Company leadership and hiring managers are only as great as the team they build. So, it’s no surprise that a core responsibility of all group managers is to design and hire top talent for their organization. But, in order to be effective at hiring and building a grade-A team, managers need to know what questions to ask during the initial interview stages. By asking candidates strategic interview questions, hiring managers can quickly identify the best job candidates or potential employees. Cory Eustice, Talent Director at Hart, reveals ways the most effective leaders interview candidates to identify those great hires. You’ll learn: *The interview process most leaders and managers take *The art and science to developing custom and strategic interview questions based on the role *What to look for in the interview answers received from candidates *The top interview questions CEOs ask candidates See more upcoming LinkedIn Talent Solutions webinars: https://lnkd.in/gjfYMp9

1. Master Class for Leaders:
7 Secrets to Interview Candidates
Like a Boss
​ February 22, 2017

2. Welcome to
“7 Secrets to Interview Candidates Like a Boss”
The webcast will start momentarily.
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Request a demo and further explore Talent Solutions
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3. Hi! It’s nice to meet you.
#hiretowin
Cory Eustice
Talent Director, Hart
linkedin.com/in/coryeustice
Cory Eustice is a recruiting leader with nearly
10 years experience in growing corporations as
well as staffing recruitment firms. His expertise
spans across:
• Human capital strategy
• Essential hiring practices (including
building hiring processes)
• Candidate sourcing
• Executive search
Currently, Cory oversees and manages talent
growth strategy and recruitment programs at
Hart, a health and fitness technology company
in Anaheim, California.
Cory develops management and leadership
training programs with emphasis on how to
hire effectively and efficiently. He believes in a
candidate-focused hiring process that goes
beyond skill sets.

4. Today’s session
In order to be effective at hiring and building a grade-A team, managers
need to know what questions to ask during the initial interview stages. In
this 60 minute session, you’ll learn the 7 secrets to interview
candidates like a boss.
We’ll cover:
q Planning Stage: Interview processes that most leaders take
q Interview Execution: How to develop strategic interview questions
q Candidate Evaluation: What to look for in interview answers
q Examples: Top interview questions CEOs ask candidates
#hiretowin

5. Interview Process Most Leaders Take
#hiretowin
0

6. 6
Interview Lifecycle: 3 Stages Managers Undergo
Identify Talent
Brand
Detail What
You Want /
Don’t Want
Identify
Benchmarks
Define
Benchmarks
Craft
Interview
Questions
PRE
Planning
What you need to
ask yourself
1
Promote Job on
Channels
Conduct Phone
Screening
On-site Interview
Homework
Assignment
INTERVIEW
Execution
Interview steps
you / team takes
2
Candidate Interview Evaluation Candidate Follow-up
POST
Evaluation
/Follow-up
Closing the loop
and filling the role
3
In-take Form
http://bit.ly/2liNpdS
Examples
http://bit.ly/2liNpdS
Forms
http://bit.ly/2liNpdS

7. Planning Stage:
It’s Your Compass Throughout This Process
#hiretowin
1

8. 8
Interview Lifecycle:
Identify Your Culture Through Talent Brand
Identify Talent
Brand
Detail What
You Want /
Don’t Want
Identify
Benchmarks
Define
Benchmarks
Craft
Interview
Questions
PRE
Planning
What you need to
ask yourself
1
• What do you want YOUR BRAND to be?
• What do you want YOUR TALENT BRAND to be?
• What companies with strong talent brands INSPIRE you?
THE
PERFECT
CANDIDATE
• Metrics-obsessed
• Always innovating
• Work horse vs.
show pony

9. 9
Identify Talent
Brand
Detail What
You Want /
Don’t Want
Identify
Benchmarks
Define
Benchmarks
Craft
Interview
Questions
PRE
Planning
What you need to
ask yourself
1
• What are the top 5-10 essentials to YOU and the COMPANY?
• What are the top 5-10 essentials to the ROLE?
• What are the things you and the company don’t need?
THE
PERFECT
CANDIDATE
• Metrics-obsessed
• Always innovating
• Work horse vs.
show pony
• 10+ yrs strategy and
digital marketing exp.
• Loyal, culture fit,
marketing exp in tech
• Junior level, just an
executor
Interview Lifecycle:
Know What You Want / Don’t Want

