Workplace of Choice

What better way to see how a job candidate might perform, if hired, than to ask them to do the job?  It's not unusual when recruiting for a senior role, or a role where presentations are a large part of the job, to ask a candidate to make a presentation during the interview process.  This can be done in a variety of different ways.  For example, scientists are commonly asked to present papers to the team as part of their interview process.  A sales candidate may be asked to pitch a product, either real or fictitious.  If you were hiring a strategic marketing person - how better to evaluate skills than to ask them to solve a problem and present the solution?  This step in the recruiting process seems to be a growing trend in many industries for jobs at all levels.  Having the candidate do a presentation allows you to assess the candidate on much more than how well they answer interview questions.  The interview team can assess key competencies and see the candidate in action.  As you listen to the presentation, evaluate the following:

• How prepared is the applicant?
• Is the information accurate, current, informative, etc.?
• How well does the presentation target the intended audience?
• Is the information presented in an organized fashion?
• How well does the applicant deliver the presentation?
• Were visual aids used and if so, were they helpful?
• Was the material organized well?
• How comfortable is the candidate with the subject matter?

For the candidate it is an opportunity to shine - or not.

This article was written by Patty O'Neil Messer, Executive Recruiter at Insight Performance