Andrey Alyasov
founder of the National Changellenge Case League
If you want to work in a well-known company and in a good position (for example, Alfa Bank, EY, KPMG, McKinsey, PwC or Unilever), sooner or later you will come across a case interview. Employers use case interviews because everything is clearly visible during it: how you know the industry, how you know how to search for information, what experience you have, what you are like in general.
What is a case interview
A business case is a real situation from the life of a certain company that needs to be analyzed in order to offer its own effective and preferably original way to improve the situation. Moreover, recruiters will expect you to get to the heart of the problem and find the right path as quickly and confidently as possible.
The solution of cases can easily unsettle an uninitiated person. It is impossible to prepare for them in one day. I advise you to start training at least three months in advance: spend a week or two studying theory, searching and reading books, spend a couple more weeks doing test interviews, and then a month or two to practice interviews in a company that you are less interested in. All types of selection during which cases are used can be divided into four types.
Online tests based on cases
This is the Problem Solving Test (PST) and its analogues - a kind of correspondence case interview with multiple choice answers that allow the recruiter to assess the ability to make decisions and the ability to perceive large amounts of information.
To prepare, you should practice your calculation skills and take a couple of practice tests (there is a document with a detailed description of the Problem Solving Test on the McKinsey website, BCG has the same example).
Braintizers
Small problems related to non-standard calculations. For example, the classic one: how many ping-pong balls will fit into a Boeing 787. Greater accuracy is not critical here. The main thing is to demonstrate an atypical approach to solving a problem, the logic of reasoning, the ability to make decisions in an unusual situation and quickly calculate in your mind.
The same problem about a Boeing and tennis balls can be solved without knowing the exact dimensions of the aircraft and the diameter of the balls. It is enough to estimate everything well and make all the necessary calculations, and aloud, so that the interviewer hears how you argue: “The width of the cabin is, say, six meters, that is, the sectional radius is three meters, and the area is 3 * 3 * 3.14 - approximately 28 meters. The length of the cabin is 60 meters, which means that its volume is approximately equal to 1,700 cubic meters, or 1,700,000,000 cubic centimeters. The radius of a tennis ball is two centimeters, which means that the volume is approximately equal to 33 cubic centimeters. It turns out that about 50,000,000 balls can fit in the cabin - and let's remove
15%, because there will be an empty space between them. I think the answer is 38 million balloons.”
You can search for brainteasers on the Internet - collections with some of them roam on social networks from year to year. And you also need to practice your mental counting skills. In an interview, you will have to think very quickly, you may not be given a calculator, and calculations in a column on a piece of paper will look unprofessional. You can use any free minute for training - for example, add car numbers in your mind when you walk down the street, or solve puzzles in convenient mobile applications like Elevate.
Individual cases
Cases of this type are perhaps the most difficult. Here you will not only have to think, count, demonstrate your knowledge of the industry and analytical skills. Sometimes the case assignment and related information is issued immediately, then the candidate only needs to do the situational analysis. In other cases, the interviewer only gives the big picture (for example, asking how to increase the profitability of the retail segment of a commercial bank), and you need to find out the details with the help of the right questions.
Basically, such cases are related to the activities of the company. But there are those who like to give tasks on an abstract topic. The interviewer can move away from the prepared case and give an original one - for example, ask how to increase the competitiveness of the Russian army or the average USE score in the region, ask to calculate the minimum required population of the country, or suggest thinking about how to reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
Trial cases will help prepare for such a test. Look at the examples on the websites of the companies themselves - you can find BCG cases with their analysis. For the most persistent candidates, there are special services (including paid ones) that allow you to train under the guidance of a real consultant - for example, preplounge.com.
Team case
If during the selection process for a company you are invited to an assessment center, be prepared to solve a team case. You will have to sort out the problem together with complete strangers and part-time your competitors. Moreover, they will look not so much at the quality of the decision, but at your ability to work in a team, the ability to bring it to a single solution in a difficult situation and defend your position with reason. You need to understand that the team does not need people who are silently waiting for a common decision, and upstarts who are always pulling the blanket over themselves.
Pay attention to the fact that different companies are interested in different types: in consulting they are looking for competent team players, in FMCG they are looking for people who are able to show the most creative approach and lead the rest.
In order to properly practice, it is worth submitting a resume to the maximum number of companies that conduct assessment centers - even if you are not interested in working in them. In addition, you can take part in case championships, which in recent years have been held both by the companies themselves and by independent case associations - for example, the National Changellenge Case League.
