Interview Guide Topgrading

Topgrading Interview Guide©Bradford D. Smart, Ph.D.

"There is something that is much more scarce, something finer far, something rarerthan ability."

"It is the ability to recognize ability."- Elbert Hubbard

This guide seeks to provide you with the most accurate, most valid, insights when assessing internaltalent and candidates to hire. Companies have achieved a record of 90% success hiring highperformers when a tandem Topgrading Interview (two interviewers) is conducted, interviewers havebeen trained in the Topgrading Interview techniques, and this guide is used.

SMART & ASSOCIATES, INC.37202 North Black Velvet Lane

Wadsworth, IL 60083Phone: 847-244-5544 Fax: 847-263-1585

www.SmartTopgrading.com1998 © Smart & Associates, Inc.

Applicant: ChrisAnderson

Interviewer:

Date: June 1, 2012

Topgrading Interview Guide© of 23

Topgrading Interview Guide© Chris Anderson

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SUGGESTIONS TO INTERVIEWERSMaximum benefits in using this Topgrading Interview Guide can be achieved through applying the principles stated in thebook:

Topgrading: The Proven Hiring and Promoting Method That Turbocharges Company Performance by Dr. Bradford D. Smart (Penguin Portfolio, New York, 2012)

This guide is intended to make the interviewer's job easier. It is a comprehensive, chronological "road map," providingplenty of space to record responses. In case you need more space, have a pad of paper handy. Experience has shownthe following guidelines to be helpful when interviewing selection candidates: Review the candidate's Topgrading Career History Form and resume.1.

Be sure that the Job Scorecard, including accountabilities and other competencies, are clear to you and the team thesuccessful candidate will work with.

2.

Review this Guide prior to the interview, in order to refresh your memory regarding the sequence and wording ofquestions, for a smoother interview.

3.

Use a tandem (two-interviewer) approach. A tandem interview is more valid than a solo interview, unless the Topgradinginterviewer is highly experienced.

4.

After a couple of minutes building rapport, give the interviewee an idea of the expected time frame (3 hours?) and thensell the person on being open and honest.

The Topgrading Interview is long and detailed, and helps us hire mostly high performers. The advantages to you ofparticipating in it are to:

Review your background, interests, and goals to see if there is a good fit with the position and opportunities here.

Help you become highly productive, as soon as possible.

Determine some ways to assure smooth onboarding, should you join us.

Get some ideas regarding what you and we can do to maximize your long-range development.

5.

Follow the chronological order starting with Education and then Work History, starting with the first full time job andcoming forward to the present.

6.

Following the Topgrading Interview:

Review the completed guide.

Write comments about each competency on the last three pages of this Guide, or on a Job Scorecard.

Make ratings of the competencies.

7.

Ask candidates to arrange reference calls with supervisors and others you and your tandem interviewer choose to talkwith. Knowing this requirement in advance of interviews, candidates will be more honest in responding to questions.

8.

Write a brief report - an Executive Summary, followed by a list of Strengths, Weak Points, and DevelopmentalRecommendations. High performers hired or promoted will want feedback and development recommendations from theinterviewers.

9.

NOTE: Candidates answers from the online Career History Form have been included in this Topgrading InterviewGuide. The answers have been bolded and underlined. Questions to interviewers are italicized.



HIGH SCHOOLNOTE TO INTERVIEWERS: Most experienced Topgrading interviewers start with high school, but if you are notexperienced, start with COLLEGE. Why? Any interviewee will accept starting with COLLEGE, but it's rare for aninterviewer to start with HIGH SCHOOL, so you will have to be confident and smooth - two attributes that will comewith experience.

So that I can get a good feel for your background, first your education years and then work history,let's briefly go back to your high school days and come forward chronologically to the present. Thenwe'll talk about your plans and goals for the future. I see from the Career History Form that youattended Lincoln High School (high school). Would you please expand on the information providedby discussing high points, low points, how your summers were spent, work experiences, and anypeople who were strong influences, good or bad?

High School: Lincoln High School - Springfield, ILApprox Graduating Class Size: 350

Rank from the Top: 16Highest Grade Completed: 4 Years Completed

Earned High school diploma or GED: YesFinal GPA: 3.9

GPA Scale: 4.0Extracurricular Activities: Band, Student Government, Spanish Club

Positions of Responsibility, Honors, andAwards:

Student Government President, National HonorSociety, Teacher's Choice Award for OutstandingStudent

High Points:

Low Points:

Work Experiences: (don't waste time on the mundane - look for real accomplishments andresourcefulness) Fast food restaurant, up to Assistant Manager

Influences (positive and negative):

COLLEGENOTE TO INTERVIEWERS: If you started with HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE comes next:

Now let's move on to your college years. So that I can get a feel for your background, first youreducation and then work history, let's briefly go back to your college years and come forwardchronologically, up to the present. Then we'll discuss your plans and goals for the future. I see fromthe Career History Form that you attended University of Illinois (college). Please expand on theinformation you've provided by discussing what the school was like, high and low points, workexperiences, and influences. (Ask the following questions to obtain complete information notincluded in responses to the general "smorgasbord" question.)

