TIPS TO HIRE RIGHT

Emily Huling, CIC, CMC 

1. Start with a clear, concise job description.  Be certain what the job entails.
2. Conduct phone interviews with the top applicants before meeting them in person. So much of the insurance business is conducted over the phone, and we tend to overlook this important skill when interviewing.
3. Be sure and give technical and aptitude tests during the interview.  Does the applicant know coverages?  Where to go to research information?  How to operate the automation system?  How to handle a claim?  (A good insurance knowledge testing resource is www.insurancehiringsystem.com)
4. Check references carefully.  Past employers, companies with whom they have done business, former coworkers, people in the community.
5. Have another manager interview the candidate without ever seeing the resume. This avoids labeling, projecting, and the halo effect.
6. If you are hiring for an outside sales position, be sure and have a meal with the applicant.  How they conduct themselves while dining is very revealing.
7. Ask all candidates to complete a handwritten essay to assess thought, legibility, written communication skills.
8. Do not oversell your firm.  We can be so enthusiastic about the opportunities we have, we spend too much time talking about our business, not letting the applicant speak.
9. Ask the right questions.  Open-ended questions allow the applicant to speak freely and reveal more. Here are some traditional interview questions.
• Tell me about yourself.
• How did you decide on this type of work?
• What did you most enjoy about your last job?
• What were the circumstances that compelled you to leave your last job?  Why do you want to make a change?
• Why should our company hire you?
• What type of people do you like to work with?
• What type of people annoy you?
• What do you expect from the next company who is going to hire you?
• What would your previous supervisor say are your major weaknesses?  How about your strengths?
• How could a supervisor best help you reach your own potential?
• What are your career goals for the next two to five years?
• What did you do for personal improvement in this last year?
• Do you prefer working alone or as part of a group?  Why?
• Describe the environment you work best.

10. Behavioral interviewing questions are very effective to determine position fit. These are courtesy of Barbara Bauer, Account Executive, Omnia Group. bbauer@omniagroup.com.

 o   Tell me about a big project you worked on, what you did and what you learned.

o   Tell me about a time you had a big project and ran out of time.

o   What will you do in this job for the first 30 days? 90 days?

o   Tell me about a time you had to make a decision and your boss wasn’t available.

o   Tell me about a time you saved the day.

o   Tell me about the last time you found an error in your own work.

o   Tell me about a time you did more than was expected in your job.

o   Name top three considerations in accepting a new job.  (Training, education, money, advancement, stability, money (not all three)

o   How would you grade ability to predict needs ahead of time?

o   What’s improved in your skills in the past year?

o   What do you know about us?  Why do you want to work here?

o   Tell us about a time you made a proposal to a group of 4 or more?

o   What part of your work do you find most frustrating or satisfying?

o   How do you keep track of things that require your attention?

o   How do you shift gears among job tasks?

o   What is the one thing you hoped we wouldn’t ask you?

Ethics and integrity questions from the Jacobson Group newsletter

o Describe a time when you disagreed with your boss or someone at a more senior level than you.

o Tell me about a time when you disagreed strongly with someone.

o Describe a time when you had to confront someone else's unethical behavior.

o Tell me about a tough decision you had to make and what made it difficult.

o In hindsight, what risk did you not take that you wish you had.

o Tell me about a time when you championed an unpopular view or approach.

o Tell me about a time when you  made a mistake.

o Tell me something you are passionate about.

• Follow up the interview with an e-mail question to assess the candidate’s response.
• Avoid hiring people who are exactly like you. While you may feel comfortable with them, it is diversity and uniqueness that build winning teams.

Emily Huling, CIC, CMC  Selling Strategies, Inc. 

P.O. Box 200  Terrell, NC 28682

www.sellingstrategies.com

Updated March 2011

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