Dozens of articles and books have been written about the assessment of a candidate for selection, various seminars and trainings are held, which bring together numerous groups of managers and HR specialists. The topic is well developed, what can be added?
In my opinion, the most important issues remain the problem area in the selection of candidates: the accuracy of the selection of a candidate, the validity of his assessment and a clear forecast of his success in the company.
It's no secret: many HR specialists say that the assessment of the candidate's competencies on the selection was high, but during the trial period he showed low efficiency, and they had to part with him. It also happens that, having received a positive assessment in the selection with a good offer, the candidate does not come to the company on the set day and does not answer the calls. Great difficulties also arise when, after a high assessment in the selection and passing the probationary period, the new employee begins to show himself as a conflicting, totally critical person.
Recruitment errors are often explained by external reasons: low wages, for which it is difficult to find a competent applicant, insufficient time allocated for candidate assessment, recruiter fatigue when up to 15-17 candidates have to be interviewed per day, lack of a clear adaptation program in the company and others
And yet, I am sure that a strong professional works quickly and efficiently in any conditions: with a shortage of interesting candidates in the personnel market who can be bought inexpensively, a large number of interviews during the working day, and also in the context of an unfinished adaptation program in the company.
How to improve the quality of selection and at the same time not increase the time and effort of the assessment? I offer a three-step technology that I have been using for more than fifteen years in the implementation of corporate orders to evaluate candidates for top and key vacancies. The technology includes three stages: preparation for selection and analysis of resumes, evaluation interview and, finally, the implementation of the "point" adaptation of a new employee.
FIRST STEP: PREPARATION FOR SELECTION
Preparation for the selection consists of three tasks: compiling a job profile of a vacancy, determining the competencies that a candidate must have to fulfill the job profile at a given workplace, and identifying categories of candidates that are interesting and not interesting for the company.
The position profile reflects the work functionality of this vacancy, which the new employee will actually perform after he is hired by the company. It's no secret that every business has its own specifics, and, in addition, the tasks that a new employee will solve can be more diverse and more voluminous than the functionality that is prescribed in the job description in the Handbook.
Of course, job descriptions are present in every company, but in those companies where the position profile is still developed, the selection specialist evaluates candidates, focusing precisely on the position profile of this vacancy. Of course, there are companies that have job descriptions and no job profiles, and then the recruiting manager works on the basis of the job description and adds an assessment of those competencies of the candidate that will allow him to perform more diverse tasks than the tasks listed in the job description.
The structure of the position profile consists of a list of key tasks that a new employee will perform in this position on a regular basis, periodic tasks that he will implement on behalf of the manager, and new tasks that will be assigned to him in the near future (during the year).
The position profile indicates the status of the employee in the hierarchy of the management system: a manager, a subordinate or a relatively independent expert (for example, a lawyer in a company working in the singular with a wide range of communications, from the general director to the heads of departments).
It would be useful if the profile contains information about the new employee's work schedule - a regulated (or non-regulated) working day, a remote office, home office, the frequency of business trips per month, etc.
The position profile completes the list of competencies required from a specialist working in this position.
The article is built on the basis of a case - the admission of a candidate for the vacancy of the head of the advertising department. Therefore, I will give an example of the position profile of the head of the advertising department, taken from a successful Russian manufacturing company that has been operating on the market for a long time and is developing dynamically.
MAIN INSTRUCTIONS, RULES, GUIDELINES, POLICIES AND STRATEGIES WITHIN WHAT THE WORK IS RELATED TO:
- Legislation of the Russian Federation and other laws in force and applicable to the field of trade.
- Employment contract, current requirements for this type of activity.
- Internal policy and attitudes of the Company.
- Commercial policy of the Company, various agreements between the Company and its clients.
Directive on the management of the company and other internal documents, oral or written directives on the management of departments and directly by managers.
INTERACTION:
Other divisions of the marketing department, trade marketing department, sales department, accounting department, IT department.
MAIN ACTIVITIES:
Branding
- Analysis of available market data (including data from research agencies, media monitoring, expert opinions) and selection based on the results of this analysis of the most effective strategies for positioning and promoting the Company's brand.
- Development of all necessary creative (advertising and image) materials for the company, including writing technical specifications, briefs and holding tenders for the selection of contractors.
- Creation and regulation of corporate standards for the use of the brand name and creative materials (brand book, advertising policies, etc.).
- Planning and budgeting for current advertising campaigns in Russia, the CIS and the Baltics.
