Pulse May 2017 | Page 57

INTERVIEW IDEAS “Even though I have a candidate’s resume and appli- cation responses, I always like to hear them walk me through their work history. I always ask them to give me ‘the live version’ so I can hear it in their own words, and give them the opportunity to expand on their experience and show some passion and personality. I really love when candidates tell me their challenges and proud moments with each position without me having to ask.” — SUMMER SMITH • Managing Director of Operations milk + honey • Austin, Texas “I learned this from my buddy, Michael Tompkins. I always ask them how they would make and then market their own M&M (or some version of this). Answers are illus- trative and show how the person approaches problem-solving and how creative they are. Does she resent the task? Ask for more infor- mation before she responds? Does it take a while for her to come up with anything? Is she enthusiastic and creates excitement about her M&M? The approach is important, as you wouldn’t necessarily want someone who is too creative to be your CFO or someone who can’t think on his or her feet to be your front desk supervisor.” — KRISTINE HUFFMAN • President and Founder Huffman Hospitality Concepts • Lee, Massachusetts “I always ask what they feel their greatest strength is and, more importantly, what their greatest weakness is. Most of us come into an interview equipped with what our strengths are, but not many come prepared to tell you what their weakness is. We all have weaknesses. If you can’t identify yours, how do you know what you need to work on to gr ow? It’s a matter of being in touch with yourself. I also try to walk an interviewee out to their car at the end of the interview. It is a time where the conversation is more relaxed and less nervous on their part and might reflect a personality that didn’t come through in the formal interview. Also, someone once told me to check out their car. Is it clean, organized or dirty with all kinds of things thrown around? You can learn a lot about a person from how they keep their car.” — CINDI FLANAGAN • Owner Abundant Health Day Spa • New Smyrna Beach, Florida “I always ask why? Why Mario Tricoci? A technician really needs to research our company to know the culture. We are a unique culture of talented individuals who are always looking to learn and help each other succeed.” — AMBER EDWARDS • Nail Director Mario Tricoci Salons & Day Spas Palatine, Illinois “When a potential new hire comes for an interview, the receptionist greets them, offers them water or coffee, then has the candidate sit for a few minutes. We’ll wait about five minutes after the scheduled interview time before bringing the candidate to the meeting room and conducting the interview. At the end of the day, we ask the receptionist how friendly and respectful the candidate was to her. While potential new hires may be able to ‘turn it on’ for an interview, they wouldn’t be able to fake it with everybody they encounter unless they were truly a kind person. The candidate should treat the receptionist with the same amount of respect as they would their potential manager or even the president of the company.” — BOLDIJARRE KORONCZAY • President Éminence Organic Skin Care • Vancouver, British Columbia • Canada May 2017 ■ PULSE 55