TALENT TOPICS
B Y J O N P L AY E R
ACE THE INTERVIEW:
Keys to Getting to the
Core of Interview Candidates
IN THE SPA AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY, where
relationships make a difference, selecting successful team
members can distinguish a good business from a great
one. And yet, hiring managers report that selecting and
interviewing team members falls low on their priority list.
Given the difference between the importance of selection
and the lack of emphasis, mistakes can create significant
consequences.
Hiring successful people, in short, is difficult. Managers
resist investing time in a process that often yields low
results. Even then, when leaders give selection the time it
deserves, understanding a candidate at their core and
how they might fit into the organization takes time and
intentionality.
The fundamental challenge for most managers is
finding a way to devote the resources needed to hire
right. How then, do we efficiently identify which candi-
dates will have the highest probability of success in a
role?
The key in successful selection is finding “the
match”—the synergy between the needs of a job and the
skills of a candidate.
Finding the Truth of the Job
We can think of each role in a business as a single unit
within the whole—a specific job that requires a specific
set of skills. Most job postings and job descriptions focus
on technical competencies, duties, education, experience
and certifications. And as experienced leaders know,
success in a position rarely depends on technical skills
alone.
A therapist most certainly needs technical skills to
deliver a great massage and succeed in their position.
But the greater degree of their success depends on
factors beyond their technical skillset. They need to be
committed to your specific job and your organization.
They also need the skills to work well with a team of
therapists and professionals with varying personalities,
while understanding the mission of a company.
We think of every job as needing a combination of
three unique sets of skills:
1) Technical skills required to execute the job.
2) Demonstrated commitment skills.
3) Personality and leadership skills required for
excellence in the role.
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 48)
“For the candidate, the single strongest predictor
for future results is past behavior. In the
interview, ask the candidate for examples of how
they’ve handled situations that would inform
your specific circumstances.”
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PULSE
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020