Welcome back to the B uilding A Clear Authentic Brand Podcast. I'm your host, Amy Dardis. And in today's episode, we are diving into the objectives of interviewing. Like when we are in an interview, what specifically are we trying to accomplish? Like, what are we doing throughout the interview process intentionally so that we can actually make a confident decision? And there's really six things that we are trying to accomplish throughout our interview process. So one thing that I just want to refer your attention to is if you go to ClearAuthentic Brands.com/slash resources, there are some free hiring resources there. And one of the things that we're actually talking about today is the candidate alignment evaluation, as well as some interview questions. So you can go there and download those. Those are for free. Those are built for you so you can get value out of those. But they absolutely play a part in these objectives of when we're interviewing, like what are we actually trying to determine? So really, when we're in an interview process, like the goal, right, is to be able to say, are we going to hire this person? Do we believe that this person is going to be the right fit for our organization as well as for our role? Well, in order to be able to answer that question, in order to be able to accomplish that objective, there are these six other things that have to happen in order for us to be able to make that decision. So the first thing is our interview process has to be able to reveal who the real person is. And I think this ends up being one of the biggest struggles and frustrations for businesses out there because it is so hard to get people to actually show who they really are, because that's who you're actually hiring. Like who they present themselves to be in the interview, that's not always who they really are. That's not necessarily the person that's going to show up on the job six months down the road when things are comfortable, the walls are down, the guard is down. Like, and that's what we need to know, right? That's like who is actually gonna show up? Who is actually going to be the person talking to my customers or in charge of this process or doing the work that they say they're gonna do? So during this process, we want to ask questions and facilitate connections and do things intentionally and strategically in order to be able to like answer that question of do I feel like I saw the authentic side of this person? And there's there's a lot of strategy behind that, and it's something I want to cover in depth, but we're not gonna cover it in depth today. However, stay tuned for next podcast because we are gonna dive into one of the most effective strategies to help you do that. So the second thing that we want to determine is what is that person's motivation for wanting this specific job? Like, why are they applying for this specific role for your specific company? Like we want to know like what is what's the drive behind why they want to work? Why do they want to work for you? Or do they really want to work for you? I mean, someone is either looking for a job, like just something that will pay the bills. They're just looking for a paycheck, they're just looking for that income, and they're fine with however they get it. Like they'll they'll just take whatever they can get for a short term. Like those are the people that show up. It's like, yes, I will work for you. They say all the right things, and then they show up and they, you know, get their first few paychecks, it like tides them over for a while, and then maybe you see a completely different side of them and they start disappointing you, they start drop dropping the ball, or maybe they just bail out and flake out on you completely. So many things that happen. But if that is their primary motivation, then they don't actually want this job. They don't want this role, they don't want to work for your organization, they just want what they want for the short term. Or maybe their motivation is that this job for them is just a stepping tone. Like it's just their foot in the door. It's not really what they want, but it's the first step to getting what they want. And that's not always a bad thing. However, if you're the employer and you are looking for someone who's going to thrive and stay a long time in this open role that you have, you really want the person who wants that role for the long term, not that role for a little bit, so that one day or one day, someday soon, they can actually move on to something else. Really, what we're trying to determine is we want this opportunity, we want this specific role with your specific company to be an ideal fit for them. We want it to be something that they are excited about, that is going to align with their gifting, that they're going to thrive in, and it's going to be a mutually beneficial situation for both them and for you. Which leads us into like this third thing that we're trying to do is we really need to determine alignment. Like, how do they, as a person, align with your business? And there's three components to alignment. I've dove into this in depth in earlier episodes, and I'll link those in the show notes. But really, we're looking at do they align with our culture? And within culture, we're looking at do they align with our values? Do they align with our work style? Do they align with the traits, the character and personality traits that we need to have in our people in order for them to thrive? And do they stay far away from the non-negotiables that we have set in place? So this starts with this like brand clarity phase, this foundation of us knowing like what are our values, what is our work style, what are the traits, the character and personality traits of the people who thrive in our organization