- Writing technical specifications, briefs, holding tenders among potential contractors and selecting contractors for organizing promotional events in Russian cities.
- Organization, control and analysis of the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.
- Preparing interviews, Q&A and editorial content for various print and online media.
- Participation in conferences, round tables and other open events with reports/messages related to the advertising and marketing activities of the company.
- Preparation of presentations and other materials about the company's activities.
Planning and organization of outdoor and internal events (event-direction)
- Corporate holidays (together with the trade marketing department).
- Dealer and VIP conferences (together with the trade marketing department).
- Sponsorship.
APPROVE
Human Resources Director:
I am familiar with this Job Description and undertake to comply with all of its provisions:
Full Name:
Signature: Date:
list of competencies, that a candidate applying for a free vacancy should have should be drawn up at the stage of preparation for the interview. It is logical that we choose competencies taking into account the tasks identified in the profile of the position for which the candidate is going. On the one hand, there should not be too many competencies so as not to make the assessment of a candidate at an interview complicated and unnecessarily time-consuming. On the other hand, there should not be too few competencies in order to conduct a sufficiently detailed assessment during the interview and be sure that our candidate will be successful in the position of head of the advertising department. You can also add two or three more wishes of the company to the personal effectiveness of the candidate (see below).
Let's single out six competencies that should be formed by the head of the advertising department, whose position profile I have given above.
As managerial competencies I propose to single out two competencies for evaluating a candidate:
- Leadership qualities, the ability to lead employees.
- Regular management skills - the ability to set tasks for your subordinates, motivate them to complete the tasks and monitor their performance.
As professional competencies There are four skills for organizing processes according to the functionality of the position:
- Ability to analyze the market and choose effective strategies for positioning and promoting the company's brand, as well as develop advertising and image materials for the company.
- Skills in creating and regulating corporate standards for the use of the brand name and creative materials, planning and budgeting for current advertising campaigns.
- Skills in writing technical specifications, briefs, holding tenders among potential contractors and selecting contractors for organizing promotional events in Russian cities, as well as the skill of an external PR company.
- The skill of organizing corporate holidays (together with the trade marketing department).
In addition to the six managerial and professional competencies, one can add wishes to the personal effectiveness of the head of the advertising department, namely: the presence of well-formed skills in planning and structuring the working time of his own and subordinates.
At the preparation stage, it remains to be decided which candidates will be interesting to us and which ones are not interesting (based on the financial capabilities of the company). To this end, I propose to divide all the resumes that we have for selecting a candidate for a free vacancy into three categories. These will be category A candidates, who are of interest to us first of all, category B candidates, who will be of interest to us in the second place, and category C candidates, who will not be of interest to us.
Category A Candidates have formed competencies and ready-made work skills, they are able to immediately engage in work functionality and get concrete results. There are few such candidates (up to 10-15% of the total number of resumes), they will need to be met as soon as possible: on the same day as we received their resumes, or the next day. Otherwise, the “warm” candidate will be “intercepted” by another company, offering him interesting working conditions.
In our example, it would be good if the candidate had experience in the position of head of the advertising department for up to two or three years and was engaged in professional advertising tasks for at least three years. It will be great if, despite the fact that he is a creative, our candidate arrives for the interview on time, his documents are in order, and he himself is dressed according to the office dress code.
Category B candidates do not have ready-made skills at the level required in our company (usually up to 25-30% of the total number of resumes). We will need to finish their education, so they will interest us in the event that we cannot agree on money and other working conditions with category A candidates.
In our example, when looking for the head of the advertising department, we can invite a young advertising specialist with good professional skills, pronounced leadership potential, but no experience in a managerial position. During the probationary period, we organize the managerial adaptation of such a candidate, and if he is a leader by nature, it is quite possible that he will show excellent results in the position of head of the advertising department.
It is desirable that the category B candidate has a good learning ability and strives to develop his vertical career.
Category C candidates do not have well-formed competencies and ready-made skills (they are usually the majority, up to 60% of the total number of resumes, if not more). Many of them are in search and send out their resumes in a "wide fan". If the company does not have the time and funds to train a "zero" candidate, he should not be invited for an interview, he will find himself in another business and possibly in another position.
In addition, it makes sense to pay attention to the fact if the candidate has changed his job every six months or a year over the past 3-5 years. There may be risks here that our candidate is deliberately building an “accelerated career”, moving from company to company with pay increases and no concrete results. In this case, our company can act as another alternate airfield for him, from which he will soon “fly away” to another business.
