describes you
and why?” or “what animal would
eSSentIAl guIdelIneS
for IntervIeWIng
SucceSS
1. those who prepare most
win. Set aside some time to
prepare and practice
interview questions before
the interview.
2. those who ask the
questions have the power!
Prepare and practice asking
questions during the
interview process.
3. People are persuaded by
their own words. Practice
and prepare to listen to the
words that the best candi-
dates use and subtly repeat
a few to connect and build
rapport.
42
PULSE
■
APriL 2019
l
l
“red, because it is a confident and
bold color.“
“Green, because it’s the color of
money and i am money-
motivated. i sell a lot of product.”
“People are
attracted to
places to work
for all kinds of
reasons, but if
you can make
your spa or
resource partner
the one that
is the most
professional,
fun and positive,
the people and
the profitability
will follow.”
l
“yellow, because i am very
optimistic and happy. yellow is a
happy color.”
There are no “right” answers to this
question, but it’s a positive sign when
they have a clear, compelling reason
for why they chose that color. one spa
director i’ve talked to said he asked
this question to see how candidates
think on their feet and justify their
answers, and named the answers
above as his favorite responses.
“What animal would you say
you are most like and why?”
l
“a Golden retriever because they
are kind and loyal and caring.”
l “a cheetah because they are one
of the smartest and indisputably
the fastest animal in the jungle.”
The candidate who offered the
second response went on to say that
he likes to do a quick analysis of a
situation and get things done, just
like a cheetah would. The key here is
to play along and not have the
candidate get tense, flustered or feel
any pressure to give the perfect
answer. at any rate, these out-of-the-
box questions are a great way to
determine an employee’s “fit” with
your team, which is critical to
successful hiring.
QueStIon yourSelf
Below are some questions that i have
advised applicants in the past to ask
of the interviewer. Look over the list
and practice your answers; see if you
can answer them effectively if you
were asked these questions by an
applicant. you may want to volunteer
some of this information to the
candidate during the interview,
because it’s often important infor-
mation for them to know.