Gone are the days when interviewers stuck to a list of interview questions to ask about the candidate’s strengths, weaknesses, etc. Recruitment has come a long way and as a hiring manager/interviewer you should know that an interview isn’t an interrogation—it should be a comfortable conversation.
 
But, how would you make it a breezy meeting while capturing the essence of the person in front of you? If this is something that gets you a bit perplexed, here are some pointers for you to come up with better interview questions for your next interview. 

​A mistake many interviewers make is asking vague interview questions. This will only make it difficult to interpret the person. For instance, you’ll often see gaps on a candidate’s résumé. Ask directly what was the reason behind that gap. You can also ask whether they’re planning on taking a gap like that again after the recruitment.
 
This way, it’s easier to know if they have hidden skills, habits, or intentions that may make or break your company. 

​Resorting to closed-ended questions can create heaps of confusion. It will only create a situation where your subject will just answer with a simple yes or no or one word. Instead, stick to open-ended questions to which your interviewee will be required to talk.
 
When you apply the word How to these questions—you can get more information from your candidates. For example, your questions might be, ‘How did you learn that skill?’, ‘How do you think you can help make a positive work environment here with us?’, ‘How do you normally respond to stress?’, etc. 

As mentioned above, your interview shouldn’t be rigid and come off as unwelcoming. That’s the last impression you should give your potential candidates. Therefore, alongside your in-depth interview questions, throw in some light-hearted questions as well.
 
You can start by asking whether they have skills, interests, or hobbies outside work. Ask if they prefer to learn more things. This may help you understand what sort of personality you’re about to hire. Also, it’ll hint if this person is open to growth. 

​Asking a broad question might be too complex for both the interviewer and the interviewee. For instance, if you ask, ‘What made you quit your previous job?’—the answer would be long.
 
Instead, what if you ask, ‘Tell me a bit about your previous work experience.’ Then you can ask follow-up questions such as, ‘What have you been able to learn there?’, ‘How was your boss?’, and ‘Why did you finally want to quit and start again?’
 
These follow-up questions can reveal more about your candidate. Especially if they’re holding any grudges against their previous employers, focusing on negative experiences, or what they’re looking for from your workplace. 

​Although your candidates can write anything on their résumés, the truth might be rather far from it. If they’ve added their skills, you can ask a particular question about a personal project they’re proud of, their habits or their practices.
 
Then naturally they have to elaborate on that. Consequently, you’ll understand if they are capable of actually executing the skills they’ve mentioned in real life. 

​Undeniably, there is no one-size-fits-all formula for crafting interview questions. Be that as it may, we can certainly improve our questions according to these general tips.
 
The rule of thumb is to maintain asking straightforward questions that’ll produce the answers you seek and make a pleasant environment for your candidate simultaneously. 
 
This will help you carry out a fruitful recruitment process and choose the best candidate to fill the vacant positions. 

Our Professional Recruitment Team & Agoge internally have some pretty great interview questions which we are happy to share. If you are interested reach out to Lisa Shaw 029 226 8862 or lisa.shaw@agoge.nz

Photo by Van Tay Media on Unsplash

If I asked you if you were an above average driver, you'd probably answer yes. Almost everyone would (myself included) but the reality is not everyone is in the top 50% of drivers. Similarly, as Hiring Managers we all believe we are pretty good at picking great people for our teams. This can be despite low productivity, high turnover, and ongoing culture problems.

We’re all familiar with the phrase “recruit for culture, train for skills”, but if we lack values-based process, it will quickly come back to the Hiring Managers ‘gut feel’ of cultural fit. That’s why developing values-based recruitment process is critically important.

Values Based Recruitment describes a process where organisations intentionally recruit staff who align to the organisational and team values. It makes culture and values the primary focus, with skills and experience secondary. 

