Like behavioral interviewing? Great! Want to take it to next level and cause your candidates to feel pain? If so, try TopGrading, recently featured in Workforce and available at a mega-bookstore near you…
I must admit the comments you are about to read on TopGrading (TG) are quite personal…that’s just
how it is. I was introduced to TG years ago as one of my clients embraced the concept and integrated TG into their hiring process. Knowing I would need to know more to be an effective “coach” to prep my candidates and to better understand the “lingo” of my clients – I visited a Barnes and Noble one afternoon equipped with a hot “Tall-Decaf-Non-Fat-Light-Whipped-Mocha” just to see what the buzz (not the caffeine ) was all about.
Well…apparently this was not going to be one of those casual Sunday afternoon reads. Instead, I bought my TG “to-go” as the work ahead to read this massive book (did I say HUGE) would require a much larger investment of time. I read several chapters in the book, and a few days later, I received a call from another client announcing that they too had adopted TG as part of their screening and hiring process.
GREAT… Just Great….Now – I knew I had to finish the book and FAST!!!
Clearly, the concepts in TG are very sound and, their process, in many ways takes the selection process using behavioral interviewing to a whole new level. Some companies have experienced phenomenal results by adopting TG.
Here’s the downside: According to nearly all of my candidates (I mean victims), the entire process was just painful. I have one client that paraded 5 senior executive candidates down TG lane… for NOT. They were all stars! They started off with a short get-to-know you type interview, which is not uncommon. Then, it’s show-time – the interrogation interview (I think one client actually uses the big round bright light charged with 100 watts of power!).
The biggest and most challenging aspect of the process is the amount of time it can take. I mean we are talking 6-8 weeks just to get the green light in the qualification round. I know for a fact that TG has prevented my clients (and my firm) from hiring mishaps. No doubt.
In my opinion, the Chronological In-Depth Structured (CIDS) interview and many of the other nuances of the TG hiring process don’t always work in a candidate driven market – like the market we are entering today. When you mine down to the newspaper route an executive threw 30 years ago on Maple Street and the time the dishwasher malfunctioned during a summer job at Shoney’s Big Boy, C’MON!! All of a sudden, the process is no longer fun or engaging. Granted, the client learns tons of data about the candidate (some great stuff!), but the candidate learns very little about the company, the role of the position, the culture of the company, and their vision and strategy. The less patient candidates/stars may decide they don’t want to work for you.
That’s broken.
Don’t get me wrong here – TG has many benefits and clearly serves a purpose. Taking TG to the extreme is not good. NOT now – NOT ever. We all want to take a slice of our candidate’s DNA to see how they are wired before extending an offer. My fear it that some companys will never get there.
The results of TG can be outstanding for any organization, as long as the implementation and execution of the process are done the right way. But I’ve presented very seasoned and well accomplished executives that bombed in CIDS or lost interest discussing how well they did in their very 1st summer job decades ago (they just didn’t get it or didn’t care). Most could not wait for the last hour of the (4-5 hour) interview to end so they could run ….and run fast from the experience.
Did I mention my feelings ….are personal? Sorry… <shrug>
Tim -
I remember when I first heard of TopGrading. Like you, I went to the bookstore and picked up a copy. The first sign of trouble should have been when I needed a clerk to help me get it to the car (and bookstore clerks aren’t ripped like I am..).
Seriously – I looked at the size of the book this morning before I left for work. It’s 543 freaking pages long…
Cliff notes, anyone? Here you go – ask a behavioral question and never move on until you’ve heard the 3rd example on the positive side, plus two items that ask the same question, but for negative info. Get the paper route item, too….
KD
Read this years ago and found lots of good ideas, but would never implement the whole thing. Just too time consuming. I recommend TG light – pick and choose areas that are critical to the position and use TG methods to ensure the candidate is going to meet your needs.
Some of the questions are just too intrusive or so far in some candidate’s past, I know I don’t know what my college GPA was and does it really matter after 10 or more years in the workforce?
Kris and Kathy:
Truer words were never spoken. It IS a heavy book and even worse it can be an arduous process that is mis-used by many companies across our market space. It can be just painful:-)
The very next time a client tells me they just adopted TG and want to involved dozens of their executives in the interview and selection process – I will rev up my engines (loudly I might add) and head towards the exit ramp at a very rapid rate of speed. I think I have been clear (and very fair) on this topic that is so near and dear to my heart … -Tim
I knew i inherited my innate ability to question popular methods from somewhere.
not sure what to think about this.
apply for seasonal jobs