HIRE SUCCESS EMPLOYMENT TESTING SYSTEM
PERSONALITY PROFILE
SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Prepared For:
John Smith

3/18/2002

This Hire Success Software Is Licensed to:
YOUR COMPANY NAME
Phone: (317) 848-7966 - Fax: (317) 580-9899
E-Mail: you@YourCompany.com - Internet Site: www.YourWebSite.com

Strength Of This
Personality Is:
34.6%

The questions were developed to assist in  the interview and highlight only the personality traits that are very strong toward one end of the trait scale or the other.  This is not an implication that there is any problem with having a strong tendency toward that trait, since there is no way for the system to know what you might be seeking from this particular applicant or for the job which he applied. 

Questions are also generated if the system's confidence factor is below average or low in any one or more of the Trait Scales.  Although the scale value is probably quite accurate, the low confidence indicates John tended to describe himself in more extreme terms representing both sides of the scale.  That is, he may feel he possesses characteristics that represent traits on both sides of the scale. This is most often the result of viewing these characteristics and traits as "situational"; that is, he could be more like one trait or another on the scale depending on the situtation. Though not unusual for people to describe themselves this way, it is good to discuss these situations in the interview so they can be resolved to your satisfaction.

Scale Value: 5
Confidence Factor:
*

The following questions are based on the fact that the Confidence Factor for this trait is lower than expected. Although the Scale Value may still be very accurate, questions should be asked to determine if this is the case. Refer to the System User's Manual for details about Confidence Factors.

• Do you perceive yourself as a "Cautious Risk Taker"? Please Explain. (Note: If John says "yes", his Trait Scale Value should be in the range of 4-6. Because his Scale Value is in this range, he probably perceives himself as being both Cautious and a Risk Taker, which in reality are mutually exclusive. If he affirms this question, he probably will take small risks at times and be generally cautious at others. )
• How do you decide when something is too risky, even if the rewards are great? (If his response sounds very cautious, he may not be as much of a risk taker as indicated and you may want to probe further.)

Scale Value: 6
Confidence Factor:
*

The following questions are based on the fact that the Confidence Factor for this trait is lower than expected. Although the Scale Value may still be very accurate, questions should be asked to determine if this is the case. Refer to the System User's Manual for details about Confidence Factors.

• Do you sometimes get concerned before making a decision that there's something else you need to know, but just don't know what it is? (If "yes"), Do you tend to delay your decision in those cases or do you go ahead and make it based on what you have, because you can hopefully change the decision later if other information is found? (The objective here is to open up some dialog to get him to talk about his approach to making decisions so you can verify this trait.)
• Do people ever say they think you make decisions too quickly and should take more time to think things through? If so, why do you believe they think that way?

Very Analytical
Confidence Factor:
*****

John is very analytical, which in many cases, can be an asset. However, when taken to an extreme, it is possible to fall into what is commonly described as "analysis paralysis". This is an area you would probably want to consider questioning John to discover if you have any concerns in this area.

• Do you often feel as though you are being rushed or pressured to make a recommendation or decision before you feel you have thoroughly analyzed all of the information and facts concerning the issue? Is so, please explain. (Try to get him to open up and try to discover if his strong analytical nature will be a benefit or a problem in the position for which he is being considered.)
• Have you ever missed opportunities because you had not fully evaluated and analyzed the facts and the risks before the decision deadline? (If you are able to discover instances of this, it is possible that he focuses more on analyzing the facts rather than the opportunity itself, which in many cases, may be what you are looking for. Try to get him to talk about some examples of this if he answers "yes".)

Very Deliberate
Confidence Factor:
****

• When suggesting an action or an idea, do you like trying new things that just seem to "come to you" at the spur of the moment, or do you like to think about them more and develop a strategy before suggesting an action? (Being a planner, he one would expect that he would prefer to plan. However, if he indicates that it depends on the situation, try and provide an example that may come up in the type of position he is being considered for just to make sure you are comfortable with his response.)
• How do you feel when people want to deviate from a plan because they want to try a "short cut"? (The true planner will most likely not care to deviate from the planned path.)

Very Proactive
Confidence Factor:
*****

John is very proactive in his style and takes a "hands-on" approach to his job. Although this may be an excellent trait for many jobs, it can be an issue in other situations. If you would not want him to be so actively involved and delegate more to others, rather than trying to do it all himself, you may wish to consider some of these questions. Also, having this high level of proactivity, he may spend a lot of time trying to anticipate and prevent problems even before he knows what the consequences might ultimately be. Here are some suggestions to help open up discussion in these areas:

• When showing co-workers or subordinates how to do something, do you like to do it for them a few times or just coach them along while they do it themselves? (An extremely proactive person may have a tendency to want to do things for others, rather than focusing their proactivity on being a good coach and teacher while letting others learn by doing things themselves.)
• Do you tend to anticipate the consequences of possible problems well in advance and then work to prevent the problem from ever occurring? (If this is applicable, you will want to develop this conversation to determine if his approach may cause him to worry about things that may not happen or spend so much effort preventing anticipated problems that other problems occur that he may not have considered. Taking a proactive approach to preventing problems may be good, but just make sure it is beneficial in this instance.)