currently, and what are our non-negotiables. You have to have this defined first in order to be able to tell if the person that you're interviewing actually aligns with those things. And this is laid out in the candidate alignment evaluation form so that you could go step by step, like, okay, this is what we value. We value taking ownership, we value not making excuses, we value going above and beyond. So you write those in, and then you're like, do I see these traits in this pap in this person? Like, does this candidate show or represent or communicate that they also share these specific values? Because we all we all value something, but the important thing is figuring out what do they value and what what do we value and do those things align? And we do the same thing with our work style, with our traits and our non-negotiable. So that's determining will they fit the culture and the values and the way that we operate within our organization? Underneath that is the capacity. So that is, will they excel in this specific role? Does this type of work align with their personality, with the way that they're wired, with their inherent strengths and abilities of like what they are actually good at? So within capacity, we're looking at their ability. So these are their natural strengths and talents and skills that they bring to the table. This is what they are good at. Potential. Potential is their ability to learn and grow within this role. And their bandwidth is the time capacity, the emotional capacity, the systems and structure to be able to take on this job right now here in this season. Sometimes you'll have someone who has the ability and the potential. However, there are some things going on with their life or their health or their relationships or something that are minimizing and limiting their bandwidth to be able to accept and perform the job at its highest level at this point in time. And so that's something that we do need to consider when we're interviewing someone. And the third part of alignment is contribution, and that is like the value and impact that this person is going to bring to the table. So that once they walk through the door, like in some way, shape, or form, they are pretty much immediately delivering value, even if they're not fully trained up in a specific role yet. Like they they're actually adding to the mix. They're they're bringing in fresh perspective, fresh ideas, energy, relational ability. They're, and because of that, they're taking away a benefit too. Like you are providing something to them. Like they're they're feeling valued, they're feeling appreciated, they're being challenged, they're growing. Like there's actually like fulfillment and passion and purpose within the work that they're doing. And because of that, that is adding value and growth and contribution to your business as a whole. So that's determining alignment. And we use the candidate evaluation form to be able to objectively assess that and to make sure that we're not missing out on that. I also want to note that when we're looking at revealing the real person, when we're looking at determining their motivation, and when we're looking at determining alignment, it all starts with two things, which is one, us being clear on what it is that we're looking for and the specifics of how we operate as a business. But number two, it's very much dependent on the quality of questions that we ask. We will never get the answers to the questions if we don't ask them first. And I think that's what I see happen a lot in interviews is we spend too much time asking either the wrong questions or good questions, but focused entirely on skills and experience. And we're not utilizing that interview time to actually talk about character and motivation and drive and asking questions that actually give us the information that we need. So if you go to Clarauthana Brands.com slash resources, there's also a download for interview questions, like insightful interview questions that help you reveal a person's true character, help you reveal like what their motivation is to work or their inherent strengths and abilities. And those questions are just more global type questions, but the secret really is to ask questions that are specifically aligned with your specific organization because we could spend 10 hours asking questions, but the point isn't to spend 10 hours asking questions. The point is to ask questions that give us the information that we really need to know in order to make the right decision for our business. Okay, so moving on from that, the next thing that we want to make sure that we're doing is within this process, as much as we are trying to interview them, we are also wanting them to interview us. And we need to be making our pitch as a company. Like part of this process is a two-way conversation, is they should, you should know about them, but they also need to know what it is that they're getting into. They also need to know what is it about your company that should make them want to work for you, especially in a competitive environment. You know, most applicants, especially if they're really good applicants, they might be applying to multiple places. Like chances are you are not the only person that they are applying to. And so they're comparing their interview experience with you with the interview experience of the next company and the next company. And it's what you say about your company, it's how you present things that go beyond just benefits and compensate compensation. It's talking about how working for your company will add value to their life, you know, and mentioning things like how specifically do you value your employees? How do you challenge them? How do you help them grow and develop? Like we're talking about