Interview Qualification is a Two-Way Street with Greg Toroosian of Elevate Hire

Each individual brings a unique perspective to every interview conversation. Yet most interviews focus on “what you can do for me” almost entirely from a skills perspective.  People want to know what’s in it for them before they choose to engage with you.

Today’s Quote: 

"Though we may have desires or bold goals, for whatever reason, most of us don't think we can achieve something beyond what we're qualified to achieve."  - Simon Sinek

Our guest today:  Greg Toroosian, Founder & Managing Director of Elevate Hire

Greg Toroosian founded Elevate Hire after more than a decade in the Talent Acquisition space. Having previously worked for startups, globally recognized brands, and recruiting agencies, He believes that recruiting and retaining talent is key to having a successful company. 

Greg is an expert at qualifying talent for organizations which has led to successful hires for many clients in a variety of industries. 

Today we are going to discuss:

Types of qualification
Plan of attack on how to effectively qualify people

What is candidate qualification?

Definition: A quality or accomplishment that makes someone suitable for a particular job or activity
Two types of qualification

Checkbox

Asking yes/no questions
Requirements focused
Doing the bare minimum
Ineffective because you are lying to yourself 

Thorough

Have a clear understanding about what the person is actually looking for
Clarify the likelihood of acceptance of the job
Fit for the company
Answer the question (Is this a good candidate) 

What's important for qualification?

Look at profile (linkedin, resume)
Longevity, career trajectory, companies/industries, titles 
Recommendations (linkedin)

 

How do we avoid having a checkbox process

Mindset of the call: don’t go into every call wanting or being hopeful that this person will work out. Ask the questions that unearth what you really need to know.
Conversational qualification calls.
Ask open questions, ask scenario-based questions, and ask questions that will determine if this person is a non-starter. 
Listen carefully. Be strict and be honest.

Framework for Effective Qualification

 Firstly, you need a clear understanding of the role you’re interviewing for, its scope, the immediate need, and the future possibilities.
Be comfortable in leading the conversation so you can get the questions answered that you need. 
Conversational and open questions with enough space for the person to really say what you need to hear.
Have a form of the questions to be asked, know what you need the answers to be, but don’t read a script. 

Key Takeaways:

Build your own qualification form to use as the foundation for every call. 
Questions that unearth a lot: 
Why are you open to a new role?
What are you looking for from your next role?
Talk me through your current role and responsibilities. You can tell a lot about someone's role, their involvement, and their overall understanding of their craft by hearing them speak freely about it. Take notes and then clarify any points you need to.
After telling them about your open position, ask them how it sounds to them as a next step? What specifically appeals to them from what you shared? Get them to sell the role back to you and to sell themselves as a candidate.