It may also be that a candidate who often changes companies is a quarrelsome and conflicted person who is quickly parted. If there is such a doubt, it is advisable to call the company in which the candidate previously worked and ask the personnel officer of this company in detail. If an HR specialist shares such information, it will be our professional success. If he refuses to talk about this topic, this is also information for us, indicating that it is better not to waste time on an interview with such a candidate.
So, we thoroughly prepared for the interview: we formed the profile of the position according to the vacancy, made a list of competencies that we will evaluate when meeting with the candidate, and, finally, chose the candidates with whom we will meet in the first and second turn, and also “weeded out” the candidates with whom we will not meet, so as not to waste our working time. Let's start the interview now!
SECOND STEP: 30 MIN EVALUATION INTERVIEW
In order to conduct an interview with a candidate quickly, efficiently and with high validity, it is necessary to clearly choose the style of the interview and make a list of questions that we will ask the candidate.
Interview Style
I am convinced that if a recruiter wants to get valid answers from a candidate, he will choose a style of contact interview so that the candidate can open up and answer questions openly. Of course, we always take into account the fact that the candidate “sells” himself, and we double-check his answers with the help of additional open-ended questions, clarifications, “understanding” questions like “Did I understand you correctly ...?”, as well as questions by precedents: "Give specific examples ...". We will also include in the interview case questions like “How would you act in such a situation…”? or “How will you solve this problem…”?.
I would like to save the reader from two interview errors that reduce the validity of a candidate's assessment and unnecessarily increase the interview time. As the first mistake, I single out an unreasonably tough stress interview in the "top-down" style with a manifestation of distrust of the candidate and humiliating his human dignity. The job seeker is often nervous during the interview, and it is unprofitable for the recruiting manager to increase his stress level. First, the recruiter himself will be stressed by conducting such interviews. By the end of the working day, he is exhausted, and his eyes are blurred, as a result, all candidates begin to seem incompetent and unsuitable for work in the company.
Secondly, in a stress interview, the candidate closes, which is a natural reaction of a normal person. So, a strong candidate will respond with a reflexive game, in other words, he will tell a lie that is difficult to verify. A sensitive candidate will get a negative impression from the interview and, upon receiving an offer from the HR department, will not come to work in the company, he may not pick up the phone if the HR manager calls him. He will decide like this: “If the HR specialist on the selection behaves so harshly, then what will happen when I come to work for this company? There, probably, "torture" people! I'd rather look for a job at another company."
In any case, by practicing tough stress interviews with candidates at the recruitment stage, the company is risking its HR brand of an attractive employer, and as a result, capable, in-demand candidates will avoid working in such a business.
Another important tip for reducing interview time.
Many hiring managers at the beginning of the interview present their company in terms of its competitive advantages and only then proceed to interviews on competencies. The presentation of the company's advantages can take two to three minutes, and if the candidate at this moment starts asking clarifying questions, then all five minutes. As a result, it may turn out that not the employee of the personnel service evaluates the candidate, but the candidate evaluates him and the company.
Perhaps, if there is a unique specialist at the interview, and the company has long sought to invite him to work, in order to increase the loyalty and motivation of such a candidate, you can present the company from the side of its advantages. However, this situation is quite rare, and, in my opinion, it is better to present the advantages of the company at the end of the interview and specifically for the candidate who clearly interested the recruiting manager.
Moreover, in this case, the presentation of the company's advantages will not be general, but targeted, “pointed”, only from the side of the needs and motivators that the candidate discovered during the interview. So, if he wants to develop professionally, then it must be said that the company conducts planned staff training, if the candidate is interested in an additional bonus, it is important to list the "goodies" that the company offers to its employees. Finally, if the candidate is sensitive to the atmosphere of the company, it must be said that the company has a positive climate and employees help each other.
I can add one more suggestion. to reduce interview time. To more accurately assess the candidate, it makes sense to invite him to ask questions about the conditions of work that interest him. To do this, you can allocate 5-10 minutes of time at the end of the interview. As a rule, the candidate asks questions on the motivators that are of primary interest to him: how is the salary formed, are there any delays in payment, how often is the professional training of the staff, what is the composition of the team in which the candidate will work, what corporate events are held in the company etc. By how the candidate reacts to the answers of the recruiting manager, one can assess how loyal the candidate is to the company and is motivated to work in it.
Now let's talk about the dynamics of the interview and the questions we ask.
