Hi there! Todd here. This is a question we get asked a lot from our CRO-level convos: "Tell me exactly how you screen." ...
Want to share some of the higher-level concepts with you so that you can share with your team.
1. People Lie
The fundamental problem with interviews is that people know what you want to hear and can just lie to you. To the best of your ability, you need to flip it and incentivize them to be honest with you.. here are some frames we use…
“(Name), I am in this space all the time. Yes we will discuss this (role) that said.. I want to chat about what you want, what you are looking for, if we don’t have a fit for the exact thing here.. no biggie.. let’s discuss what you really want and I’ll see how I can help you get connected.. since again I am in this space all the time.”
“(Name), I am in this space all the time. It makes no sense to switch out one set of problems for another. Let’s talk about what you want and what is motivating you to look, I can be honest about what is or isn’t similar with us and I can be honest about companies I know that would match well since I am in this space a lot. Let’s talk about what you are trying to get away from and what you are trying to move towards.
Again… everything else we do in the process won’t matter one bit if we don’t incentivize them as much as possible to be honest. We spend a lot of time framing and re-framing this on the front end until the candidate thinks “well the only way I can screw myself here is by not being honest.” We double and triple down our efforts here because it’s the most important fundamental.
2. The motivators
After we have covered the above we want to really dig into the person’s why. Why are they looking, what is going on, what are their main drivers, what are their main motivators, how are they wired, what do they find rewarding, what are they trying to move away from, what are they trying to move towards. We want to get into their wiring and their neurology here to really see what the makeup of this person is. We want to know their model of reality and what they really think is important and what they value.
The main thing we are assessing here is …are they a right fit for this role, challenge, team, etc.
3. Three levers
Same audience, same solutions, same size. For reps, we are looking for: have they sold to the same audience, same solution, and same size org. (For leadership and specialty roles it’s more.. have they solved similar problems with similar constraints.) That said, sometimes this shrinks the pool so small and to a place where from a comp perspective we can’t be competitive. These are the 3 levers we pull on to increase or decrease the pool size so that we can be competitive.
4. Logistics
Another very important component is logistics… Does it make sense for this person? And we mean that as a whole… family, timing in their life, pay, relationships, etc.. we are looking at the whole person and whether or not now is the right time for them to take on a new challenge. We understand internal teams can’t do this as much.. but for us.. we can’t risk an iffy placement. We also use this as a coaching moment with candidates.. really holding up a mirror for them to re-think their decision.
5. Counteroffers
This leads back to the motivators and logistics… but we need to protect against counteroffers, meaning we really need to make sure that this is the right move for them. If it is just a money play.. it won’t really work. We look to stack as many reasons for the move as possible to make it as ironclad as possible. We do this on the front end, before we start investing in a lengthy interview process.
Closing Thoughts.
Lastly, nothing is going to be perfect and 100% foolproof. But the above, combined with a few other things, will help to set you up for the highest probability of success.
If you want to chat about recruiting/hiring.. You know where to find us!
Sincerely, Todd Patrick Dorsey