The benefits of recruiting for values are:

• Fit your Team | A values-based recruitment strategy creates a positive environment for new co-workers, which means they integrate into your existing teams easier. This makes onboarding easier for both the new starter and the existing team.
• Improved Productivity | Being aligned to your values is more than just knowing your organisational values. It’s a personal alignment to operating consistently with them, and according to the Association for Talent Development, co-workers who love their work are shown to be 2-4 times more productive.
• Increased Engagement | Values aligned co-workers are more excited about their roles and they care more. This means they want to ensure their work is done right first time and they are more likely to speak up if they see things out of place.
• Longer Retention | People who love their jobs stay longer, are less likely to move for just money. Lower turnover not only reduces the significant costs of recruitment, but also has a direct impact on profitability through the need to retrain incoming co-workers.
• Employer Ambassadors | Teams who are aligned to your values and love working for you, will rave about your organisation which helps both your marketing and employer brands. They are also more likely to refer great people to join your team.

If you are struggling to recruit great people in a challenging recruitment market. Maybe it is worth reviewing your recruitment process to ensure you get people who love their work, making it easier for you, and your team to achieve its goals.

I was attending a conference recently where the keynote speaker was talking about fixed and growth mindsets. He asked everyone who had a fixed mindset to raise their hand and naturally I did.

I was the only one!

Which is crazy because we all have a fixed mindset. In fact the majority of our beliefs and attention are focused on supporting our current world view.

Don’t believe me? Consider these topics… Climate change; immunisation; diversity; feminism; evolution; the government; raising kids; your boss; or even what AI will do to your job. I guarantee you, like me, that you have a fixed mindset in most of these areas. Which is OK, because we can’t be growing in every area, at all times.

So how do we transition from fixed to growth in an area of strong belief?

Learn at the edges.

Take an area where your mindset is fixed and learn or read or consider the complete opposite edge of your current view. Or if your belief is middle of the road, read at the extreme edges of both points of view. As you approach the edges with openness, your views and beliefs will shift. Often not to the edge, but almost certainly from where it was.

Growth doesn’t come from focusing our attention narrowly.

Growth comes at the edges.

 ∴ 

I wonder if the fact that I was the only person to raise my hand about having a fixed mindset, means that I was the only one who actually had a true growth mindset.

Because knowing where our mindset is fixed, is the foundation of true growth.

Author | Andrew Nicol is the founder and CEO of Agoge Recruitment and coHired, based in Hamilton NZ.
​

​This is a quick introduction to Agoge coHired and the Auckland Account Manager role.

The future of jobs is changing and so is the way you apply for those jobs.

6 years ago (a lifetime in technology) I wrote 14 tips to stand out when applying for a job. Well the way we apply for jobs and big data is changing the whole job seeker experience so here’s my latest tips:

Help the machines

Computers and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are now doing a lot more of the screening and recommendations to companies of who they should employ.

1. Create your ‘Machine CV’ | In the olden days when people used to spend 10 seconds skim reading CV’s it was all about standing out. Now almost every platform scrapes your CV and converts it to text so that AI can work its magic (Seek, TradeMe, coHired and most recruitment technologies do it.) Sadly your beautifully crafted, multi-column CV with info-graphics is not that helpful to AI.  The Solution: Have a Machine CV; 
   • A well formatted single column CV in Word format (which currently gets the best results) 
   • AI loves data, so time to add back in some of those words you’ve been deleting over the last few years. Particularly around the experience and responsibilities you’ve had. It will help you rank higher. 
   • Keep pictures and images to a minimum.
2. Answer Questions Honestly | More organisational science is being mixed with AI in the form of questions that are asked. If you want a job you love, answer them honestly. If AI thinks you are someone different to who you are, it will recommend you for jobs that won’t suit you.
3. Respond Quickly | AI will process your information as soon as it is completed, no more waiting for a human. The sooner you get the information in, the quicker you will pop to the top of the list.
4. Reference Checks | Your old managers are time poor and more reference checks are being done electronically. It’s now important to have both their email address and phone numbers. And AI is pretty good at spotting if you have provided dodgy referees by looking at IP addresses and domain names.
5. Video Interviews | Both automated and human video interviews will continue to increase. Be prepared for them by making sure you are in a quiet space free from distraction. If it’s a 1 on 1 video call, make sure you are logged in and ready to go 5 mins early, so that you know the technology is working and you start relaxed.

Take advantage of Technology

Companies are using technology like crazy. You can too.

