How to Check a Job Candidates Personality

How to Check a Job Candidates Personality How to Check a Job Candidates Personality Nick Corcodilos asks: Managers, how do you check a candidates personality? Interestingly enough, several posters mention personality tests. Here are ways to check without using personality tests: Behavioral interview questions For those of you who arent familiar, behavioral interview questions asks candidates to recall specific instances where they were faced with a set of circumstances. Here are a few examples from Wikipedia: Tell me about a project you worked on where the requirements changed midstream. What did you do? Tell me about a time when you took the lead on a project. What did you do? Describe the worst project you worked on. A single behavioral interview question can reveal a candidates personality. During a recent interview, I asked a candidate about his work, using the behavioral interview question technique. From his response, I deduced that he has had difficulty influencing others, can give up easily, and usually gets comfortable with the status quo. Reference checks References are a great way to verify a job seekers personality. Yes, references can be coached. However, Ive found that most references arent coached, and those that are coached arent coached well. Contrary to popular opinion, references (even those that a candidate nominates) can be truthful. Straightforward questions like, Whats his or her biggest weakness? can offer surprising insights into a candidates personality.