Accepts Some Change But Doesn't Seek It Out
Confidence Factor:
*

The following questions are based on the fact that the Confidence Factor for this trait is lower than expected. Although the Scale Value may still be very accurate, questions should be asked to determine if this is the case. Refer to the System User's Manual for details about Confidence Factors.

You will want to engage John in some conversation to learn to what degree he is comfortable with changes in his work environment. Some people seem to thrive on a lot of change, and it causes stress for others who need to know exactly what is expected of them at any given time and want to work within those guidelines.

• Do you prefer working in an environment where there is constant change or do you prefer instead to have a more stable, controlled environment where there maybe some change, but only in moderation?
• If you had to work in an environment where the "rules" were not well defined, and perhaps you were required to keep changing or modifying the way you had to work, would you view this as exciting and challenging, or would it make you uncomfortable not knowing what to expect? (Here, you will want to try and draw out any uneasiness with changes that may occur in your particular work environment, or if it is extremely stable, if they will like that or need more variety.)

Persuasive
Confidence Factor:
*

The following questions are based on the fact that the Confidence Factor for this trait is lower than expected. Although the Scale Value may still be very accurate, questions should be asked to determine if this is the case. Refer to the System User's Manual for details about Confidence Factors.

• How persuasive do you believe you really can be? (Ask for some examples. You may also wish to ask prior employers how persuasive they though he was.)
• What is the one thing you think may cause people to find you unconvincing at times? (If he has any doubts, this question may get him to discuss them with you.)

Detail Oriented
Confidence Factor:
**

The following questions are based on the fact that the Confidence Factor for this trait is lower than expected. Although the Scale Value may still be very accurate, questions should be asked to determine if this is the case. Refer to the System User's Manual for details about Confidence Factors.

• When you need information from a report, do you like to read the whole report or just the summary or overview section? (This should provide a general idea as to how detailed he is and compare his response to his trait value of 7.)
• If you have a good "feel" for something, but haven't studied all of the fine details, do you generally go with your "hunch"? (You may find he believes his hunches are generally good, but it still could indicate he may overlook details at times. If this is an issue for the job for which he is being considered, you may want to probe even further.)

Extremely Self Confident
Confidence Factor:
*****

John is extremely self confident, which may be what you are seeking, but you may want to make sure that his self confidence isn't viewed by others as arrogance. Many people with this high level of self confidence know how to manage it so it doesn't turn from a positive into a negative. Consider the following questions:

• Tell me about the most important qualities or assets you believe you will bring to this job? (How he responds may provide some insight as to whether or not pride and arrogance seems to be involved, or if he just knows his own talents and traits and is confident they will benefit your company.)
• How do you feel about people who often seem unsure of themselves? (Most people won't be as self-confident as John and you may want to make sure he doesn't hold a negative view of people who appear to him to lack confidence when compared to his very high level.)

Very Independent
Confidence Factor:
****

You'll find that John is very independent. This in no way implies he is not a "team player" in terms of reaching the mutual objectives of his department or the company, but it does mean he will prefer to do his part without others looking over his shoulder or frequently providing him with suggestions on how they might do the job. If constant supervision is part of the job for which he is being considered, he may feel very uneasy and it could eventually be a problem resulting in him seeking a job allowing him more independence. If so, consider the following questions:

• Do you see daily, weekly or monthly reports as a way of documenting your activities or as paperwork that generally impedes your ability to get things done faster and more efficiently? (Often, very independent people don't like filling out reports, especially detailed reports of their activities. You may want to explore this if it is an issue in this job.)
• Has it ever been a problem for you in previous employment where you felt like managers, or other people, just wouldn't leave you alone to do your job the way you thought it should be done? Did you feel as though you were being "micro-managed"? If so, which job(s) did this occur? (This may also be an issue you will want to discuss with previous employers to get their perspective on this issue.)

Will Be An Advocate With Sufficient Backup and Proof
Confidence Factor:
*

The following questions are based on the fact that the Confidence Factor for this trait is lower than expected. Although the Scale Value may still be very accurate, questions should be asked to determine if this is the case. Refer to the System User's Manual for details about Confidence Factors.

• Do you get more interested and excited about products, ideas and concepts after hearing someone talk about it or after analyzing the facts and details?
• When someone is trying to sell you on something, do you tend to believe them until something proves otherwise, or do you tend to doubt what they say until you have sufficient evidence to support their claims?