Tachles Series - Benzi Ronen shares insight, anecdotes, and expert hacks for Israeli entrepreneurs looking to grow their business in the US.
Find out how to:
Evaluate candidates beyond the traditional interview process
Present an exercise to the candidate that is in their best interest
Nu, get to the point:
Americans are trained to talk about their "why" during job interviews; Israelis value "getting shit done."
The interview process is hit and miss at best. Even an hour isn’t enough time to get through introductions, hear a candidate’s story, and grasp whether they’ll be able to get the job done — and that’s assuming they make an accurate first impression. Candidates are there to sell themselves: some may be natural charmers who over-embellish the truth; others are introverts who underrepresent their capabilities.
We may not be able to predict the future, but we can try to get a glimpse of it — and asking candidates to create a plan for their first 30 and 60 days on the job is a great way to do it. On the flip side, it gives the candidate a unique window into the job, one that can serve to either excite them or, possibly, help them realize it’s not the right fit. Furthermore, the 30/60 Day Plan that the candidate designs can serve as the basis of their onboarding; because they helped create it, they’ll already be bought in.
One more thing — this exercise should be reserved for candidates you’re serious about. You’ll want to have already gone through a number of interviews and feel that they’re potentially a very good fit to ensure you don’t waste anybody’s time.
Hacks
Assign the Homework
Ask your candidate to map out a detailed plan entailing what they’ll do in their first 30 and 60 days on the job. Their plan should be specific to your company, based on an intimate familiarity with the challenges and opportunities facing the business.
The more detail the better — things like who the candidate might want to talk with, meetings they’ll set up, campaigns they want to launch, and more can all help turn it into something that can be executed to a high degree of effectiveness. The plan should include:
Goals — what they plan to achieve in their first 30 and 60 days.
Metrics — how they’ll measure success.
Tactics — the methods they’ll use to achieve their goals.
Resources — what they’ll need to achieve their goals.
Schedule — day by day, how they’ll spend their time.
Turn in the Homework
Have the candidate present their plan to you in whatever format they prefer. Ideally, invite a few other employees who may be working closely with the candidate to join this presentation — the more different perspectives the better.
Grade the Homework
During (and after) their presentation, give the candidate feedback that challenges and assesses their ability to listen, synthesize, learn, and adjust. Base your final opinion just as much on the plan they developed for themselves as on how they adapt to your feedback.
Good Luck!
Or have them create their own homework assignment. Could be a washout or brilliantly solipsistic