[K-Women Talk]Prepare to Hire the 'Right Person'

As concerns about an economic recession grow, companies are accelerating their response speed. Behind the unwelcome news such as workforce reductions, it is also true that interest in hiring talented personnel is increasing.

Under rapid environmental changes such as digitalization and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), and the structure of infinite competition, companies have already recognized that hiring costs are more cost-effective than training expenses. Individuals, too, have normalized job changes through the so-called ‘era of resignation.’

Think of the movie Parasite. The unfortunate events in Parasite begin with the wrongful hiring of the siblings Ki-woo and Ki-jung. In Ki-woo’s audit class interview, where he forged a university diploma, and in Jessica (Ki-jung)’s interview, who introduced herself as a graduate of Illinois State University’s art department, their mother made a judgment that they were excellent teachers based solely on unconscious bias without appropriate questions or verification procedures, resulting in disastrous consequences.

Then, what is the state of corporate preparation for hiring the ‘Right Person’? It is necessary to examine whether there is a confirmation bias tendency in the questions asked to interviewees, and whether interviews are conducted by interviewers who fully understand a systematically prepared hiring strategy (competency definitions, evaluation criteria, etc.).

Based on the author’s experience as a current headhunter who has also handled corporate recruitment in the past, at least the following three points are thought to help reduce hiring risks.

First, it is important to check whether candidates are routinely asked for a ‘self-introduction’ at the start of the interview. A ‘self-introduction’ is a process of carefully listening to the candidate’s stories related to their career and competencies they want to emphasize, as well as a time to prepare follow-up questions. In other words, while listening, the interviewer should decide the direction of the next question, catch details in the resume that the interviewer might have missed, and devise tactics to verify the strengths the candidate is emphasizing.

The second point is to ask specific questions. Especially for experienced candidates, many tend to emphasize their expertise, cooperation with other departments, organizational communication, and problem-solving abilities. To verify these claims, it is recommended to use structured interview methods such as Behavioral Event Interview (BEI). While traditional interviews depend on the interviewer’s personal skills, conceptual definitions of evaluation factors, and criteria based on the interviewer’s experience or intuition, structured interviews proceed according to pre-designed and defined processes and evaluation factors, and assessments are made based on evidence from the candidate’s actual experiences. For example, if you want to ask about the most successful past achievements, the questions should be more structured to elicit answers step-by-step about the situation, role, actions, and results or impact at that time.

Finally, the verification process before the final hiring decision is also important. It is essential not to forget objective verification through checking supporting documents such as career and income details from previous workplaces, and if necessary, conducting reference checks with the candidate’s consent.

The three points companies should take care of, as listed above, can be reversed as considerations for job seekers during their preparation process. Exaggerated or false answers will never help in an interview.

Moon Seon-kyung, Executive Director, Unico Search