by CarolQuinn author of Don'tHire Anyone without Me

Have you heard the saying, "We judge other people by their actionsbut judge ourselves by our intentions?" Seems like a double standard doesnt it? Oftentimes if we like an applicant we accept goodintentions as being sufficient evidence of performance, even through there's no substantial action associated with the intent. When itcomes to selecting top performers, we must consistently assess everyone by their actions and not by their intentions or their wordsalone. Watch out for subtle "excuses".

So you might ask, what do intentions have to do with excuses? Lower performers let circumstances determine who they are and what they achieve. Events and situations rule their world and ultimately become their excuse for lack of accomplishment. As the interviewer,you need to recognize and understand the dynamics of a given outcome. Foremost, excuses have an inverse relationship to results.If results are achieved then there is no need for an excuse. If results are not accomplished, or are less than expected, then excuses may be offered up as reasons for shortcomings. The fewer results, the more excuses and the more results, the less excuses. You never needboth at the same time.

Excuses are also designed to shed responsibility and control off of the person using them and shift it elsewhere. Elsewhere can be anywhere, and where is not important  "My dog ate my homework." What does matter is, if someone or something else is believed topossess the control over a result, then the subject can shed ownership if it fails  it was out of their control. If a person does notbelieve that she has the power or control to achieve a given result, then it doesnt make sense to expend energy trying. Effort will be futile. In other words, her perception is that there was nothing she could do about it. This perception has a tremendous impact on job performance and it varies from person to person. It can be easily assessed during an interview utilizing motivation-based interviewing.

Interviewing Tip:

Weight the applicants actions greater than their words.

Be aware of applicants who explain why achieving a desired result was beyond their control. Low performers withhold the necessary effort then make excuses. They blame others for the specific outcome adding that their effort would not have made any difference  it was out of their control. When interviewing applicants, take a look at how often they incorporate excuses intotheir answers. This will be a good indicator of how often they will offer up excuses to you for the lack of effort if hired. Judge theirhabit of expending effort, not their individual explanations that may sound legitimate but lack the action needed to achieve results. Highperformers produce more results, not more excuses.

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Monthly Interviewer Tips & Techniques provided by Hire Authority,Inc.

This information and much more can be found in the book "Dont Hire Anyone Without Me!" by CarolQuinn.

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Copyright 2001.

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