The interview process consists of five stages:
- The beginning of the interview, the formation of contact with the candidate.
- HR Manager Questions and Candidate Answers.
- Presentation of the company's competitive advantages.
- Candidate Questions and HR Specialist Answers.
- Completion of the interview and informing the candidate on the feedback on the results of the evaluation.
Beginning of the interview
The beginning of the interview is the establishment of positive contact with the candidate. It will be great if the recruiting manager greets the candidate in a friendly way and briefly says about himself, for example, like this: “Good afternoon! My name is Natalia, I am a recruitment manager.
Next, you need to say about the purpose of the interview and the time that the employee of the personnel service has: “We will negotiate with you on the possibility and conditions of your work in our company. I will ask you a few questions, you can also formulate questions to me. You and I have about an hour (or about 45 minutes).”
I wrote “or about 45 minutes” because in many cases it is better to have extra buffer time (15 minutes) in case the candidate is interesting and more questions are needed. If the candidate does not interest the recruiting manager, the interview can take up to 30 minutes. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that, according to the rules of business etiquette, the duration of the interview should not be less than 15 minutes, even if the candidate seemed completely uninteresting to the company.
HR Manager Questions and Candidate Answers
For example, I will take our case on the selection of an employee for the position of head of the advertising department. I offer two reference tables for building an interview. In the first table on the left scale - the questions that the HR manager asks, on the right scale - the candidate's competencies that are assessed at the interview. In the second table, the left scale shows the competencies for evaluating a candidate for the position of the head of the advertising department, and the right scale shows the questions of the recruiting manager.
At the beginning of the interview, typical (general) questions are usually asked in order to assess the values, loyalty and motivation of the candidate (see Table 1 (2). In addition, with the help of general questions, the candidate's ability to self-educate and accumulate professional experience, his attitude to achievements and failures, as well as the skill of correcting mistakes in a timely manner.
Tab. 1. Typical (general) selection questions.
Typical (general) questions of the recruiting manager |
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In the main part of the interview, the recruiting manager asks questions in order to assess the managerial and professional competencies of the candidate. In table. 2 provides a fairly extensive list of questions from which the reader can choose those that, in his opinion, will be most effective in conducting an interview.
In addition, if the company employs advertising specialists, it will be useful to invite them to an interview in order to obtain their expert opinion on the candidate. I know from experience that hiring managers understand various professional areas, often far from their basic education, however, the presence of an expert from the field to which the candidate is invited to the interview significantly reduces the interview time. An expert can ask three or four key questions and, after listening to the candidate's answers, quickly form a fairly accurate opinion about him as a professional.
I offer interview questions on competencies in our case - the selection of a candidate for the position of head of the advertising department.
Tab. 2. Questions to the candidate when selecting for the vacancy of the head of the advertising department (assessment of managerial and professional competencies, as well as time management skills).
What competencies are assessed |
recruiting manager questions |
Candidate managerial competencies |
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Candidate's professional competencies |
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Candidate personal effectiveness competencies |
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During the general and professional interviews, the following characteristics of the candidate's answers are positively evaluated:
- The professional confidence of the candidate.
- Openness, communication skills of the candidate.
- Detailed answers with accurate and consistent information.
- Bringing many specific examples from the candidate's professional experience.
- Candidate's analysis of the benefits and risks in assessing the situation.
- An analysis by the candidate of his achievements, taking into account his role in obtaining these results.
- The desire of the candidate for self-education and self-development.
- The desire of the candidate to correct the mistakes made, as well as to train in competencies, the insufficient development of which led to failures and mistakes.
Presentation of the company's competitive advantages, questions from the candidate and answers from the recruiting manager
I offer a list of questions that candidates usually ask during an interview. It is important for the HR manager to prepare in advance for answers to these questions in order to look competent and loyal to his company in the eyes of the candidate.
These are the questions:
Questions about the company's prospects
- Briefly describe the prospects and main activities of the company.
Questions about the solvency of the company
- “It is clear that I cannot give exact numbers, I will only indicate their order. So, over the past six months, the turnover has been growing by an average of 15% per month.”
Questions about the reliability of the company
- Yes, the company is licensed and accredited. The company is a member of the “…” association.
Questions about company fame
- Mention in the media, participation in professional competitions, rating lists.
Questions about the scale of the company
- Number of employees, number of clients, largest clients, branches in the regions, vehicle fleet, etc.
Questions about company policies and payment terms
- Is there a trial period? What is its duration?