10. 10
Identify Talent
Brand
Detail What
You Want /
Don’t Want
Identify
Benchmarks
Define
Benchmarks
Craft
Interview
Questions
PRE
Planning
What you need to
ask yourself
1
• # of years relevant experience
• Past tenure
• Management experience in successful tech companies
THE
PERFECT
CANDIDATE
• Metrics-obsessed
• Always innovating
• Work horse vs.
show pony
• 10+ yrs strategy and
digital marketing exp.
• Loyal, culture fit,
marketing exp in tech
• Junior level, just an
executor
• 10+ yrs experience
• 2 yr min tenure
• Manager roles at
Google, LinkedIn,
Facebook, etc.
Interview Lifecycle:
What Are the Benchmarks?

11. 11
Identify Talent
Brand
Detail What
You Want /
Don’t Want
Identify
Benchmarks
Define
Benchmarks
Craft
Interview
Questions
PRE
Planning
What you need to
ask yourself
1
THE
PERFECT
CANDIDATE
• Metrics-obsessed
• Always innovating
• Work horse vs.
show pony
• 10+ yrs strategy and
digital marketing exp.
• Loyal, culture fit,
marketing exp in tech
• Junior level, just an
executor
• 10+ yrs experience
• 2 yr min tenure
• Manager roles at
Google, LinkedIn,
Facebook, etc.
• Relevant experience & execution?
• Loyalty?
• Leadership?
• 10+ yrs acquisition
marketing across
channels with hands-
on role
• Reason for leaving…
• Leading 5 full-time
employees for 2
years at Google
Interview Lifecycle:
Define Your Benchmarks for Clarity

12. 12
Identify Talent
Brand
Detail What
You Want /
Don’t Want
Identify
Benchmarks
Define
Benchmarks
Craft
Interview
Questions
PRE
Planning
What you need to
ask yourself
1
THE
PERFECT
CANDIDATE
• Metrics-
obsessed
• Always
innovating
• Work horse
vs. show pony
• 10+ yrs strategy
and digital
marketing exp.
• Loyal, culture fit,
marketing exp in
tech
• Junior level, just
an executor
• 10+ yrs
experience
• 2 yr min tenure
• Manager roles at
Google, LinkedIn,
Facebook, etc.
• Have pre-selected criteria:
o Application documentation
o Knowledge
o Skills
o Education
o Experience
o Personal suitability
• Subjective traits are measured by the
answers to your questions. For
example:
• Leadership: Ask to define it.
• Loyalty: Ask to describe it.
• Experience: Give examples of
relevant projects developed and
executed.
• 10+ yrs acquisition
marketing across
channels with
hands-on role
• Reason for
leaving…
• Leading 5 full-time
employees for 2
years at Google
Interview Lifecycle:
Time to Start Crafting Interview Questions
TIPS:
q Document why + how to for questions
q Ask the same/similar questions

13. Interview Execution:
Crafting Strategic Interview Questions
#hiretowin
2a

14. 14#hiretowin
Example:
Crafting An Action-Oriented (Behavioral) Question
Action-oriented Hires:
• Hire employees who take action and take chances.
• While chances may lead to failure, they will more often lead to success and mold
confidence while generating new ideas.
• Stagnant employees won’t make your company money; action-oriented employees
will.
Sample Question:
• Describe a time where you took a chance in your current or a past role that led to
either success or failure, and how did you handle the outcome?
TIPS - What to Look for:
q Do they provide a succinct answer with a clear and defined example?
q How they answer this can be indicative of how they communicate overall.
q Are they detail oriented? Or do they leave a lot to be questioned?
NOTE: This is an interview, so they may be nervous which could affect communication.

