WEBVTT

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Hello, I'm Paul Green. Most of us
tend to make judgments about people

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based on our feelings about them.

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However, for employee selection, it makes
sense to use "More than a Gut Feeling,"

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and gather information about the
candidate's skills for doing the job.

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In a behavior-based interview this is
achieved by using a structured interview

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that organizes questions under
job skills, or competencies.

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Clear, preplanned questions help
the candidate know how to answer.

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But often a candidate's
initial answer isn't enough.

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Then, you have to ask job-related probes

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to get the whole picture
of the candidate's skills.

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In this video we will cover
five probing strategies

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that are effective in a
behavior-based interview.

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You will learn how to return to
the target of the question.

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Follow verbal or non-verbal leads.
Probe for current examples at work.

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Clarify actions and outcomes.
And, seek contrary evidence.

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As we proceed, you'll first hear
me explain a probing strategy.

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Next, you'll see a job skill and question,
followed by a candidate's answer.

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Here, you might want to
take notes as you listen.

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Then, as soon as the answer ends, you'll
have a chance to create your probe

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by using the strategy I explained.

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Some of the examples have distracters,
illegal hooks, and unusual situations

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designed to draw you off target.

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But your goal is to stay focused
by only asking follow-up probes

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that directly relate to the skills
important for doing the job.

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Stay away from legally protected topics

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or probes that would just
satisfy your curiosity.

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One of the most fundamental
probing strategies

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involves Returning To The
Target of the question.

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Here, you simply repeat your question
about a specific example of a time

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when the person used a skill.

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Or, use a generality in the candidate's answer
as an opportunity to go for a specific.

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Another option is to create a probe based
on the competency or skill being assessed.

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With this last approach remember
that your prepared questions

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should be organized under the job skills.

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So, you can look at the written job skill,

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select the relevant wording,
and build a probe from there.

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Strategy: Return to the target of
the question / Repeat the question

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Job Task: Identify customer needs
and respond in a timely manner.

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Question: Tell me about a time when you
had to deal with a difficult customer?

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Tell me about a time when you had
to deal with a difficult customer?

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Well... that's one of
those things I'm best at.

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I'm sensitive and compassionate
when it comes to helping people and

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I basically have a
service-oriented personality.

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I just have strong feelings
for people, even strangers.

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To be honest, the people who I work with

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they're surprised when I respond
to abuse with a caring attitude.

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So, if you're looking for someone
who can be amiable and friendly,

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I'm the type of person you're looking for.

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Strategy: Return to the target of
the question, use generalities

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as an opportunity to
ask for a specific

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Job Task: Clarify roles, responsibilities,
and goals to organize work.

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Question: Describe a time when you were
able to help someone get organized?

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Describe a time when you were able
to help someone else get organized?

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Hmmm, That's a good question...

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I have thirty years experience in
getting people organized in shipping.

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Usually, I start every day with a
meeting, tell everybody what's coming up.

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Then I generally have to check and
see that they're doing their jobs.

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But that's always been kind of easy
because a lot of time the good workers

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will complain about the others,
you know. But with new people,

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I always had to double check their
work against the packing slips.

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Sometimes the computer system helps.
But, you know, there's usually

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so much turnover that I just don't
have time for things like that.

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Strategy: Return to the target of the
question / Create a probe from the job task.

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Job Task: Involve others in setting
realistic, challenging sales goals.

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Question: Tell me about a time when
you were able to get another person

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committed to an important work goal?

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Tell me about a time when you
were able to get another person

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committed to an important work goal?

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Well, the only time I really worked as a sales
manager was when I did direct marketing.

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We would sell off-brand cologne and
perfume to people in parking lots,

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sports events and things like that.

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I mean we would just walk right up
to people, show them the product,

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and make the sale for cash.

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My job was to recruit and train
my own group every week.

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Then on Fridays we would go out-of-town
to where the crowds were and

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sell like crazy, you know.

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I guess, the goal setting began in
training where I helped recruits define

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their vision for success and relate
it to tangible product sales.

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It wasn't unusual for a new rep to
make several hundred dollars a day.

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That helped with commitment, but the real
commitment came when I got them out-of-town,

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where they had to pay their own expenses.
They had to work to get home!

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Another follow-up strategy is Following
A Lead in the candidate's answer.

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Listen for words or phrases.

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Clues that will lead you to probe
for the information you need.

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Or, an expression or gesture during an
answer can suggest discomfort or conviction.

