Why do people hired by the same methods, doing the same job, and
managed by the same person perform so differently? Dependency
on traditional interviews is a prime reason.

job interview questions1. Traditional interviews are historically and scientifically poor predictors of success on the job. Why?

  • Bias of the interviewer(s). No two interviewers assess the candidate’s
    responses the same way.
  • Candidate’s responses are affected by the environment in
    which they are interviewed and by the rapport established with
    the interviewer.
  • Many questions don’t accurately measure what you want them
    to measure.
  • The responses sound and feel good but they aren’t predictive of
    job success.

2.  You can fool all the people some of the time.

At least half of all new hires in US businesses don’t work out.
Source: Fortune Magazine, February 7, 2000.

30% of business failures are due to poor hiring practices.
Source: Department of Commerce

3. How to Hire with More Accuracy for Less Cost

Assuming a cost per hire = $7500, the real cost to hire the right employee based on the type of interview conducted.

Traditional Interview

% of right hire successes = 14%; Real cost adjusted for mis-hires = $53,571

Team Interview

% of right hire successes = 35%; Real cost adjusted for mis-hires = $21,429

Behavioral Interview

% of right hire successes = 55%; Real cost adjusted for mis-hires = $13,636

Source: The Tax Advisor, September 1996

4. A manager who hires a person without a natural match and thinks he can overcome the new hire’s shortcomings with training might as well be trying to train a rabbit to swim or a fish to fly rather than hire a fish and a bird in the first place.