Interview Qualification is a Two-Way Street with Greg Toroosian of Elevate Hire

Each individual brings a unique perspective to every interview conversation. Yet most interviews focus on “what you can do for me” almost entirely from a skills perspective.  People want to know what’s in it for them before they choose to engage with you.

Today’s Quote: 

"Though we may have desires or bold goals, for whatever reason, most of us don't think we can achieve something beyond what we're qualified to achieve."  - Simon Sinek

Our guest today:  Greg Toroosian, Founder & Managing Director of Elevate Hire

Greg Toroosian founded Elevate Hire after more than a decade in the Talent Acquisition space. Having previously worked for startups, globally recognized brands, and recruiting agencies, He believes that recruiting and retaining talent is key to having a successful company. 

Greg is an expert at qualifying talent for organizations which has led to successful hires for many clients in a variety of industries. 

Today we are going to discuss:

• Types of qualification
• Plan of attack on how to effectively qualify people

What is candidate qualification?

• Definition: A quality or accomplishment that makes someone suitable for a particular job or activity
• Two types of qualification

Checkbox

• Asking yes/no questions
• Requirements focused
• Doing the bare minimum
• Ineffective because you are lying to yourself 

Thorough

• Have a clear understanding about what the person is actually looking for
• Clarify the likelihood of acceptance of the job
• Fit for the company
• Answer the question (Is this a good candidate) 

What's important for qualification?

• Look at profile (linkedin, resume)
• Longevity, career trajectory, companies/industries, titles 
• Recommendations (linkedin)

 

How do we avoid having a checkbox process

• Mindset of the call: don’t go into every call wanting or being hopeful that this person will work out. Ask the questions that unearth what you really need to know.
• Conversational qualification calls.
• Ask open questions, ask scenario-based questions, and ask questions that will determine if this person is a non-starter. 
• Listen carefully. Be strict and be honest.

Framework for Effective Qualification

•  Firstly, you need a clear understanding of the role you’re interviewing for, its scope, the immediate need, and the future possibilities.
• Be comfortable in leading the conversation so you can get the questions answered that you need. 
• Conversational and open questions with enough space for the person to really say what you need to hear.
• Have a form of the questions to be asked, know what you need the answers to be, but don’t read a script. 

Key Takeaways:

• Build your own qualification form to use as the foundation for every call. 
• Questions that unearth a lot: 
  • Why are you open to a new role?
  • What are you looking for from your next role?
  • Talk me through your current role and responsibilities. You can tell a lot about someone's role, their involvement, and their overall understanding of their craft by hearing them speak freely about it. Take notes and then clarify any points you need to.
  • After telling them about your open position, ask them how it sounds to them as a next step? What specifically appeals to them from what you shared? Get them to sell the role back to you and to sell themselves as a candidate.