Episode Transcript
Monica Pitts 0:00
Hello again. And welcome back to marketing with purpose. My name is Monica Pitts, and I'm all you get today. But that's not a bad thing. Because today I'm going to share with you my two weird get must ask interview questions. Now I would like to preface these interview questions by telling you that I am by no means a pro expert, hiring executive human being nope, nope, that's absolutely not what I am what I am is a business owner of what, like 18 years now. And I have had to hire a lot of people, a lot of people because I've had employees since the very beginning of my business. And I wish that I could tell you that I know exactly what questions you need to ask and exactly what you need to do to have the perfect people come work for you. Oh, but I don't, because I mean, people are people. It's incredibly difficult to gauge, the work ethic and the tenacity and the culture of a human being when you have them in front of you in an interview situation. I think the some of the best hires that we've made are people that came to us really early on in their careers, and we were lucky enough to just love them and treat them right and keep them. They're amazing. It's like, they're, they're my best, my best as best as humans. And they work so hard for me, and I'm so lucky to have them. And then there's other people who we've just known, like we knew them in the community, we knew them individually. And they've been amazing employees too, because they came to us with an amazing recommendation. But if you think about it, when you're meeting a stranger for the first time, it's it's not easy, because they're gonna put the face forward that they think that you want to see. So I like to ask them some questions and maybe have them do a role play or two, that kind of pulls back the curtain and lets me hear things that they might not want me to hear. Or maybe hear things that I need to hear to know that they're the exact right person for the job that we have for them.
Monica Pitts 2:17
All right. So there you go. I'm gonna explain to you what the questions are, and how to diagnose the answers. So that way you can ask them and get a little bit of insight into these humans that you're interviewing, and maybe just maybe pick a person that could be a better fit for your team. All right. So with that, my friends, let's get to these questions, and let's get to business.
Monica Pitts 2:44
You're on a mission, and you just need more people to know about it. And whether you're brand new to marketing or a seasoned pro, we are all looking for answers to make marketing decisions with purpose. I'm Monica Pitts, a techie crafty business owner, mom and aerial dancer who solves communication challenges through technology. This podcast is all about digging in and going digital. I'll share my marketing know how and business experience from almost 20 years of misadventures, I'll be your backup dancer. So you can stop doubting, and get moving towards marketing with purpose.
Monica Pitts 3:21
So I went to school for agriculture. Did you know that? Yeah. So I have a degree from the University of Missouri Columbia in general agriculture, ag education, Plant Science and Economics. None of those include HR, or how to manage employees, or how to sell things, run a business, no, none of that. So when I started my business at the age of 25, I quickly realized I was going to have to sell things. So I enrolled myself in Sandler sales training, which is amazing. And I loved the approach. And we still use it today in everything that we do, because it's not selling, it's consulting and understanding what somebody needs. And then you're never like really selling them something, you're just helping them make a good decision for themselves. It's so cool. My husband and I use it on our kids every day. And then once I had that, like all squared away, I had, I was getting more and more employees. And I was like, I don't have any idea how to manage employees. I don't know how to hire them. I don't have a clue. I'm just floundering, right. And so then I enrolled in the Sandler leadership training. And it was a management training class and I sat with other managers and we figured out how to hire people and how to manage them and how to get the best results from our team. And at the beginning of hiring, I had to make a list of what I really really wanted out of the positions that I was hiring for, which is always the best way to start right you start With what do you need out of this person, and then you then back your way up from that. And you think of questions that can help you uncover those traits and a human being.
Monica Pitts 5:11
So one of the things that I'm always looking for in my account service people is that they are detail oriented, because there project managers there, they have to keep track of a lot of different details. And I have to make sure that they're going to know I mean, first off, what even a detail is because some people are so big picture that they can't grasp onto it, right, you might have the most amazing interview with someone and really connect with them. But they're actually not right for the position at all. And especially for me, when it comes to project managers, that's often the case because my DISC profile, if you've ever studied disc before is an I D. So what that means is I am really outgoing, very people focused. I love change, I love spontaneity, I'm, I'm upbeat. I'm also so that's my I. And then in my D, I want to get stuff done, I want to get it done. I don't care how it gets done, it just has to get done. Alright. So those are not necessarily the best traits to find in a project manager. Nope. I mean, you want them to want to get things done. But they also have to be willing to follow a process over and over again, to get great results. And they have to be able to keep track of the details. So that way everyone can use them as that center of the project that has everything that they need to get the project done. Okay, so if I have an interview with them, and I love them, and I connect with them, and I feel like they're gonna be my best friend, they're probably actually not the right person for the job. Let's be real, because it means that I've connected with them. And they're probably a big picture person who's just really optimistic. And when they get stressed out, we'll have an absolute clutter bomb of a desk and not be able to keep track of any details under pressure. That bad. So
Monica Pitts 7:12
I asked him this question. I asked them what's in your car right now? Yeah. Is that the weirdest question ever? That's the first one. What's in your car right now? Alright, so take a second. Think about that question. How would you answer it? Would you say? Oh, it's super clean. I just cleaned it the other day. Would you say? It's a total mess? There's stuff everywhere. Okay, so if you answered it in one of those two ways, you, my friend are not a detail oriented human near you did not pass the test. Okay. Now, let's say that you said, Well, I have I drive my kids around all the time. So the backseat is a mess. It's filled with their toys. And there's probably some food trash in there. In the front, I always have a water bottle. There's some pens. Alright, so did you hear that? Those were some details. I gave you some details. Now that answer that is a medium detailed answer. This person is a little bit big picture, but also medium detailed. Because a really detailed answer would be someone who tells me there is an umbrella in the backseat, it or a red umbrella in the backseat that's even more detailed, right? Or they would say, Well, I have a tire repair kit in the trunk, because my dad insists that I don't go anywhere without one. And there's also always a blanket in the trunk because I just don't ever know when I'm going to need it. Okay, so that's another detail oriented person. And that's a person who's thinking ahead, they have these things in their car, and they have them there for a reason. And they're thinking about what that reason is and giving you a story behind it. Okay, so try it. Try it and interview interviews, see what you get out of it. Ask people what's in your car right now. And if they just come out completely blank, they're probably super big picture just like me. And then if they start giving you more details, all right, they're in the middle and then if they start telling you what color things are, where they're located, and even tell you stories about why it's in the car. There you go.
