Show Me Your Talent!

Evaluating Seasoned Candidates With Real Scenarios

By Marcus Miller

Most people treat an interview as if it were an interrogation. The employer asks questions, the candidate gives answers. Seasoned candidates hide behind their interview "game face" and usually revise or interpret their past employment history to suit the questions. On the other side of the table the employer asks complex questions to hopefully reveal whether the candidate is right for the job. The process does little to determine the abilities of the candidate.

There is a more effective way to determine if a candidate understands the essence of the job and whether they have the innate skills, experience and personal attributes to achieve success. We have found role-plays can give insight into a candidate's technical skills and personal charisma while under stress. Role-plays reveal whether the customer service candidate can manage the irate customer, or if the sales candidate is persistent, persuasive and tenacious, or if the financial analyst can handle a curve ball that takes the interview in an unexpected direction.

Role-playing starts with an examination of the job. Every position has a core challenge or purpose, such as increasing revenue, improving account penetration or handling service issues. Based on the problems, quandaries or past scenarios that relate to these challenges you can formulate a real life role-play that demonstrates the candidate's modus operandi for dealing with these issues.

Role-plays can take the form of a brief scenario embedded in the interview or a full presentation scheduled for another time. In either case the candidate needs adequate time to prepare and to "get into character" Start by giving them a written overview that sets the stage for the encounter they will face, and invite them to ask any questions for further clarification. For extended scenarios, walk the candidate through the role-play and give them product information to take home to prepare with.

One of our clients, a major software vendor selling on-demand computer services, has a well-developed recruiting process. Prospective candidates first meet with HR and line sales managers for the skills qualifications. For the next step, selected candidates are invited to conduct a role-play web demonstration to close a set of C-level decision makers. Candidates are given a full packet of product information, a pre-package presentation and a written overview of the scenario they will encounter. They are asked to prepare a final presentation to close the new client for a major sale.

Key executives of the software company perform the various characters in the role-play through a link up with the on-line presentation. Additional information and scripts that are revealed during the presentation are worked out before hand. Every effort is made to make the candidate comfortable and free of distractions so they can focus on the role-play. We recommend that the players and applicant stay in character for the entire presentation, treating the situation as a realistic one. In the final evaluation the hiring managers are able to see how the candidate handles objections, the unknown, stress and technical competencies required for the position.

We have another client that has turned their entire recruiting process into the ultimate role-play game. This company hires top-notch salespeople who demonstrate aggressive styling. The recruiting process is designed to parallel the typical sales cycle where each stage of the process draws on the candidate to demonstrate the key behaviors, skills and knowledge of a senior business developer.

In the qualifying interview with the recruiter the candidate is told up front what to expect in the recruiting process and that the hiring managers will be playing the role of a buyer. The process starts with a discovery telephone interview with the line manager to determine the appropriateness of the fit. The onus is on the candidate to sell their skills and attributes, and to close for the face-to-face meeting with key decision makers. The next step is a structured interview with lots of selling and listening, ending with a close for the meeting with the executive buyer. At the executive level the agenda is once again a structured interview with a close for the offer and negotiation phase. At each stage the candidate must move the interview process along, handle objections about skills and experience and deliver the value proposition of why they are a good fit for the position. Our client has been very successful in identifying candidates who are excellent at closing, and who can drive the sales process to the decision maker.

Role-playing gets the interviewer away from vague canned answers to precise answers with a much clearer impression of experienced candidates. The body language and demeanor of the candidate reveal a lot more about the candidate's true level of comfort and abilities. The more fluid the role-play the better you will see how the candidate thinks with their assumptions and reactions.

Marcus Miller (Marcus.Miller@LEAPJob.com) is the President of LEAPJob (www.LEAPJob.com), a recruiting and consulting firm. LEAPJob helps its clients build top performing sales teams. You can reach Marcus at 905.281.3090, Ext. 21.