College/University/Post Graduate SchoolTotal Years Completed: 4 Years Completed



Undergraduate College/University Attended: University of Illinois

Dates Attended: September, 1988 - May, 1992

Degree: Bachelor's Business Administration

Subject/Major: Marketing

Qualification/GPA: 3.70 (GPA Scale: 4.0 )

Total Credit Hours: 130

Extracurricular activities, honors andawards: Soccer MVP, Senior year, Dean's List all 4 years

What undergraduate subjects did you likemost? Why? Marketing, Psychology

What undergraduate subjects did you likeleast? Why? Calculus (questionable practical use)

How was your education financed? Parents, part-time and summer work

1. Give us a feel for what kind of school it was (if necessary, specify large/small, rural/urban,cliquish, etc.), and generally, what your college years were like.

2. I see your major was Marketing Did you change majors?

3. What school activities did you take part in?

4. GPA/Scale: 3.70/ 4.0 (University of Illinois)

Study Habits

5. What people or events during college might have had an influence on your career?

6. Were there any class offices, awards, honors, or special achievements during your collegeyears?

7. What were high points during your college years? (Look for leadership and resourcefulness)

8. What were low points, or least enjoyable occurrences, during your college years? (Again, whathappened back then is only important in relation to what is revealed about the interviewee now.)

9. Give us a feel for any part-time and full-time jobs you held during college. During school year:Campus Tour Guide for student recruitment Summers: Soccer Coach, Web Designer forstudent run company

10. (TRANSITION QUESTION) What were your career thoughts toward the end of college?



MILITARY EXPERIENCE NONE

WORK HISTORY

Now we would like you to tell us about your work history. There are a lot of things we would like toknow about each position. Let me tell you what these things are now, so we won't have to interruptyou so often. We already have some of this information from your Topgrading Career History Formand previous discussions. Please go back and start with your first full time job and come forwardchronologically.

NOTE TO INTERVIEWERS: An easy transition to the next job can occur by simply determining employer/title/dates,and then asking WHAT DID YOU DO, HOW DID YOU LIKE IT, AND HOW DID YOU DO?



JOB #1 (usually 1st full-time job following college) EMPLOYER & POSITION

Company: Modern Media Masters,Inc.

Type of Business: Media

Title: Marketing Assistant Address: 800 Sheridan Rd.Chicago, Illinois60045

Start/End Dates: August 1992 - June 1997 Phone: 999-999-9999

Staff: Number of DirectReports: 0

Total Staff Reporting toYou: 0

Can you tell me about the company's revenues, products, services, and number of employees?

SALARY

Starting Salary: 22,000 (Annually) Ending Salary: 25,000 (Annually)Was your employment at this company full-time or part-time? Full Time

RESPONSIBILITIES & PERFORMANCEWhat were your expectations for the job?

What were your responsibilities and accountabilities?

What did you find when you arrived? What shape was the job in (talent, resources, performance problems)?What major challenges did you face?

What results were achieved in terms of successes and accomplishments? How were they achieved? (As timepermits, get specifics, such as individual vs. shared accomplishments, barriers overcome, bottom line results,and impact on career-bonus, promotability, performance review.)

We all make mistakes - what would you say were mistakes or failures experienced in this job? If you could windthe clock back, what would you do differently? (As time permits, get specifics.)

All jobs seem to have their pluses and minuses; what were the most enjoyable or rewarding aspects of this job?Learning marketing; working with diverse clients



What were the least enjoyable aspects of the job? Very narrow limited responsibilities; could not persuademanagers to let me try initiatives.

TALENT(For management jobs) What sort of talent did you inherit (how many As, Bs, Cs)? What changes did you make,how, and how many As, Bs, and Cs did you end up with?

SUPERVISOR

Supervisor's Name: Alice Smith Title: Director, Marketing

Where is that person now?

Would you be willing to arrange for us to talk with him or her? Yes (Say you will want to talk with all supervisors in the past ten years.) What were your supervisor's strengths?

What were your supervisor's shortcomings?

What is your best guess as to what that supervisor really felt at that time were your strengths and weakerpoints?

STRENGTHS WEAKER POINTS

How would that supervisor rate your overall performance? Very Good

OTHERAre there any important decisions or relationships that we have not discussed?