Monica Pitts 9:33
So my second weird but Musk ask interview question is one that helps me understand how motivated someone is about following processes and procedures. Now, some people love to follow a process. They love it. They almost can't work without it. My husband is one of these people like you should. You should see when he tries to clean out the garage. It's it It's so painful, because he will not find a place to put things like but but. But once there's a place to put it, he puts it back there every single time. Okay? That's awesome. However, there are other people who will find a new place to put something every single time, they may start a process, they may start a system, but they don't follow it, there's no follow through, they don't find joy in that they want to do it different every time. Okay, so I am a person who wants to do something different every single time. But for a lot of positions in my company, I need people that will follow a process from start to finish, and enjoy doing the same thing on repeat, even though it often yields different results. So think about it. If you design websites, you have to enjoy the process of designing a website. It's it's a website, it's a website. Okay? And yes, it's gonna look different than the last website, but it has to have all the same components. And you have to go through the same process to build it, like, especially templating, a website, you're going through the same process to template, the website as you would any other website, it just ends up looking different and having different components based on the client. So I need to know, when I'm hiring somebody, are they going to try to do it different every single time because if they do, they're never going to be efficient at their job. That's not how efficiency works, right? We got to follow a process, we have to figure out the fastest way to do it, we need to figure out ways to do it better, but still maintain the same quality. So doing it different every single time. That's not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for somebody who can solve the problems, who can think to get it done, but who will also follow our process. So that way, we can then get it done efficiently.
Monica Pitts 11:47
So the question that I asked to figure that out, is, What is your least favorite type of housework? Okay, so I want Okay, now let's, let's play the game again. Answer the question. So what is your least favorite type of housework? What was the thing that popped into your head? Was it laundry, I am the worst at doing the laundry. I'm very big picture. Laundry is never finished, ever. It's just like, because there's always clothes that I'm wearing that are going to have to be washed. And I can't remember to flip it over. I'm not good at following a timeline like that. I'm just not good at it. Right? And my husband does most of the laundry at the house. If you're a laundry doer, you are not bothered by repetition. You're not bothered by a process. You do it. You feel accomplished. And you're great at getting something done. And the follow through is there for you. Congratulations, you passed the test. If you love laundry, now if you hate laundry, which would the way I ask it is what's your least favorite type of housework. So, for me, my favorite type of housework is something like cleaning the floor, or cleaning the bathroom. It's not that I love cleaning the bathroom, it's that it's a project that I can start and finish and get it done and walk away from it. And I don't have a continual cycle of other things to remember and do. It's not a long term project. It's a short term project. So those people whose least favorite task is cleaning the bathroom. Okay, well, maybe they're not as good at that type of a project. Maybe that's not what motivates them. Maybe they're better at the follow through of something like laundry. So think about it. Dishes are the same way dishes are continual. Those people are probably pretty good with follow through and getting things done and completing a project. So yeah, there you go. That's it.
Monica Pitts 13:46
And then, after you ask them, what's your least favorite type of housework, ask them why. And they'll probably tell you, I just love to see this amazingly clean bathroom or I, I just find it comforting to fold the clothes. So those answers also give you more insight into what type of a person they are. Because you don't want to hire somebody who's going to be completely demotivated by following a process and doing things on repeat. I do things on repeat in my business, but they're more like projects. I batch my podcasts. I take people through our training course to build their websites in a batch. And then I move on to the next thing, right? So I have big projects that I start and finish for our company. But I don't do continual outlay of things over and over again, because I get lost in the details. I forget to get the work done. And it I don't find it motivating it makes me not excited to do my job. And if that's what you need out of somebody. You need to make sure that it doesn't demotivate them too because then they're going to get lazy and they're not going to do it the way you want it to get done.
Monica Pitts 14:53
Okay, so there you have it. Those are my two. Weird yet must ask interview questions. Try them in your next interview. I ask people, what's in your car right now? And what's your least favorite type of housework and see what they say? They can also be really great icebreakers. Because there's such weird questions, right. And just remember, as you're interviewing, like my story at the beginning, you know who you are and what your strengths are. And when you are interviewing for a position, I really want you to think about what you want out of that position. And then make sure that you're not making a decision based on your emotional response to this human. Because connecting with them isn't always what you need in the best candidate for a job. Sometimes it's something else, sometimes it's the ability to handle details or take people through a process. It all depends, right. So just know what your strengths are and what attracts you to people. So that way, you're not just hiring people that you like, you need to hire people that are going to fit in with your culture that are going to help you get the job done.
Monica Pitts 15:59
So thank you very much for hanging out with me. If you enjoy this podcast, or if you learned a thing or two, consider giving me a review. That would be amazing because your review helps me meet more people just like you and help them find the answers to their marketing questions. So they can also go forth and market with purpose. You can find more resources and episodes at Mayecreate.com. That's mayecreate.com. That's my business mayecreate design. Maybe I'll see you over there. And until next time, go for it and mark it with purpose.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