1. LinkedIn Marketing | Is an opportunity to market yourself and to reach past technology directly to hiring managers. It’s never been easier to find out who key people are in an organisation to reach out and find out more about jobs. But be warned, find a relevant person in a relevant location and connect and ask some great questions. Reaching out to the CEO of Microsoft is not likely to get a result.
2. Social Media Privacy | Public in social media means public. I personally can’t be bothered looking at your Facebook page, but many recruiters do, and more often technology grabs that data. So make conscious decisions about what is public and private across your social accounts.
3. Job Data Privacy | You also get to control what happens to your data on job boards like Seek, Indeed, and Trade Me Jobs. Review it often if you are actively hunting for work and remove permissions when you are not.

Stay Human

You are human. You are beautifully uniquely you. Make sure you take every opportunity to show that.

1. Create your ‘Human CV’ | Yes I know, I told you to have a Machine CV, but eventually you will meet a human, so have a great well-presented CV that appeals to them. They are great for making an impact by email or at interviews or even as supporting docs on platforms.
2. Personalise your application | Take the time to investigate the company you are applying to. And craft your application specifically for the role and advert. Always put your best foot forward. When a human reviews what AI is suggesting they notice if you have put in the effort and personalised for their role and company. That goes a long way to making an impression pre-interview.

Will machines completely replace humans in the recruitment process? Yes & No

• Yes – Some big companies already have systems that fully automate the process.
• No – Most companies will have a bunch of tools that help automate the process and real humans talking with real humans.

The big question: If a company dehumanizes me in the recruitment process, will they genuinely care about me as a human being when I get the job?
​

Author | Andrew Nicol is the founder and CEO of Agoge Recruitment and coHired, based in Hamilton NZ.

​Original Post from ​https://andrewnicol.net/2019/02/28/10-great-tips-when-applying-for-jobs-online/

>> Original article published in RCSA - The Brief 

I have a love-hate relationship with the term HR. I love the “human” side, where I’m in an industry that is focused on real, living people, but I hate the word “resource” which inadvertently defines those same humans as something to be used.

The term Human Resources was first coined in 1893 and became popular in the 1900s as HR departments were formed to “address the misunderstandings between the employee and employer”.
So much has changed in our workplaces since 1893 and while we have attempted to move away from the Human Resources term with phrases like “people and culture”, we are still stuck in an industry primarily defined as HR.

Looking ahead, our workforces are no longer just employees. The future of work means our workplaces will increasingly become a blend of employees, contingent labour, contractors, gig workers and even collectives of freelancers.

HR is no longer about employees alone, making it self-evident that the term Human Resources won’t be relevant for the future.

At the recent cocktail evening at the Auckland Museum, Agoge was again recognised for our excellence... receiving the Excellence in Candidate Engagement award at the SARA's award evening. ​

Social enterprises are businesses that solve social problems and do good along the way. As a social enterprise, Agoge has a proud history of having a positive impact in our communities, supporting the launch of the Good Trust in 2009.
 
We've extended our commitment to do good with the introduction of One for One. This lets us continue to do good in communities both locally and worldwide.

The initiative, One for One, provides one month of clean water for a person in Cambodia for every one week worked by each of our onsite staff.
​
This initiative doesn't only see Agoge doing good as a part of the recruitment business division; for every one trainee on an Agoge training course one person in Cambodia also gets water for one month.
 
For our Founder/MD Andrew Nicol, One for One is a great way to communicate the huge potential of social enterprise, emphasising, “when you partner with Agoge, the work you do is bigger than just you or me, it has a lasting positive impact, locally and globally.”
 
The World Bank says that one dollar invested in water projects in the third world results in eight dollars of economic return. Agoge's CEO, James, says, "this is due to the impact on education from kids not getting unwell as often and reducing travel times for women and children to source water."

Being able to do good and have such powerful impact in communities is such a positive for a social enterprise such as Agoge.
 When you partner with Agoge, you do good.

• When you work for Agoge or come on a training course, you're doing good.
• When you have onsite staff from Agoge or send your team on an Agoge Training course, you're doing good.

With the Good Trust, Agoge also support local organisations to do good in the local communities of our people. Keep an eye out for updates and stories of the impact One for One is having on real lives in different communities.