15. 15#hiretowin
Example:
Interview Questions for Top Areas of Focus
• What do you know about the company?
• Describe the role you’re interviewing for.
• What interests you about the company / role?
Level Setting:
Company Basics &
Role Alignment
• Walk me through your past work history that is
similar/relevant/related to this role.
• Give me an example of one of the most challenging
situations/projects and how did you overcome it. What did you
learn?
• Here is a scenario [xyz]. How would you handle it?
Proof Points:
Subject Expertise &
Problem-solving
• Tell me about what you’re most passionate about in the work you
do.
• What does going above and beyond on a project mean to you?
• Please give me an example and describe a time when you went
above and beyond?
Drive for Excellence:
Gauge in Dedication
& Drive for Excellence

16. 16#hiretowin
Example:
Interview Questions for Top Areas of Focus
• Describe a situation where you needed to use persuasion to
convince someone to see things your way. What steps did you take?
What were the results?
• Give me an example of a time when you felt you led by example.
What did you do and, how did others react?
Ability to Lead:
Effective
Communications &
Influence
• Recall a time when your manager was unavailable when a problem
arose. What was the nature of the problem? How did you handle
that situation? What happened as a result?
• How have you contributed to a more productive team?
• Tell me about a time when you had to juggle several projects at the
same time. How did you organize your time? What happened as a
result?
Judgment &
Prioritization:
Ability to self-manage
• Describe a time when you thought the decision made was NOT the
right thing to do. How did you address your concerns? What was the
result?
• Describe a project that you owned where in hindsight, would have
managed differently.
• How would you work with less motivated team members? How
would you handle it?
Accountability:
Ownership and Integrity
in Role and/or Project

17. 17#hiretowin
Example:
Interview Questions for Top Areas of Focus
• How are you measured in your current role?
• What are the key metrics you measure for [xyz]?
• Share an example where you were responsible for analyzing the
performance of a project, the data gathered, and insights you
gained. What actions did you take as a result of your analysis?
Data Driven:
Level of Comfort
with Data, Insights
& Analysis
• What do you think your colleagues / manager would say about
you?
• What type of management style do you work well with? What
management styles do you not work well with?
• Describe an ideal culture you are looking for.
Culture:
Working with Others
& Cultural Fit
• What would motivate you to make a move from your current role?
• Where do you see yourself 5-10 years from now?
• What motivates/inspires you to come to work and do your best?
Motivations:
Needs & Wants

18. Execution:
From Marketing Your Job to
Asking Strategic Interview Questions
#hiretowin
2b

19. 19
Promote Job on
Channels
Conduct Phone
Screening
On-site Interview
Homework
Assignment
Interview
Execution
Interview steps
you / team takes
2
Examples
http://bit.ly/2liNpdS
Interview Lifecycle:
Top 5 Channels to Attract Quality Candidates
Source: Global Recruitment Trends 2017

20. 20
Promote Job on
Channels
Conduct Phone
Screening
On-site Interview
Homework
Assignment
Interview
Execution
Interview steps
you / team takes
2
Interview Lifecycle:
Law prohibits discrimination in hiring (and other employment decisions)
based on protected characteristics, including:
Discrimination
Race
Color
National
origin
Citizenship
Ancestry
Religion
Gender
Pregnancy
Sexual
orientation
Disability
Age (40+)
Military
service
Marital
status
Association
Tip
q Can’t make decisions in the
screening, interviewing,
consideration, or selection
process based on such
characteristics

21. 21#hiretowin
Questions to AVOID: Questions You CAN Ask:
• Oh wow! Are you expecting?
• Just dropped my kids off at daycare. Do you
have children too?
• If you have kids, who takes care of them
when you’re at work?
• Is there anything that could prohibit you from
working the following shift(s)?
• Gosh, you have a lot of experience! How long
have you been working?
• Oh you graduated from my high school! What
year did you graduate?
• You look so young. How old are you?
• How long have you been in this industry?
• You look familiar, where are you from?
• Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Are you Irish? What
nationality are you?
• Are you a citizen?
• Are you authorized to work in the United
States?
Example Questions to Avoid:
Even Small Talk Can Get You in Heated Waters