extrinsic and intrinsic benefits here, and making sure we are taking the time to communicate, like why we do what we do, what it is that we value, the type of working style that we have, what our non-negotiables are, educating them a little bit about what sets us apart in the marketplace, like how we're differentiate our ourselves from our competitors. By you mentioning those things and sharing what you value and sharing about your employees and sharing about your unique differentiators, you're already differentiating yourself because you're letting your candidate know that you have these things figured out, that you can actually put them into words, that there's meaning and value and structure behind that. And that's different than what they're getting in most interview processes. Most interview processes, it's they're very much just focused on the candidate, and it is very much just focused on skills and abilities and the role and experience and behavioral questions. And most interview processes are all the same. And here is your chance to set yourself apart. Here is your chance to be different. And even the way we structure our interview process, the conversations that we have, the points that we make sure to make, it all communicates. Like it all is part of the process. Every touch point matters. And so making sure that you are telling them about your company is important, not only so that you can let them know that you actually have this stuff figured out, but two so that they know what they're getting themselves into. It's very important that they also make the right decision for them. And that leads us into the fifth thing that we want to make sure we're doing, which is communicating expectations. So being very clear and very direct about the expectations, the deliverables, the commitments that you have from your employees, not only on a capacity type function, but in a behavioral, in a, hey, this is what we value as an organization. Like as an organization, we value taking ownership. We value doing the right thing. We value radical candor, you know, that is something that drives us. When you tell them that, that gives them the opportunity to in their head make a decision and be like, am I that type of person? Am I the type of person who is comfortable with radical candor? Does that excite me or does that scare me? Is that something I value? Or is that something that I'm like, okay, that sounds good and that's cool and that's great for you guys, but I value these other things instead. The more information we can give them up front about not only the role, but the actual working experience, the actual values, the actual environment that helps each party make informed decisions because you they need to be able to understand and make a conscious decision that they are ready for the commitment. And you, as the employer, need to know that you laid it all out on the line. Like this is your chance to scare them away. And we want to scare them away if they're the type that can be scared away. Because the problem is once they get in those doors, if they can't live up to that standard, it doesn't work for anyone. It doesn't work for them and it doesn't work for you. So in this process is where you have the most leverage to lay it all on the table and avoid any type of bad situations, any type of situations that are going to contribute to failure on their end or on your end. And so we want to be completely honest in this process and not get somebody into something that they're going to regret later or that you are going to regret later. So we want to just set aside time to make sure, like, okay, did we tell them about our values? Did we tell them about our performance standards? Did we tell them about, you know, how we hold people accountable? Did we tell them about the things that we value in our working style? And, you know, are we a super fast-paced think on your feet type of organization? Are we a measure 50 times cut once type of organization? You need to be able to communicate that so that they have all the information up front in order to make a confident decision, which is the sixth thing we're trying to do is you are trying to make a confident decision about them as well as. Helping them make a confident decision about you. And this really only ends in one of three ways, which is you're gonna be confident. Like you're you're gonna have the information you need, and you're you're gonna know you have the information you need because if you're using that candidate alignment form, it's spelling everything out. It's reminding you, did I make sure? What questions did I ask to see if they have radical candor? What questions did I ask to see if they value telling the truth even when it's uncomfortable? What kinds of questions did I ask that gave me the information I need to know to see that they take responsibility for their actions and they don't blame things? And if you can't fill that out honestly and be like, this is what they said that gave me this information, then you know that you're missing information. You know that you don't have all the information you need to make a confident choice. So you're either going to be confident, you're going to be unsure because you recognize, oh, I didn't ask all the questions I need to ask. I don't have all of this information. Therefore, I am going to interview them again to make sure I have all the information I need to be able to make this decision. Or you are going to pass because there were things that they said that just did not align. And maybe they were good things. Like maybe they had really good answers, but you recognized that their answers didn't align with what it is that you are looking for. Maybe you are the type of organization that is be able to, you know, go fast-paced, think