b'Rather than taking the narrow and deep approach that would have provided great insight, they may leave with lots of notes, but little of value.How to Avoid Interview PitfallsThere\'s a simple and easy way to avoid these five interview pitfalls and prepare for an interview that willdeterminewhetherornotyoushouldmove forward with your candidate.For years, we\'ve taught clients to begin their inter-viewswithanopen-ended,experientialquestion like: Tell me about a time when you accomplished something that you felt was remarkable, or: Give me an example of a goal you reached that you be-lievewaslife-changing.Thesearewhatwecall foundation questions.After asking that foundation question, we instruct them to continue asking a series of follow-up ques-tionsthatsteadilydigdeeperanduncovermore specificinformationrelatedtothecandidatesTell me about the company, your title, your posi-thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. tion, your role, and the team involved.We discovered someone who shares our philoso- What were the actual results achieved?phies and feels like a kindred spirit. Lou Adler an- When did it take place and how long did the nounced that after 10 years of trial and error heproject take to complete?eventually discovered the only interview question that matters." Why were you chosen?What were the three or four biggest challengesWhat single project or task would you consideryou faced and how did you deal with them?your most significant accomplishment in your ca-reer to date? Those are just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine what you could unearth after 15 more minutes of delving If youre a manager who interviews recent collegein to this single, meaningful, magic question!graduates, you could modify the question to ask, Finding the right person for an open position is chal-What single project or task wouldlenging, and it\'s very tempting to rush through the process or take shortcuts when possible. But, mak-you consider your most significanting the wrong hire can cost your company up to five accomplishment to date? times their annual salaryand once you finally get rid of them, youll find yourself back at square one, After the initial question, he suggests the followingsweating over your hiring process again.follow-up questions:If you dont have time now to do it right, when will Can you give me a detailed overview of the ac- you have time to do it over again? Save yourself the complishment? headache and do it right the first time!42'