Three questions to find the right person

The candidate sitting in front of you fulfils the technical requirements for the job. You have assured yourself of that. Unfortunately, that is perhaps the easiest part of the recruitment process.

From that basic stage you have to move to the next critical step; assessing if he is the right person for the job. To find an answer at least three crucial questions have to be asked.

First, what makes that person good at his job? Second, how does he manage others? Third, why did he leave each of his previous employers?

A candidate can have a superb resumé, outstanding academic and employment track record with world-class companies and have produced dazzling results; but does this mean he has outstanding ability?

Often the truth is very different. So a healthy dose of scepticism is a primary requirement when you come to make your assessment of how good he might be at his job.

The following is one scenario. The candidate has a privileged background, the best education, family connections and the best employer in a boom market.

What you would see on the resumé would be great education, employers and results. There may be precious little evidence that the individual is talented.

PAR model

The challenge then is to establish or at least to get as close as possible to an individual's actual abilities. There are a number of different techniques but one that is tried and tested is the Problem Action Results (PAR) model.

Go over each job or assignment listed and ask the candidate about the problems or challenges he faced. Then get him to explain the actions he took to overcome those. Finally, get him to explain the results. Applying this formula with creativity will allow you to deduce certain behavioural characteristics and patterns.

If need be probe and drill down if you are not satisfied with a response. If an executive has not faced any particularly challenging set of circumstances then you have to question his value to his employer. While listening to the response on the actions taken, look for evidence of personal contribution, initiative, innovation, interpersonal skills, hard work and intellectual abilities.

Hard work, innovation, and ability are nothing if the results are poor. Dig deep to try and understand the value of the achievements and if the candidate contributed anything that was unique.

Management style

The question of management ability is an important one, especially for more senior roles where it tends to be unavoidable. So, certainly in these cases, it is important to gauge and understand an individual's style of management.

Ask the right questions and you should be closer to an accurate assessment. One question that is certainly worth asking is how the candidate himself likes to be managed. It is a fairly accurate pointer to how he manages others.

Try and get them to describe real situations where they have managed people and the issues they faced. Look for evidence of inclusion, nurturing and encouragement.

Look for candour and admissions of weakness. Responses that unintentionally tell you quite a bit about the candidate and his level of maturity.

It is vital to find out why someone left their previous employers.

This needs some subtlety especially if you are asking the question repeatedly. Non-threatening questions are more likely to get the truth.

If you sense you are not getting a truthful answer there is no harm in going straight to the point and asking: "Were you fired?"

This will force the candidate to break cover. Either he will tell the truth and begin to be a little more candid or he will take the irrevocable step of lying. You can later establish the truth through detailed reference checking.

By focusing on these three topics you will develop a far deeper understanding of the actual abilities of your candidate.

The writer is the managing director of Korn/Ferry International in the Middle East.