How Serious Entrepreneurs Can Gauge Motivation of Interviewees

Human resource managers will tell you there is more information to be learned about a job candidate than simply their answers to your questions. The way they speak, the way they are dressed, their eye contact and their body language are all clues to the personality of the candidate. However, Serious Entrepreneurs want like-minded people who are motivated, continually striving for self-improvement, and who want more professional fulfillment than the standard 9-to-5 job provides. They know that asking the right questions can help them flesh out those characteristics. Conducting the interview using behavioral based questions will help to glean this specific information.

Past performance is the best predictor of future performance. Rather than asking the interviewee to describe the specific job duties of their previous positions, have them instead describe those situations that satisfied them the most, or those times when they made a positive impact. Serious Entrepreneurs know that there is more to a job than money, although many people are motivated to become millionaires. Therefore, ask not only what monetary rewards motivate the candidate, ask about the intrinsic rewards as well. In addition, ask what the candidate is passionate or excited about.

Expectations are another aspect on which to focus, especially that which an interviewee expects of himself. Determining how high of a standard they set for themselves is a good setup for inquiring about their personal expectations. Serious Entrepreneurs are aware that the goal for many people these days is an serious internet business. Do they see that in their future? Where do they see themselves in 5 or even 10 years? What personal goals have they set for themselves? How do they view success? Finally, have them describe a situation where they went above and beyond the call of duty for a client or a project.

Next, zero in on the competencies of your candidate. If they had ever played a role in building employee morale, what was the end result? How would they motivate someone who said they were out of their comfort zone? If they had ever experienced dishonesty in the workplace, how did they approach it and resolve it? Serious Entrepreneurs know that failure oftentimes precedes success. To determine the interviewee's resiliency, ask if they have experienced failures and, if so, what did they do next? Lastly, have them give an example of how they would empower others. That will be a good indication of how they empower themselves.

When all is said and done, your radar will tell you who to hire.