- What is the end of the trial period?
- Is there a need to work overtime?
- Is overtime paid?
- Is it acceptable to work on Saturday?
- Is there an established work schedule for all employees?
- When does the working day start and when does it end?
- When is wages paid?
- Is it acceptable to pay in advance?
- Is there an official lunch break? Where is it customary to have lunch?
- Is it okay to drink tea? Where is it happening?
- Is it acceptable to smoke in the company? Where are the smoking areas?
- Do they celebrate common holidays and birthdays?
- What additional benefits do employees have?
- Does the company conduct regular staff training?
Questions about people working in the company
- What is the average age of employees?
- Women's or men's team?
- Who are the leaders of the company? Divisions?
- Who are my possible subordinates?
Questions about the position
- Is this a staff position?
- How many subordinates does this position require?
- What are the main job responsibilities of the position?
- What are the success criteria adopted by the company?
Completion of the interview
At the end of the interview, the HR manager talks about feedback on the results of the assessment. Since I advocate a contact interview, I suggest a positive end to the interview in any case: both when the candidate was highly rated in the eyes of the recruiter, and when the candidate seemed uninteresting to the company.
The formula for a positive closing phrase might be: “Thank you for your interest in our company. Our talks were meaningful. As part of the corporate policy of our company, we have adopted that we give feedback to each candidate within three working (banking) days. An employee of the personnel service will call you or write a message to your address. Goodbye!".
If the HR manager has practically no time for feedback for each candidate, then the final phrase may be: “Thank you for your interest in our company. Our talks were meaningful. As part of the corporate policy of our company, we have accepted that if you have not received feedback from our company within three working (banking) days, you can continue to search for a job in the market. Goodbye!".
If the candidate has to refuse, it is better to do it politely. I suggest the following wording for a telephone conversation or an email message: “Thank you for taking the time to negotiate with our company. We have made a decision to select a candidate, and you can continue your search in the market. We are sure you will find a free vacancy for successful work!”.
The market has also adopted a neutral wording of refusal, which can be applied if the company employs specialists of the profile for which the candidates were evaluated. The rejection formula then looks like this: “Thank you for taking the time to negotiate with our company. We have made a decision to select an internal candidate from among the employees working in our company. We are sure you will find a free vacancy for successful work!”.
THIRD STEP: ADAPTATION OF THE NEW EMPLOYEE
A new employee goes through three forms of adaptation: social (gets used to the team), managerial and disciplinary (gets used to the office requirements and management style of the immediate supervisor) and professional, if necessary (undergoes training to form the necessary work skills).
Let's outline the main steps in the development of the Adaptation Program for our newcomer, the head of the advertising department, which can be called "Introduction".
First day of new employee must be quite satiated. After completing the documents in the Human Resources Department (in accordance with the Regulations on employment in the company), the first day begins with a conversation with the HR director, who hands the new employee a booklet about the company (corporate book, employee handbook or newbie folder). This folder contains materials on the history of the company (when it was formed, who are the founders, who are the main shareholders), the goals and prospects for the development of the company, as well as the Regulations on the company (authorized capital, company services, licenses, areas of activity, which companies it interacts with, staffing table).
The HR director introduces the newcomer to the structure of the company, to the procedures and traditions of the company, to the current documents, orders and instructions. It transmits a list of phone numbers of employees who can be contacted for information. In conclusion, the HR director talks about his main functions and how he can help in the adaptation and support of a new employee. It would also be useful to present information about future colleagues, their interests, communication features, birthdays, etc.
After familiarizing the new employee with the general issues of his work in the company, a conversation is organized with the head (or deputy head) of the company. The latter introduces him to the range of tasks for the position, describes the functions of other employees of the department, describes the procedure for interaction (office hours, range of questions), talks about the planning, reporting and control methods adopted in the department.
In some companies, a new employee is introduced to a colleague who will help him "get used to the team." Such a "social mentor" acts in the form of gentle, unobtrusive care: he will show where you can dine, where the smoking area is located, how to dress, what unspoken orders and traditions are accepted in the unit, and so on.
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of corporate rituals aimed at introducing the new head of the advertising department to the employees of the unit, his future colleagues. A few days before he joins the company, you must post his photo and information about him (professional affiliation, marital status, zodiac sign, interests and hobbies) on the company's network. It’s great if the manager announces the news about the arrival of a new employee. It will not be bad at all if the newcomer receives a business card (badge) with a photo so that he can be addressed by name.
