PPB July 2018

the interview dying to be a part of your team. Ideally, make two to three other members of your management teamavailable to interview the candidate in quick succession. Take the candidate on a tour around the office and see how they react. When the interviews are complete, walk the candidate out to their car, if feasible. They won’t expect it, and you’ll most likely get them to drop their guard a bit. There are several optional additions to this process. Depending on the level of the position, a dinner involving the candidate, his or her spouse and the management team are common. Many companies will give their final candidates a take-home assignment to get an idea of how they handle projects. Anything that adds to the information you have about your candidate should be considered. Management Review Get together with your management team later the same day of the interview and compare notes. • What were their first impressions? • Did they touch on a topic you had overlooked? • Are there any red flags? • Where does he or she rank among your other candidates? It’s critical that you formalize your interview process as much as possible in order to get the best candidates. Invest the time and create a scorecard that is a reliable indicator of future success. Whether you are hiring due to growth or to turnover, this interview process will engage candidates and allow you to maximize the information you get before making a hire. Patrick McHargue is director of talent at PromoPlacement, a recruiting firm focused on the promotional products industry. He grew up in the industry, earned an MBA in international business, and he managed a $35 million sales territory before focusing on the development of tools and services to benefit the promotional product industry. patrick@promoplacement.com Conversation Starters To create your own behavioral interview questions, try these starters: • Tell me about a time when… • How did you… • Describe a situation… • Have you handled… • What do you do… www.TheDistributorExchange.com • 844-251-8544 (toll free) All inquiries are strictly confidential. Do you want to sell your distributorship? We can help you sell your distributorship quickly and easily. “This type of business transaction was completely foreign to me so it was invaluable to have The Distributor Exchange take us through the process step by step. They went above and beyond in all regards. I couldn’t be happier with their efforts to make this a win win for all parties involved.” – Cindy Gibbs - Big Fish Branding | JULY 2018 | 71 THINK