Hire the Best Job Applicants Based on the Number Rating They Give Themselves

Knowing how applicants rate themselves tells you how they will expect their coworkers, managers, and your customers to rate them. Since your front-line employees are your patients’ first and most important point of contact with your practice, their job skills and how they see themselves greatly influence the quality of service your patients receive.

The best employees have both high self-esteem and realistic views of their job skills.

What to Listen For

Listen for the answers applicants give about what makes them whatever number rating they give themselves and the education, training, or experience they think would make them a higher number. Did you get an idea of their willingness to work on getting better and to develop a plan to do so?

In one sense, it doesn’t matter what number an applicant gives in response to this question because the underlying question is, “What makes you that number?” For example, say an interviewer were to ask an applicant to rate her selling skills and the applicant gave herself a seven. The interviewer then asks what makes her think she’s a seven and the applicant says it’s her abilities to understand customer needs, handle objections, and her willingness to pick up the phone and talk with people and help them solve their problems.

At this point, a perceptive interviewer would ask, “If that makes you a seven, what would it take for you to become an eight?” (It’s important to note here our imaginary interviewer did not ask about the candidate’s weaknesses, but about what it would take for her to improve—which is how you should handle it, too.)

This question easily lends itself to subset questions such as, “You said one of the things that makes you a seven is your ability to understand customer needs; give me an example of how you’ve done that.”

Isn’t This Behavioral Interviewing?

If you’re thinking this last question sounds a lot like behavioral interviewing, you’re right. Using achievement-based interviewing and evidence-based selection tools does not mean eliminating behavioral interviewing altogether. It does require supporting and strengthening it—and this question provides a great way to do that.

As this line of questioning evolves, it becomes about competencies, as in, “How would you rank yourself at: Problem-solving? Working as part of a team? Working on projects that require (fill in the blank) skill?” And the follow-up question, “When I speak with your supervisor and co-workers, do you think they will rate you the same way?”