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Here you might probe based on non-verbals.
But here's a word of warning.

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When following a lead, it's
easy to get sidetracked.

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So, be sure that your follow-up
is based on relevant job skills,

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rather than general
characteristics of the candidate.

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Strategy: Follow a verbal or non-verbal
lead / Probe into verbal clues

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Job Task: Determine the
causes of problems and

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evaluate alternative solutions
before taking action

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Question: Describe a recent
programming challenge,

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which required you to be particularly
systematic in developing a solution?

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Describe a recent programming challenge,

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which required you to be particularly
systematic in developing a solution?

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I wrote a program for our new
sales management system.

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I did a good job but then.. then I
got a lot of criticism from my boss

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when it crashed a couple of times.
I thought that there was some kind of

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problem that I really didn't deserve
to be criticized for. Anyway,

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I systematically tested the software
with each type of computer and

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operating system that we used.

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Then I talked with a programmer that worked
for the vendor. Boy was he an idiot.

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I double checked the utilities I used and

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finally started to systematically debug the
software to see what kinds of errors I got.

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This lead me to find out that our firewall
on our intranet had been modified.

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I fixed the problem with
five lines of code.

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But, I find it very
irritating to be criticized

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and then pull overtime to fix
somebody else's mistakes.

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That's why I'm leaving that place.

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Strategy: Following a verbal or non-verbal
lead / Probe based on non-verbal clues.

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Job Task: Make effective presentations
to communicate new ideas

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Question: Tell me how you built a specific
presentation for a challenging audience?

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Tell me how you built a specific
presentation for a challenging audience?

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Well, let's see. A challenging audience.
Ah.. Okay.

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Once, I had to summarize what was learned
in a Communities Of Practice Seminar

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for Senior Management. My personal
challenge I felt was that was,

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well make it or break it for my career.

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I was alone in a room with 5 of the most
powerful people in our organization.

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But, at the same time, I had the
opportunity to get them to move us toward

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a more efficient learning organization.

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So, I overcame my anxiety
through preparation.

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Over a two-week period I boiled the information
down to what I called the CORE ideas

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Concept, Opportunity,
Results,and Evaluation.

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I, ah ,I introduced each topic
with two minutes of information

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followed by a key question for the group.
It generated a lot of discussion and

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I'm happy to say that my
voice cracked only once but

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my palms were sweaty the whole time.

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The third strategy involves probing
for a current work example.

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When you hear a description of how
a skill was used many years ago

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ask for a more recent example.

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Or, if you hear an example
from home or personal life,

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it makes sense to follow-up with a
question about a work example.

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Remember, as with all the
follow-up strategies,

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your goal is to ask only
relevant, job-related questions

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to get a more accurate picture of the skills
that the candidate brings to the job.

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Strategy: Probe for current work
examples / Probe for a current example

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Job Task: Follow security procedures
with absolute consistency.

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Question: Describe a time when you followed
procedures when it was not convenient to do so

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Describe a time when you followed procedures
when it was not convenient to do so?

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The best example of that
would be 10 years ago.

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I was on patrol with a rookie who
wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed

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and we arrived at the scene of a shooting
we were requesting an ambulance,

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and then we were advised of a 20
minute ETA by the dispatcher.

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My partner was freaking out because
the victim was going into shock and

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he kept saying "you know we have to
transport" to the hospital he meant,

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which was totally against procedure.

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Being the lead officer, I refused.
Anyway, as I remember, the victim lived.

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When they finally got there
the EMT's did a great job.

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Strategy: Probe for a current work
example/ Probe for a work example

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Job Task: Deal with multiple demands,
priorities, ambiguity, or change.

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Question: When were you especially successful
in managing several important priorities?

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When were you especially successful in
managing several important priorities?

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That question is perfect for
me because after my divorce

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I had three kids to raise and a lot
of bills. So with my life in chaos,

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I had to prepare lunches, pick up
the kids, supervise homework...

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So I prioritized going for a job with
predictable hours and good benefits.

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Um then, I had to manage career
and family at the same time.

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That went on for about 8 years.

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When you check my references just ask my
supervisor, he'll give you an earful.

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Another follow-up strategy involves
Clarifying Actions And Outcomes.

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Sometimes a candidate's answer
will refer to what "we" did

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or what the "team" accomplished.

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With these types of responses probe for the
specific actions taken by the candidate.

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You'll also hear answers with outcomes
that were caused by the economy,

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a new product, or a financial commitment.

