Interview the right way

As founding teams the biggest mistake you can make is hiring the wrong sales person for your team. A wrong hire will cost you time, cost you a lot of money and will put your business back by a few months.

I have heard of stories where the wrong hire shut down the business. So how do you ensure you are coming close to hiring the right person?

It's simpler than you think.

• Interview Prep: Identify the interview team
• Interview Questions: Questions can be Behavioral, Fact-Based, Motivational, Theoretical and/or Hypothetical
• Interview Themes: Your interview team should focus on a single theme which can be Business Impact, Client Focus, Communication, and/or Leadership

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Interview Prep:

It’s important to ensure an ideal candidate not only has the required skills and experience but is also the right cultural fit for your startup. The interview team can be 3/4 people and each interviewer should have a different role/focus throughout the interview process.

Here is an example of an interview team:

• Recruiter
• Founder
• Co-Founder
• Advisor

Interview Questions:

• Behavioral: Focuses on Past Behavior: Behavioral: Focuses on past behavior. Use questions such as 'Tell me about a time when'
• Fact-Based: These questions obtain information about their background. Use questions such as 'What did you sell'?
• Motivational: This helps to understand a candidate's values. Use questions such as 'Why did you leave your previous position?'
• Theoretical: These questions reveal beliefs or values and how a candidate does things. Use questions such as 'What are your thoughts about'
• Hypothetical: These questions focus on how someone believes they will respond to certain situations. Use questions such as 'What would you do in the situation?'

Interview Themes: Your interview team should take on 1 theme during the interview. 

Themes can include: 

• Business Impact: Assess if the candidate has the experience and background for the specific job they are applying for. The candidate should demonstrate their ability to maintain and deliver high-quality work in a timely manner. 
• Client Focus: The candidate should demonstrate their ability to recognize when a new approach is required, and import or modify a solution from outside the current work environment.
• Communication: Assess the candidate’s ability to effectively and accurately communicate. 
• Leadership: Asses if the candidate is a cultural fit.