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James Adonis
Interview Questions Every Manager MUST Ask!
Employee engagement begins with the recruitment process.
If we get this
element of the engagement journey right, then engaging employees is easy!
The biggest mistake managers make during the recruitment process is that we hire based upon skills and experience.
But skills can be taught and experience
can be obtained. The best way to recruit people that have a higher chance of being engaged is by recruiting for attitude. And yet, almost every interview guide doesn’t have any questions that help to ascertain someone’s attitude.
That’s where the LMNOP Attitude Rainbow comes into play. This is a model I’ve used in many organisations and that’s proven to recruit people who have a better attitude. This is how it works. Each letter of the rainbow represents a unique aspect of attitude. If you implement just one question during the interview process that addresses each one of these five attitude elements, you have a substantially higher chance of recruiting someone with a terrific attitude.
Website: www.jamesadonis.com Email:
[email protected] Phone: + 61 2 9331 2465 Fax: + 61 2 9331 3945 Mobile: + 61 402 334 987
© James Adonis, 2005
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James Adonis
The five elements of the LMNOP Attitude Rainbow are:
Learn: People who have a passion for the learning process.
Motivate: People who are self-motivated and can also motivate others.
Natural: People who are pleasant, nice, and friendly.
Optimistic: People who embrace change and see the positive side of life.
Proactive: People who go the extra mile for their employer, their peers, their customers, and themselves.
t iv e -a c c Pro misti ti Op a l tur N a i v at e t Mo n r Lea © 2005 James Adonis
To assist you in developing questions to incorporate in your interviews, the following pages provide you with some examples for each element of the LMNOP Attitude Rainbow. Feel free to use these or to modify them to suit your needs. You’re also able to forward this guide to anyone else you believe will find it useful. I ask only that you don’t amend this guide and that you forward it on its entirety.
Website: www.jamesadonis.com Email:
[email protected] Phone: + 61 2 9331 2465 Fax: + 61 2 9331 3945 Mobile: + 61 402 334 987
© James Adonis, 2005
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James Adonis
Learn •
Give me an example of a time when you had to absorb complex information. How did you go about learning it?
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What is your preferred learning style? How do you incorporate this at work?
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Tell me about a work-related mistake you’ve made and how you learned from this.
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What’s the one biggest learning lesson you’ve had so far in your working history? What were the circumstances that led to this learning lesson?
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What sorts of things do you do outside of work to help you be better at your job? Are you a member of any industry associations?
Motivate •
Tell me about a time when you worked on a task that was quite repetitive and structured. How did you maintain your focus and your enthusiasm?
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What would you do in a situation where you had a manager who wasn’t interested in motivating you? How would you motivate yourself? Tell me about a time when this happened to you.
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Tell me about a time when you had to persuade a peer or influence a manager to do something. How did you go about doing this?
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Give me an example of a time when you attempted to do something but failed. How did you overcome this situation? Did you try again? What were your thoughts?
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Tell me about a time when you had to motivate other people. How did you do it? What was the result? What was the impact to the business?
Website: www.jamesadonis.com Email:
[email protected] Phone: + 61 2 9331 2465 Fax: + 61 2 9331 3945 Mobile: + 61 402 334 987
© James Adonis, 2005
James Adonis
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Natural •
Tell me about a situation where you went out of your way to help a colleague. What made you do this?
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Give me an example of a time when you worked within a team that was dysfunctional and wasn’t operating effectively. What did you do to make things better?
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How do you deal with difficult people? Think about the most challenging colleague you’ve had and tell me how you handled working with this person.
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Give me a specific example of a time when you were involved in a workplace conflict. What actions did you undertake to resolve the conflict?
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What types of people do you prefer to work with? Which kinds of people do you like working with the least? Why? How do you make yourself cope with people you don’t like? How do you handle people that don’t like you?
Optimistic •
Tell me about a time when everything around you was going wrong. How did you deal with the situation?
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Tell me about a time when you worked in an environment that was inhabited by people with a negative attitude. How did you react and deal with this?
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How do you handle stress and pressure? Give me an example of a time when you displayed these characteristics.
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Tell me about a time when your manager asked you to do something with which you did not agree. How did you react?
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What types of things make you angry? How do you react? What types of things make you happy?
Website: www.jamesadonis.com Email:
[email protected] Phone: + 61 2 9331 2465 Fax: + 61 2 9331 3945 Mobile: + 61 402 334 987
© James Adonis, 2005
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James Adonis
Proactive •
Tell me about a recent process improvement that you initiated and implemented. What made you do this?
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Give me an example of a time when you went beyond the call of duty to help a customer. What motivated you to take this action?
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How well do you adapt to new situations? Tell me about a time when you were thrown in the deep end.
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What’s been your greatest achievement so far? What were the steps you took that helped you attain this milestone?
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Tell me about a time when you saw a potential problem on the horizon. What did you do to prevent this problem from occurring? How did you recognise that the problem was going to occur in the first place?
Website: www.jamesadonis.com Email:
[email protected] Phone: + 61 2 9331 2465 Fax: + 61 2 9331 3945 Mobile: + 61 402 334 987
© James Adonis, 2005
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James Adonis
About The Author James Adonis is a leading expert on employee engagement, professional speaker, and author of "Love Your Team: How to halve your employee turnover in less than 90 days!" James became a manager at the age of 19 and was managing a team of 100 by the time he was 24. During this time, his major achievements have included taking a team that had employee turnover exceeding 70% and reducing it to zero where it was maintained for 2 years. He has also achieved employee engagement results that have exceeded not only the industry standard, but world's best practice. Recognised internationally as a premier expert on employee engagement and retention, James's articles are published in magazines, newspapers, and websites in many countries. He is frequently featured in the media as a thought leader in employee engagement and people management, and presents keynotes and workshops for organisations and conferences around the world.
Website: www.jamesadonis.com Email:
[email protected] Phone: + 61 2 9331 2465 Fax: + 61 2 9331 3945 Mobile: + 61 402 334 987
© James Adonis, 2005