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You can then ask a follow-up probe to
identify the specific causes of the outcomes.

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Strategy: Clarify Actions And Outcomes
/ Probe for the actions taken.

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Job Task: Monitor market trends
that influence product sales

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Question: Describe a time
when you did market research

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that was a meaningful
influence on product sales?

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If you could, describe a time
when you did market research

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that was a meaningful
influence on product sales?

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Well, we had the assignment of developing a
marketing plan for a major staffing firm.

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They were losing market share like crazy.
I mean it was a disaster waiting to happen.

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Our solution was to combine Quantitative
and Qualitative approaches.

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First, we collected the public information
on the industry, competitors,

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customer demographics, things like that.

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Essentially we hired a researcher to
do nothing but look for information

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in government reports, trade
magazines, newspapers and so forth.

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Then, we did a survey of current
customers to identify their major issues

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and compiled all of that information.

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The quantitative research
involved focus groups

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with people who didn't
know who our client was.

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Our focus group questions
came from the customer survey

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and uncovered some important
dynamics in the industry.

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Well, I compiled the results and
submitted them to the team.

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Then, we developed the concept around
the phrase "Right Now, Right!"

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The resulting marketing campaign
involved the whole company.

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It showed an immediate 2%
increase in market share,

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with a projected longterm increase of 5%.

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Strategy: Clarify Actions and
Outcomes / Probe for causes.

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Job Task: Generate incremental
quarterly sales in the territory

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Question: Describe a time when
you were the primary cause

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of sustained revenue
growth in your territory.

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Describe a time for me, when
you were the primary cause

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of sustained revenue
growth in your territory.

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Well I've never had a
territory that I didn't grow.

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Not once, never in my 20 years of
selling.. grow or die is my motto!

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But let's see seriously, you
want a good example of a

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time when I caused revenue growth.

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Well, when I worked as a manufacture's
rep I had a real challenge.

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We had an aging product line and

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an economy that was only just
beginning to warm up again.

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I thought the manufacturer was wasting
a lot of money on advertising

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so I decided to speak up.
Now first I got the manufacturer

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to drop another rep and give me his
territory. See he was the main problem.

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After I worked the territory for a
quarter my overall numbers were up

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25% over the run rate
in the two territories.

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See I believe that it's a
matter of relationships.

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When I build a relationship with a customer
it just turns into money. "ka-ching!"

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The final follow-up strategy
is to seek contrary evidence.

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This is a fairly advanced technique for
gaining representative skill information.

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When using the skill, ask for a negative
example after you hear a positive answer.

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And vice versa ask for a positive example
after you hear a negative answer.

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Seeking contrary evidence is
simply about looking for

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representative information on
skills, successes and failures,

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positives and negatives,
achievements and disappointments.

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Look for a well-rounded picture
of the candidate's skills.

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Strategy: Seeking Contrary Evidence
/ Probe for a positive example

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Job Task: Advocate balance between fitness,
work, community service, and lifestyle

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Question: When have you used the idea of
a balanced life in your fitness program?

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Tell me when you have used the idea of a
balanced life in your fitness program.

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Is that a legal question.

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I mean asking about my personal values and
all that.. I guess I just have to trust you.

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Anyway, to be honest with you, I
reject the idea of a balanced life.

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I don't know anybody who's accomplished
a lot living a balanced life.

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Mahatma Gahandi, John F.Kennedy...
even Elvis Presley.

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All had lives committed to one thing. I mean
sure they had their personal lives, but

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their real passion was in
their work and that's me.

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I love fitness. I mean I
dream about swimming laps.

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I mean actually, for me weekends
they're just another opportunity

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for iron man training.

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Strategy: Seeking Contrary Evidence
/ Probe for a negative example

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Job Task: Work respectfully with
people who have different values,

00:19:37.559 --> 00:19:39.415
cultures, or backgrounds

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Question: Give me an
example of when you were

00:19:42.685 --> 00:19:45.762
especially respectful of a person
who was different from you?

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Give me an example of when you were

00:19:48.250 --> 00:19:52.041
especially respectful of a person
who was different from you?

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When I was just starting in public
accounting, I had a coworker

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who was being ostracized by
everybody because he was gay.

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There were only a few people who
would talk to him besides me, and

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that really made me mad.
So, Anyway we become friends

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and I marched in the Gay Rights
parade right along side him

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and afterwards, he thanked me and we both
cried... just a little bit. It was great.