Some time ago I was interviewed for a senior role in a large pharmaceutical company. Why I was there in the first place is of no consequence, but I was. Sitting across the table from me was the HR Director (soon to be promoted into a regional role) and the Finance Director and in front of them both was a list of competencies and questions that had been drawn up for the role and which they were going to ask me. They informed me that they would be playing tag. One would ask a question followed by the other and this would continue until the end of the interview.
The interview was a complete dud and in no way would have provided the interviewers with any indication of how well I could have done the job. In fact, it soon became apparent that their primary goal was to get through the questions rather than see if I could do the job or whether I was a fit for the Company. They did not listen to my responses; they wrote few notes; they did not try and dig underneath the surface. So frustrating was the interview in fact, that I eventually stepped in and coached them as to the questions to ask. Were they going through the motions - yes? Would I have wanted to work there - probably not?
That interview and subsequent 'reference' interviews that I have been exposed to from recruitment companies, have lead me to believe that despite leaders knowing that there is a war for talent going on - companies have been either very slow to embrace methods that will help them win that war or that the message is not getting through to the lower levels within the company or for that matter to the recruitment companies that recruit for them.
If you are serious about talent, then you need to 'Topgrade.' If you are really serious about winning the war for talent - then you need to 'Topgrade' for it is the one method that, with any degree of accuracy, will enable you to determine who are the 'A' players and who aren't. In addition, if you are looking for a new role or even if you are in recruitment, you need to know 'Topgrading' because it will help you understand the kind of in-depth questions that are asked during a 'Topgrading' interview.
I am attaching 6 slides that I hope will spark your interest in 'Topgrading' but before you open the deck, bear in mind the following facts regarding the traditional methods of interviewing:
- A survey of HR executives in 25 global companies found that 80% of external hires turned out to be disappointments
- The average cost of mis-hiring can be 15 X annual base salary
- Global 100 companies have an 80% failure rate using the traditional series of one-hour competency interviews
Download topgrading_snapshot_blog_2008_read only.pdf
If you require further information on 'Topgrading' feel free to contact me at ian.campbell@valufacturesolutions.com or you can contact Brad Smart at brad.smart@topgrading.com or visit his website at www.topgrading.com Brad has written the definitive book on 'Topgrading' titled "Topgrading - How leading companies win by hiring, coaching, and keeping the best people." (Bradford D. Smart, Ph.D; Portfolio, a member of the Penguin Group; 2005; 562 pages)
Again, if you are serious about talent - you would do well to 'Topgrade.'
ian
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