To be or not to be: that is the question

We have all had interviews in our life. Many of us, I am sure, have conducted them. Whether you are the interviewer, or the interviewee, there is always a stream of thought beforehand for both parties.

Interviewer: “I need to make sure I ask the right questions to draw out their cultural fit, work experience, their competence and whether they have done their homework about us”

Interviewee: “I need to make sure I have prepared answers to the inevitable questions like, ‘Give me an example of ‘xxxx’; ‘If your boss were here right now what would they say were your strengths and weakness?’.; ‘Tell me about the role you’re in right now and what challenges you have faced’.

None of this preparation is wrong and neither are the questions and answers; but they are generally ‘left-hand brain’ driven. Often at times as the interviewer you sit there and think ‘I want to get beyond this, remove the facade and see the naked truth.’

I have several questions I use to do just this. My main thrust is to throw out a left field, unexpected, relatively easy yet real question into the mix. This is not designed to catch the interviewee out, but more to access the right-hand side of their brain, in the moment and without preparation.

One of my favourite questions is to ask the interviewee:

“If you were a brand which brand would it be and why?”

My purpose is to see how they react and how quickly, to hear what they say first and then what they follow up with. Their answer is of interest but just as revealing is their body language, tone, and their manner as well as the content of their reply.

The response I often get is ‘Gosh that’s a question I have never been asked before’. It makes them stop in their tracks and think deeply. They access their creative right hand neural processers and most often there is a pause while they think. I have seen many candidates stopped in their tracks from this unexpected question and take 3-4 minutes before answering. That is not a criticism of them, it’s just very revealing as to how they work and their fit with what you as a business are looking for: Are you looking for someone who makes quick decisions and goes with their gut? Or someone who processes and reacts once all scenarios have been considered?

The response when I get it reflects the real person. The brand they mention is less important than the why it’s important to them. It reflects who they are, what they stand for, what their value set is, and their natural orientation, be that disruptive, innovative, careful etc.

I once remember when I worked at Asda around 2005 we asked all the colleagues a similar question: ‘If Asda were a car, what car would it be and who would be driving it?’ The most common response surprised us: ‘It would be a Volvo driven by Ant and Dec: Volvo because it’s safe to shop at Asda, because we are trusted on price, value and quality. Ant and Dec because we don’t take our selves to seriously, it’s a fun place to shop and work.’ Just asking this question told us far more than a colleague survey asking, ‘How are we doing?’

So back to the interview question of which Brand would you be and why….

Give it some thought, try asking the question and see what happens! However, be prepared to also give an answer because I found 90% of interviewees reciprocally ask the same question of me, because it reveals a lot about the company and the boss they may be working for. It works both ways and why not!

If you are wondering, what my answer is ‘first direct’ (but I would say that wouldn’t I) ‘because their DNA is driven by doing whatever it takes to care for its customers and colleagues and that’s the approach we embrace at Vallum.’