Power interviewing also uses questions that measure an individual’s ability to function as an economic advocate who can seek out ways to streamline operations and increase work flow.

Achievement-oriented questions need to be linked to the individual’s track record of increasing revenue (for line positions like sales), decreasing expenses (for staff jobs like HR and accounting) and assuming responsibilities beyond the written job descriptions (a valuable attribute in a business environment that demands flexibility).
 

Holistic Questions

To complement behavioral and achievement-oriented questions, a third power interviewing strategy – holistic questioning-focuses on gauging candidates’ understanding of how they fit into an overall corporate plan. Holistic questions attempt to measure the whole person – the individual’s work patterns, goals and ability to see the big picture. They often are very broad, open-ended queries that interviewees find difficult to master on the spot. For that reason, they ensure spontaneity in response and successfully measure people’s broad perceptions of their self-worth, self-esteem and abilities to contribute to the firm.

Following are the five most effective holistic questions and a brief interpretation of their applications.

• What are the broad responsibilities of a (job title)? In other words, “Tell me how your function contributes to the big picture and relates to the overall goals of your department or company? If candidates properly present themselves on a problem-to-solution level, then their responses will go beyond a mere rehash of generic duties. Ask candidates to validate their answers by citing examples of specific tasks and responsibilities.
   
• What aspects of your job do you consider most crucial? The key points in a candidate’s response to this question should lie in that person’s ability to impact profitability, enhance the boss’s efficiency, make critical decisions in necessary time frames or provide leadership as a role-model employee.
   
• In hindsight, how could you have improved your performance? This query functions as an excellent self-evaluation tool and provides insights into weak areas that should be further explored through the use of a reference check.
   
• How many hours a week do you need to work to get your job done? The response provides critical information regarding the individual’s work ethic, outside time commitments and willingness to put career needs over person needs.
   
• What areas of your skills do you wan t to improve upon in the next year? This serves as an excellent strategy to uncover any exaggerations or misrepresentations on the resume. It also provides insight into the individual’s ability to balance short- term tactical goals with long-term objectives.