The expert talked about ways to identify a procrastinator in an interview.
Every company is interested in hiring a responsible and executive person. It's easy, enjoyable, and predictable to work with. But as a result, any person may not be as responsible as it seemed at the first meeting. Selecty Senior consultant Evgenia Hoffman told Izvestia on June 22 about how to hire a disciplined specialist and identify a procrastinator in an interview.
Is it correct to catch procrastinators in interviews
Any employer wants to see an employee in the team who will remain cheerful and productive throughout the working day, so it is better to identify the "flags" of the procrastinator as early as possible. Such a strategy is certainly in the best interests of business. However, it is unlikely to accurately identify such a person.
Evgenia Hoffman, Senior Consultant at Selecty
In the face of fierce competition, candidates accumulate years of experience and professional skills — it will not be difficult for them to talk about their performance and effectiveness.
According to the expert, simple questions about laziness will not work, because everyone wants to seem perfect and is unlikely to be able to give an honest answer. However, you can ask about the candidate's approach to work: which tasks he prioritizes and which are secondary to him. Based on this, indirect conclusions can be drawn: what tasks are interesting to a person, what he considers an unpleasant routine, whether he is ready to seek a balance between what is desired and necessary.
Hoffman stressed that candidates who are always looking for "interesting tasks so that everything is new, without refactoring and old software," may not be able to cope with everyday, sometimes monotonous, but necessary assignments. According to her observations, representatives of the zoomer generation are more likely to procrastinate, but this is not an absolutely accurate label.
What questions help to understand that the candidate does not miss deadlines
Speaking about questions that can help an employer identify a disciplined specialist, Hoffman noted that she herself first of all asks how the candidate plans his day and what the whole week consists of. In this way, the expert identifies whether the candidate has a clear plan, the ability to record tasks and meetings, and also to find out whether he is setting aside time for force majeure and tasks "here and now".
Also, as Selecty's senior consultant notes, it is important to put a candidate for a position in a specific atypical situation: for example, to ask what a person is going to do if something does not go according to plan and the task cannot be completed on time. Hoffman stressed that for many managers it is important to see and feel that a subordinate knows how to solve problems on their own, even when something has gone awry.
Postponing meetings is an indirect sign of a procrastinator
Hoffman called the postponement of the meeting by the candidate the most important marker. She admits that force majeure can happen in the form of, for example, a sudden work call, but this is allowed only once. In case of a systematic repetition of postponements and cancellations of meetings, the expert recommends skipping the candidate and moving on to the next resume, since such a candidate may fail and not come to the interview with the hiring leader.
She named the candidate's stories about mistakes related to unfinished projects as the second marker.
Evgenia Hoffman, Senior Consultant at Selecty
If his speech keeps saying that someone else is to blame - it's the manager, the customer didn't deliver the information, they didn't give him enough time — in general, everyone is to blame except the candidate himself — you are dealing with a procrastinator. This is a minimum, and as a maximum — with an irresponsible person.
A chronic procrastinator and a burnt-out employee: is there a difference?
Selecty's senior consultant emphasized that a chronic procrastinator and a burned—out employee are different categories of people. According to her, deeper questions can help to find out: for example, about the timing of the last vacation, satisfaction with your job and career track, and the presence of inner feelings that interfere with work.
Hoffman suggested that previously a person could be productive, but now his resource is exhausted due to external factors: emergencies, a difficult environment, unrealistic deadlines, difficult tasks, divorce or separation. According to the expert, if you give such a person a time out and the opportunity to reboot, his procrastination will decrease, and productivity will return to its original indicators — or maybe exceed them.
Evgenia Hoffman, Senior Consultant at Selecty
For a procrastinator, low productivity and postponing tasks "for later" is a life and work credo. It does not depend on when he rested — the person will return broken after the May holidays, without the desire to do anything. Such a candidate often has his head in the clouds and waits for a sign from above to begin the task. He is constantly waiting for something or someone, blaming everyone and everything for his shortcomings.
At the same time, the expert emphasized that a procrastinator usually finds an excuse for any question, often cannot admit a mistake, and also likes to imitate violent activity.
Do test tasks help and is it always necessary to be wary of procrastinators?
According to Hoffman, about 30% of candidates refuse to complete text assignments at an early stage of employment, and 20% are lost from the funnel when they already receive it.
She called a case interview the most appropriate option. It is specified that it can help identify a procrastinator. Hoffman noted that you can compose questions yourself or talk to the customer so that the manager can assess the acceptable level of procrastination in the screening response format.
At the same time, the specialist expressed the opinion that in creative professions and the creative industry, procrastination is acceptable, but in a dosed form or one that allows you to reconsider priorities.
Evgenia Hoffman, Senior Consultant at Selecty
It is not uncommon for breaks in work or creative activity to help find inspiration and reveal a new masterpiece to the world. And there were times when procrastination became a hallmark of the master. For example, Karl Bryullov did not complete some canvases due to a loss of interest in his work when he was solving his main creative task. He would leave out details or entrust the completion to his students.
Hoffman also expressed the opinion that there may be a place for procrastination in the IT sphere. Among other things, she clarified that there are even designers who are convinced that their layouts are better if they pored over them at night, or developers who postpone an important task for later because inspiration can only come on the way home or at lunch.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