Of course, on the first day of work of a new employee, it is necessary to organize his acquaintance with colleagues (mutual introduction of employees, description of the duties of a newcomer, presentation of a new employee). Initiation rituals for employees are accepted in many Russian companies: they are greeted with a bouquet of flowers, or any sign that attracts attention (flags, balloons, tea at the end of the working day, etc.).
A separate issue of adapting a new employee is to familiarize him with his workplace, where the necessary equipment and office equipment are installed.
And of course, for a new employee, support from the immediate supervisor is very important. It would be nice if, when meeting with the new head of the advertising department in the corridor or on the stairs in the office, the head (or deputy) of the company will say positive phrases: “Glad to see you! How are you doing? Are there any difficulties? Do you need help?"
Bibliography
- Mornel P. Technology of effective recruitment. New system of evaluation and selection of personnel. M.: Kind book, 2005.
- Polyakov V., Yanovskaya Yu. Five steps to a worthy career. SPb.: Piter, 2013.
- Samoukina N. Handbook of the personnel manager. Complete practical guide. Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2015.
| Name of the seminar, training, course | Dec | Jan |
Imagine that you won a million (Elite staff - work and training for professionals)
Elena GRIGORYEVA
Going to an interview, you are waiting for the standard questions: “Why did you choose our company?” and “What is your career vision?”. Instead, the HR manager asks you to talk about your most unusual client. Do not get lost: you are offered a situational interview that is quite popular today. Is it possible to prepare for it and what conclusions will the employer draw from the conversation?
Olga Tugushi, account manager of the CONSORT consulting group, advises, first of all, to specify the term "situational interview" itself. It is wrong to expand this concept to include professional testing, stress interviews, biographical interviews, and other techniques. A situational interview, or an interview based on the principle of a case study, is an interview technique based on the analysis of typical situations - cases.
How to understand that you are being tested using the situational interview method? Certain conditions are offered, and you need to describe your behavior. The recruiter may ask you to "solve" an arbitrary situation or offer to tell you about some episode from the past. At the same time, situations can be both simple, "of two moves", and detailed, requiring study. The popularity of this form of interview among HR specialists of large companies is primarily due to the fact that it can be used to make a fairly accurate prediction of the candidate's behavior in a new workplace.
A situational interview allows you to check you at once according to several criteria that are important for a recruiter:
. sociability;
. time management skills;
. honesty and decency of the candidate, his loyalty;
. typical behavior patterns of a candidate in a particular professional or life situation.
Will it take place or not?
“Sometimes using a case study interview is just a waste of time,” says Marina Chumicheva, head of the recruitment department at Protek. or other circumstances."
A situational interview is a rather troublesome business, which means that it is not suitable for companies that practice mass recruitment of employees - it will take too much time to talk with each applicant. Most likely, they will not offer it to a young specialist, since he has very little or no work experience at all, so it is difficult for him to imagine and simulate a working situation.
However, the range of positions that require a situational interview is very wide: sales and purchasing managers, secretaries, assistant managers, etc. In particular, this form of interview is justified if the applicant in the course of work requires not only professional competencies, but also skills communication with people. Such positions in any company is quite enough.
Another fact to note: the situational interview awaits you in organizations with a developed corporate culture. In this case, the recruiter simply screens out candidates on the basis of "ours" or "not ours", choosing those who will be loyal and accept the company's values.
Get started, pay attention...
D For the applicant, it is not indifferent how his information will be interpreted, because it depends on whether he will be hired or refused. It is good when the HR manager is experienced and prepared. Olga Tugushi recommends that novice HR specialists work out the interviewing technique on simple situations. You are offered a choice of pre-selected answers that have already been sorted and analyzed by an expert. In any case, it is very important to evaluate not only the correctness of the answer, but also the logic. A good "trick" is to give the recruiter more information so that he can not only evaluate the answer itself, but also follow the course of your thoughts, because there can be one brilliant answer for a hundred wrong answers!
On the eve of a situational interview, it makes sense for applicants to “pull up” their specialized knowledge. Lack of time and the need for quick decision-making, of course, is a stressful factor, - Olga Tugushi comments. “Therefore, it is very useful to structure knowledge once again before an interview, look through the latest statistics on your industry, leaf through thematic literature.” The fact is that many even very professional employees’ eyes are so “blurred” that they are not able to go beyond the usual without preparation interview standard and give more complete answers that the interviewer expects.
