Tip of the Month #11:
Welcome to our next Newsletter! In here I will attempt to address some of the common concerns and questions that arise in the selection and hiring of good people in our industry. And today's tip: The Art of Role Playing
As most of you know, when you are evaluating a potential new hire with the PEAC SYSTEM® , we will often suggest an on-the-spot role play to test the delivery of that person, as opposed, or maybe in conjunction with, their head knowledge. You see, high Analysis and high Conformance profiles are collectors of information. They store this information for use at the appropriate time, and when you ask how they do something, both profiles can generate an answer relatively quickly, if they are familiar with the content of the question. And though that can seem impressive, it is merely a small data dump of their head knowledge, but leaves you unsure that they can actually use it.
So, when your candidate claims to be a cold caller, you can put them immediately on the spot... IF you are prepared. Now, the point, here, is that not everyone role plays well, and many, in fact, hate role play. The cause behind these reactions may have more to do with self image than with lack of knowledge, but let's make sure. These are some simple rules you can use to look good, and not get caught up on the losing end of a role play:
1. Have a series of sensible objections in hand, even if necessary, on
a notepad. If you don't know their discipline well,
spend some time with someone who does, just to get the common objections
that may be important.
2. Try to keep the role play simple. Too many Managers want to beat
the candidate to death. Not necessary, for you
will not only take the chance of shooting a good candidate, you could end up
looking like an idiot. We all just
love working for those.
3. Begin at the beginning- the warmup starts with the instruction, "Let's
experiment and see how you handle a cold call...
You just got my name from one of your (recruiting or marketing) contacts,
and you decided to call me right away..."
4. Start, then, with you pretending to hold a phone, saying, {your full
name} here. "Hello, 'John Sample'!" They should
immediately slide into an introductory stage, then, a presentation for the
purpose of the call.
5. Next, they would go into the involvement stage, sharing information,
gathering background, and such. Since this is a
pressure moment for them, give them a bit of room- some time to gather their
wits and get started.
6. Don't be in a big hurry to jump in and bash them. Don't go way esoteric so that they have no chance to recover.
An example of this would be to let a recruiter get fully exposed and then
tell you are the owner of the company,
Their inability to handle that would not be a strong indicator of their
skills in recruiting, but they will need to learn it.
7. Try not to stop and discuss each phase of the role play. To be
certain of a weakness, push for clarification, or press
your resistance to his or her suggestions, closing, and so on. But don't
overdo it. Even the best of us can panic
when we get out there too far and get lost.
8. Remember, it is NOT your cleverness that you are measuring. It is
their delivery under pressure. Trust me, in a job
interview, this is pressure.
Now, coupling what you learned with the PEAC Evaluation, and this Role Play, you can make better decisions.
Keep in mind you are ALWAYS looking, even when you are not
in a position to hire.
Identify those most likely to succeed
out of those you find.
We can help... keep us in mind...
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