How To Interview a Job Candidate in a Model Match for a Content material Marketer

As soon as upon a time, you had a gap in your content material advertising and marketing group.

Combing by the resumes, you winnowed the pile to a half dozen potential unicorns who ought to know craft content material that grabs (and retains) your viewers’s consideration whereas retaining the model’s targets high of thoughts.

On the appointed day, you clicked on the video convention hyperlink and, up popped one of many finalists. After all, you requested a bunch of questions. In spite of everything, you have been in search of solutions.

However there could also be higher interviewing methods for a content material advertising and marketing emptiness than bombarding candidates with questions.

Bombarding candidates with questions might not be the perfect interview approach for #content material entrepreneurs, says @AnnGynn through @CMIContent. Click on To Tweet

My recommendation? Don’t ask them any questions.

Sure, you learn that proper – cease with the questions. Kick the Q-and-A format to the curb.

As a substitute, flip it right into a storytelling train and provides story prompts to the candidates.

Why? You may assess their means to weave collectively a narrative. Given you need to rent somebody to inform tales about your model, their means to inform tales about themselves provides you an ideal understanding of their expertise (or lack thereof) that their resume can’t.

Storytelling additionally means that you can higher distinguish one candidate from one other. In spite of everything, two candidates could regurgitate the identical years of expertise and the identical titles held, however once they inform their experiences as a narrative, you’ll keep in mind their variations. Why? It’s science. Individuals keep in mind tales. Individuals neglect details and stats.

A Stamford College examine performed many years in the past requested college students to memorize 12 phrases. Half studied the listing for 2 minutes. The opposite half turned the phrases right into a inventive narrative. Nearly all (93%) of the scholars who informed a narrative recalled the phrases. Solely 13% of those that studied the listing might do the identical.

Extra lately, Make It Stick authors Chip and Dan Heath additionally did an experiment at Stamford. They requested college students to present a one-minute speech about violent crime. College students used a median of two.5 statistics of their speeches – solely 5% of the viewers might recall any statistic. One in 10 college students informed a narrative – 63% of the viewers might keep in mind the tales.

(And sure, I see the irony in utilizing statistics to assist make my level on the facility of storytelling.)

However you most likely didn’t want these numbers to understand the facility of tales. Simply take into consideration the final time you interviewed candidates for a content material advertising and marketing function. You neatly scheduled all of them in a single day. By 5 p.m., those who stood out most likely weren’t the candidates who spouted perfunctory details and figures. You may’t recall – with out studying your notes – who wrote weekly newsletters or who did a each day weblog. No, the memorable candidates informed a narrative (or tales) you can simply recall and join with their faces.

Content material entrepreneurs inform tales across the model. Job candidates for #ContentMarketing ought to be capable to inform tales about their skilled experiences, says @AnnGynn through @CMIContent. Click on To Tweet

Ask no questions, and also you’ll get greater than details

Whereas what you need to study from a candidate could differ based mostly on the function, firm, tradition, and so on., you should utilize these tricks to customise the muse to your interviews.

First, pull collectively a listing of verbs that elicit tales. A few of my favorites embody:

• Inform me …
• Describe …
• Clarify …
• Exhibit …
• Spell out …

(Use “spell out” when the candidate cuts their story quick or doesn’t flesh out the required particulars.)

Now, it takes a bit follow to make use of lively voice in declarative sentences in interviews. That can assist you get began, take into account these prompts (and modify for the function as mandatory) for some typical “questions” in your subsequent interview for a brand new content material advertising and marketing group member.

As a substitute of questions, use declarative prompts with verbs that elicit tales, says @AnnGynn through @CMIContent. Click on To Tweet

State of affairs 1

Don’t ask: What did you do at your final firm?

Immediate a narrative: Inform me about while you joined your final employer and the way that led to the place you’re right this moment.

This immediate takes the candidate away from regurgitating their resume and into an area of reflection. As they go from the start to the center to the top (or their present standing), you possibly can uncover how they view their development, altering obligations, and every other takeaways from the job expertise.

You additionally will study what they most need to spotlight – what they prioritize. Do they focus extra on the method or the outcomes? Do they go too deep into the small print or not sufficient? Are they circumspect and insightful, or do they take a just-the-facts method?

State of affairs 2

Don’t ask: How do you develop story concepts? or How do you method your writing?

Immediate a narrative: Stroll me by the method – from thought to manufacturing – of making the final article you wrote.

Nebulous questions in regards to the inventive course of can lead candidates to wax philosophically or communicate in generalities. The immediate can elicit a extra concrete response as a result of they may discuss a current expertise. You may find out how they view their function within the inventive course of and perceive the opposite roles with whom they work.

State of affairs 3

Don’t ask: How do you deal with suggestions?

Immediate a narrative: Describe a time while you obtained suggestions that you simply didn’t agree with.

If you happen to ask the suggestions query, you’ll discover that each candidate appreciates suggestions as a result of it helps them ship higher work sooner or later. It’s a non-starter query, sort of just like the basic interview query – what’s your greatest weak spot? Any candidate price their salt will flip their “weak spot” right into a power.

Utilizing this immediate once more permits for specificity. Extra importantly, it helps you to see how the particular person handles a unfavorable scenario. Did they communicate up and share their disagreement with the suggestions giver? Did they clarify why or why not? (In some circumstances, it may not be price addressing the distinction in opinion as a result of the boss would react poorly.) What occurred ultimately?

State of affairs 4

Don’t ask: We provide each distant and in-office work environments. Which do you favor?

Immediate a narrative: Clarify what a super work setting seems to be prefer to you.

Candidates need the job provide – even when they later flip it down. So they may give the reply that greatest correlates with the corporate’s office setting.

The immediate provides a greater glimpse into how properly they may match into your organization’s tradition. The main points of their story spotlight what’s most necessary to them – location, individuals, versatile schedule, and so on.

Be a great listener too

Don’t neglect {that a} good viewers additionally motivates good storytelling. Hear actively. React nonverbally – head nodding and smiles encourage the storyteller to proceed – and verbally – recap or repeat some extent from their story to share how that may work at your organization.

After all, you might discover a candidate who tells a narrative that goes on and on. First, mentally be aware how properly they perceive the viewers and storytelling goal. Then, interrupt once they pause to maneuver the story alongside by saying one thing like, “Oh, that’s actually fascinating. Inform me the way it ended up.”

With these story-prompt interviewing strategies, you possibly can accomplish two issues directly. First, you’ll study in regards to the candidate’s expertise and perception as you’d in a standard question-and-answer interview. However you’ll additionally uncover if they’ve that hidden unicorn horn – they’ll inform good tales that all the time preserve their enterprise goal (i.e., getting the job) in thoughts.

Cowl picture by Joseph Kalinowski/Content material Advertising Institute