on your feet, and better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission. Like maybe that's just the style and the environment and how you guys operate. And this person very much is the type of person who is a measure 50 times cut once. And that kind of pace, vagueness, ambiguity is going to stress them out and frustrate them. And so even though they have these great skills and this experience, and maybe you even share the same values, maybe you actually differentiate in your working style. And that right there is like, okay, this isn't going to work for you. You're not going to thrive in our type of environment. And so by having that all listed out, you're going to be able to do all of these things. So just as a quick recap, one, we're trying to reveal who the real person is. We want to know who's actually going to show up. And just a couple of things are going to help us there. Is one, doing more than one, more than one interview, which we'll talk about in the next episode, the types of questions that we show up, the way that we break their walls down and their guard down during the interview, multiple interactions. I mean, there's so much here in being able to reveal a real person. But if you feel like you just saw like the best version of themselves, if there's something during the process where they didn't mess up, laugh, make a joke, or stumble over their words, like you we didn't see the real person. Like we, you know, we we really want to make sure that we have a pretty good idea of who it is that we're actually hiring. We want to understand their motivation for wanting the job, not only for wanting the job, but for wanting this specific role and wanting to work for your specific organization. We want to make sure that they are fully aligned with how we operate within culture, capacity, and contribution. We want to make sure that we spent time talking about and making the pitch for why our company. Like, what do we do? How do we operate? What do we value? What sets us apart? Like we we took a few minutes to talk about that. Like our philosophy on employees and growth and how people interact with each other. We are making sure that we're communicating our expectations of how we want people to show up and how we want people to engage, how we want people to relate to each other, the things that we want them to value. We're making sure that we're very clear about that. And then ultimately we have all the information that we need to be able to make a confident decision. So when we're looking at each of these six things and we have this in the back of our mind, it's going to make us more intentional and more strategic about what we say, how we say it, and when we say it throughout this process. And you might even be looking at your process now, going, like, oh, there's a couple of things in there that I'm missing. Like maybe I don't have alignment clearly defined. Like maybe there are things within like the behavior and the values and the work style that I'm missing that I'm asking these questions about skills and experience, and I'm completely missing this other stuff. Or maybe you don't ever talk about your company in the interview process. And you're like, oh wow, like I should do that. You know, I should make a mental note to do that. And so what I like to do is like actually write these things out and then create an interview outline so that I make sure I hit every single one of these during an interview process. And eventually you become very comfortable with it. Eventually you get your flow and you get it memorized and and you really like get it down pat. But at the beginning, it's a little awkward. At the beginning, it's a little different. And so having something written down in front of you that says, start with this, ask these questions, determine their motivation. Even if it's just a mental note where you look down and you're like, oh, yes, I didn't do that, or I still need to do that. I need to make sure I ask these questions. And then at the end, you're like, okay, do I have all the information that I need in order to make this decision confidently? And I always say that you should be a hundred percent confident in your decision. Like, you won't ever be able to be a hundred percent sure about an employee. I think there's always risk involved, but we can definitely mitigate that risk. I think we can get it down to when we make a decision, we can have like a 95 to a 98% success rate based on our process, based on knowing what it is that we're looking for before we ever even start, and making sure every part of the process, the way that we put it together, the way that we structure it, all the elements that are affecting like the connection, the rapport, the environment, down from who we have in the interview to where we have the interview, to what kind of questions we're asking in the interview, to what kind of evaluation and criteria we're using to evaluate the interview. Like there's all of these elements to it that we control, that we have power over. And they absolutely affect the outcome. Like they what you what you do in your structure 100% affects the outcome that you get in how you go through this process. And we are diving into interviewing and recruiting and hiring deep, deep, deep over these next episodes, over the next few months. We are tackling just every aspect and every element about it. So, like I said before, you can go to ClearAuthentic Brands.com slash resources to get that candidate alignment evaluation. We also have some other free hiring resources there, including some interview questions I recommend you asking. And next week or next episode, stay tuned. We are going to be talking about why we always do two interviews. So that is all for this episode. See you next time.