But it is useless to prepare for the behavioral part of a situational interview, since it is impossible to guess what questions will be asked - after all, they arise "spontaneously", in the course of a conversation, and besides, it does not build up to adjust to the "correct" answers. You can cheat and get the desired position, but if a person is not suitable for her in terms of his personal qualities, he himself will be uncomfortable, which means that he is less likely to achieve significant professional success. After all, work, no matter how trite it sounds, should bring pleasure.
What about talking?
“In order to understand whether the person in front of you is, in my opinion, the most ordinary conversation is enough,” says Marina Chumicheva. “A candidate can be a specialist of the highest level, but if there is no human contact with the interviewer, it is unlikely that comfortable working relationships.As for professional competencies, it is difficult to identify them in a situational interview, this should only be done by a specialist in the same field, and not by a recruiter "armed" with a questionnaire.Marina Chumicheva believes that psychodiagnostics performed by professionals can become an alternative to interviews.However, According to Natalya Guseva, a psychologist, a specialist in the psychology of work and management, psychodiagnostics cannot replace a situational interview, because it refers to purely professional methods used to assess a person’s condition before going to work.This method is most often used in the field of passenger transportation, office in most cases, it “does not threaten employees.” The use of psychodiagnostics when hiring is rather a fashionable excess, moreover, it is very expensive, because the customer company will have to pay for the services of specialists in the development of special computer tests.
Reliability of testing methods:
. interview - 30-40%;
. situational interview - 50-60%;
. psychodiagnostics
(to determine the assessment of the employee's condition) - 70-80%
Practice
TOcomments
Olga PRONINA,
Deputy General Director for Human Resources
PSG "Osnova":
Analyzing the answers of the situational interview, we actually determine the priorities and typical forms of the applicant's reaction to various situations (including those offered to him by the interviewer). The most common types of interviews are:
. candidates for positions where fraud must be excluded;
. sales professionals who need to be patient and tolerant in dealing with people;
. if a strict correspondence of the values and beliefs of the applicant and the future employer is required.
Examples of Possible Case Interview Questions
1. A loved one is seriously ill, you need a lot of money for an operation, you don’t have it at the moment. What will you do?
Candidate Answers:
- I will ask the management of the company to provide me with a loan;
- I will turn to relatives and friends for help.
Response score:
Based on the responses, you can evaluate:
- honesty. By categorically declaring that he will not steal in the company, the candidate thereby gives himself away, because the first thought that came to his mind was to use the money of his organization;
- stress resistance. If the candidate immediately begins to lament and spit over his left shoulder, then he is subject to panic and hysterical states;
- creativity. The applicant can offer his own way of solving the problem;
- Candidate's social circle. The interlocutor tells who to turn to for help;
- the ability to plan your life. The man says that he will take a loan from the company and explains how he is going to pay it off.
2. You are walking down the street and suddenly an elderly person stumbles and falls next to you. You try to help him, but he, refusing help, lashes out at you with abuse, shouting that you are to blame for his fall. What is your reaction?
Candidate Answers:
- let the swearing fall on deaf ears, deciding for myself that the aggressor is an elderly and not quite healthy person;
- try to calm the victim;
- start making excuses
- I will rush into the attack, answering insults with insults.
Response score:
The most adequate candidate is the one who chooses the first or second answer, while the one who stops at the answer "calm down" is more responsive. Candidates who opted for the third and fourth options will not do well in jobs that require interaction with people. One is too rude, the other is unsure of himself. By the way, this uncertainty can become a big obstacle to building a career, such an employee will be afraid to convey his ideas to management and will not be able to build adequate relationships with the team.
3. On Friday evening your family moved to a private country house. Saturday is the World Cup final. It turned out that the house was provided with everything except a television antenna. You apply to the local utility company for the installation of television antennas, but they refuse, citing the weekend. What are your actions?
Candidate Answers:
- Apply to an alternative commercial service, paying five times more;
- I will study the installation literature and try to do it myself;
- I will postpone the decision of the issue until Monday;
- I'll ask the new neighbors.
Response score:
The first option is the most costly and simplest possible. Although not creative, it is an effective and fast tool. It can be judged that the candidate prefers to deal with professionals. The choice of the second answer indicates a person's readiness for learning, the ability to cope with difficulties on their own. If the interlocutor stops at the third option, it means that he neglects his own interests, does not want to make efforts and, therefore, does not achieve his goal. The decision to go to the neighbors speaks of sociability, friendliness, which allow you to achieve your goal without material costs.