What circumstances contributed to your leaving? (Always probe for initially unstated reasons.) 100% Mine



JOB #2 EMPLOYER & POSITION

Company: HRSS, Inc. Type of Business: Payroll and other HRservices

Title: Corporate Recruiter Address: 444 Main St.San Francisco,California 22222

Start/End Dates: June 1997 - December 2002 Phone: 999-999-9999




SALARY

Starting Salary: 30,000 (Annually) Ending Salary: 34,800 (Annually)Base: 28000 Base: 30800

Bonus: 2000 Bonus: 4000Was your employment at this company full-time or part-time? Full Time






All jobs seem to have their pluses and minuses; what were the most enjoyable or rewarding aspects of this job?



Transition to HR; measurable goals (and exceeded them)

What were the least enjoyable aspects of the job? Entry job with limited opportunity to show careerpotential; having to beg for a professional role

TALENT(For management jobs) What sort of talent did you inherit (how many As, Bs, Cs)? What changes did you make,how, and how many As, Bs, and Cs did you end up with?

SUPERVISOR

Supervisor's Name: Paul Andrews Title: Director, IT






How would that supervisor rate your overall performance? Excellent


What circumstances contributed to your leaving? (Always probe for initially unstated reasons.) Not Leaving theCompany




Company: HRSS, Inc. Type of Business: Payroll and other HRservices

Title: HR Administrator Address: 444 Main St.San Francisco,California 22222

Start/End Dates: December 2002 - April 2005 Phone: 999-999-9999




SALARY











Proposing more projects and delivering results on time, on budget

What were the least enjoyable aspects of the job? Not getting permission for bigger projects



TALENT QUESTIONS

This is an extremely important section because:

1. You will learn a great deal about what the person's leadership style is like. As managers describe the strengths andweaker points of their best and worst subordinates, they unknowingly reveal what they really are like as a leader.

2. You will get valuable names for your Network. If a candidate joins you, be sure to ask him/her to stay in touch withthose A Players described in this section.

Ask about all management actions with direct reports, accounting for how the "inherited team" became the "at the end"team. Ask how many people were recruited and selected, what approaches were used, how the people were trainedand developed, how each worked out in the job, and for those who did not work out well, what happened with them(transferred to a job where successful, fired, or simply tolerated?). Determine the hiring batting average (how many goodhires/promotions vs. mis-hires/mis-promotions). Also look for indications of diversity, positive versus negative feedbackgiven, empowerment, fostering teamwork, and how people were/are held accountable. Most of all, look for success inpacking the team with high performers and redeploying chronic underperformers.

(For management jobs) What sort of talent did you inherit (how many As, Bs, Cs)? What changes did you make,how, and how many As, Bs, and Cs did you end up with? (For most recent two jobs, get A, B, C ratings andstrengths/weak points of each subordinate.)

When you began this position:

How many subordinates do (did) you have direct 1, and total (including indirect)? 1 a.

Of the direct reports you inherited, how many were in each of the following categories? (Explaindefinitions of A, B, C.)

b.

A player (or A potential)______ B player (without A potential)______ C player (without A potential)______

Describe the most valuable direct reports you inherited. Name Title A,B,C Strengths Weak Points

1.2.3.

Describe the least valuable direct reports you inherited.

Name Title A,B,C Strengths Weak Points

1.

2.

3.

Describe the most valuable direct reports you ended up with.


1.

2.

3.

Describe the least valuable direct reports you ended up with.


1.

2.

3.



SUPERVISOR

Supervisor's Name: Paul Andrews Title: Director, IT








What circumstances contributed to your leaving? (Always probe for initially unstated reasons.) Not Leaving theCompany




Company: HRSS, Inc. Type of Business: Payroll and otherHR services

Title: Manager, Human Resources Address: 444 Main St.San Francisco,California 22222

Start/End Dates: May 2005 - Current (still employed) Phone: 999-999-9999


Total Staff Reportingto You: 3


SALARY











First management job; created small "A Team"; helped Topgrade the company.

What were the least enjoyable aspects of the job? Illness of owner limits growth.



TALENT QUESTIONS

This is an extremely important section because:

1. You will learn a great deal about what the person's leadership style is like. As managers describe the strengths andweaker points of their best and worst subordinates, they unknowingly reveal what they really are like as a leader.

2. You will get valuable names for your Network. If a candidate joins you, be sure to ask him/her to stay in touch withthose A Players described in this section.

Ask about all management actions with direct reports, accounting for how the "inherited team" became the "at the end"team. Ask how many people were recruited and selected, what approaches were used, how the people were trainedand developed, how each worked out in the job, and for those who did not work out well, what happened with them(transferred to a job where successful, fired, or simply tolerated?). Determine the hiring batting average (how many goodhires/promotions vs. mis-hires/mis-promotions). Also look for indications of diversity, positive versus negative feedbackgiven, empowerment, fostering teamwork, and how people were/are held accountable. Most of all, look for success inpacking the team with high performers and redeploying chronic underperformers.

(For management jobs) What sort of talent did you inherit (how many As, Bs, Cs)? What changes did you make,how, and how many As, Bs, and Cs did you end up with? (For most recent two jobs, get A, B, C ratings andstrengths/weak points of each subordinate.)

When you began this position:

How many subordinates do (did) you have direct 3, and total (including indirect)? 3 a.

Of the direct reports you inherited, how many were in each of the following categories? (Explaindefinitions of A, B, C.)

b.

A player (or A potential)______ B player (without A potential)______ C player (without A potential)______

Describe the most valuable direct reports you inherited. Name Title A,B,C Strengths Weak Points

1.2.3.

Describe the least valuable direct reports you inherited.


1.

2.

3.

Describe the most valuable direct reports you ended up with.


1.

2.

3.

Describe the least valuable direct reports you ended up with.


1.

2.

3.



SUPERVISOR

Supervisor's Name: Jeff Wilson Title: President & CEO








What circumstances contributed to your leaving? (Always probe for initially unstated reasons.) 100% Mine



PLANS AND GOALS FOR THE FUTUREPlease list membership in professional or job-relevant organizations. You may exclude groups thatindicate race, color, relition, national origin, disability, or other protected status: SHRM, ASTD, HRSeminar, Topgrading Workshop

Please list publications, patents, inventions, professional licenses or additional special honors orawards:

What are your career objectives? Join a bigger, faster-growth company; have a bigger HR role;want to become SVP HR in a global 100 company one day.

Describe the perfect "next job" for you:

What are other job possibilities, and how do you feel about each one?

Describe your ideal position and what makes it ideal:

How does this opportunity square with your ideal position? What do you view as opportunities andadvantages as well as risks and disadvantages in joining us?

Advantages

Disadvantages



SELF-APPRAISAL

Please indicate what you think the average rating would be by all the managers you've had inthe past 5 years, on: (Possible Choices: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor, Impossible toProvide)

We would like you to give us a thorough self-appraisal, beginning with what you consider to be yourstrengths, assets, things you like about yourself, and things you do well.

Ask follow-up questions, and urge the person to continue. For example, you might say such things as "good," "keepgoing," "oh," nod and ask questions such as: "What other strengths come to mind?" "What are some other things youdo well?" Obtain a list of strengths and then go back and ask the person to elaborate on what was meant by eachstrength listed-"conscientious," "hard working," or whatever.

STRENGTHS

Candidate's response from Career History Form:Highly resourceful, Topgrades with HRand with senior team, mastered HR best practices, team builder (HR), team player (withpeers), high energy, connect HR to business strategy, highly loyal, always deliverresults, able to use Technology (including social media) to boost HR resultsInterview Responses:

Judgment / Decision Making: Excellent

Resourcefulness / Initiative: Excellent

Drive / Energy: Excellent

Team Player: Excellent

Likability: Excellent

Leadership: Excellent



OK, let's look at the other side of the ledger for a moment. What would you say are yourshortcomings, weak points, or areas for improvement?

Be generous in your use of the pregnant pause here. Urge the person to list more shortcomings by saying such thingsas, "What else comes to mind?" "Keep going, you are doing fine," or just smile, nod your head and wait. When theperson has run out of shortcomings, you might ask questions such as: "What three things could you do that wouldmost improve your overall effectiveness in the future?"Obtain as long a list of negatives as you can with minimalinterruptions on your part, and then go back and request clarification. (If you interrupt the individual for clarification onone, there might be so much time spent on that one negative that the individual will be very hesitant to acknowledgeanother one.)

WEAKER POINTS

Candidate's response from Career History Form:Push too hard at times -- President, peers,my own team. Need to get more buy-in, earlier and let others come up with ideas. Havenot yet managed managers. Have not pushed my career along fast enough. Interview Responses:

CAREER NEEDSAre you willing to relocate? Yes

Amount of Overnight Travel Acceptable per Month? 5 nights

OTHER INFORMATIONDo you have the legal right to work for any employer in the country in which you currently reside?Yes

Just prior to a job offer would you be willing to arrange personal reference calls with managers (andothers) you have worked with in the past? Yes

LEADERSHIP/MANAGEMENTHow would you describe your leadership philosophy and style?

What would you suppose your subordinates feel are your strengths and shortcomings, from theirpoints of view? What have 360 degree feedback surveys shown?




In what ways might you want to modify your approach to dealing with subordinates?

SMART & ASSOCIATES, INC.37202 North Black Velvet Lane

Wadsworth, IL 60083Phone: 847-244-5544 Fax: 847-263-1585

www.SmartTopgrading.com2012 © Smart & Associates, Inc.



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