22. 22
Promote Job on
Channels
Conduct Phone
Screening
On-site Interview
Homework
Assignment
Interview
Execution
Interview steps
you / team takes
2
Interview Lifecycle:
Use Phone Screenings to
Weed Out Unqualified Candidates
TIPS:
q Candidate to hire ratio for some
companies is 20:1
q 30-45 minute qualifying call
q Introduce the company and role within
5 minutes
q Line up questions tying to the top 5-
10 essentials to YOU, the COMPANY,
and the ROLE need (Identified in
Planning stage)
q Keep candidates talking most of the
allotted time
q Use case scenarios (role play) to gain
the most insights
q Take verbatim notes
EXAMPLE QUESTIONS:
• Walk me through your past work history and share projects that are related to
this role.
• Give me an example of one of the most challenging situations/projects and
how did you overcome it. What did you learn?
• Here is a scenario [xyz]. How would you handle it?
• What are you looking for in your next play?

23. 23
Promote Job on
Channels
Conduct Phone
Screening
On-site Interview
Homework
Assignment
Interview
Execution
Interview steps
you / team takes
2
Interview Lifecycle:
On-site Interviews Are for In-Depth Qualification
TIPS:
qCandidate to hire ratio for some companies is 10:1
q60 minute in-person interviews (3+ interviewers –
Manager, cross-functional partner, team member, etc.)
qAssign roles and areas to focus on per interviewer
qTake note of presence (professionalism, energy, focus)
qStart with a data-centric interviewing approach
(improves quality)
EXAMPLE QUESTIONS:
• Basic Alignment: What interests you about the company /
role?
• Drive: Please give me an example and describe a time when
you went above and beyond?
• Leadership: Describe a situation where you needed to use
persuasion to convince someone to see things your way.
What steps did you take? What were the results?

24. 24
Promote Job on
Channels
Conduct Phone
Screening
On-site Interview
Homework
Assignment
Interview
Execution
Interview steps
you / team takes
2
Interview Lifecycle:
Homework Assignments
Can Help Affirm Hiring Decision
TIPS:
q Deadline from 2 to 48 hours
q Email / print detailed instructions of
homework/test
EXAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS:
• Marketing: Build a presentation
detailing lifecycle marketing
• Engineering: Provide code. Ask to
identify errors and how to fix it.
• Writer: Provide a topic and ask for a
700 word blog post

25. Evaluation:
What to Look For in Answers and How to
Evaluate Candidates Fairly
#hiretowin
3

26. #hiretowin
Interview Lifecycle:
Evaluating Interview Answers: What to Look Out For
• Blaming: Look out for candidates that constantly blame others for mistakes and take
all the credit for themselves.
• Negativity: Be weary of candidates that speak ill of their current or previous employer.
• Less Hard Working: Ask follow up questions to candidates if they constantly mention
PTO, work/life balance, etc. Note: This isn't bad, but the reasoning could be
something bad.
• Conflicting Messages: Be mindful of inconsistent messaging throughout the
interview. This may include inability to use specific examples and provide in-depth
details. Pay attention to body language and lack of eye contact.
• Suspicious Work History: Leaving roles in past work history (e.g.
disagreements/personal conflicts, etc.) may reveal more about the person.

27. 27#hiretowin
Examples: Analyzing Interview Answers
Interview Answer Example Analysis
Question:
Tell me about a project that you owned that did not
meet expectations. Why did it not meet expected
results? What would you do differently?
• Gain insight on project owned. Learn about
depth of involvement/role (assistance vs. true
ownership)
• Gain learnings on critical thinking.
• Understand how he/she would do things
differently
• Identify lack of accountability / negative finger
pointing.
Answer:
a)I managed a global email customer marketing campaign.
b)I drafted the email copy that announced the release of a new product.
c)When the email launched, there were typos and the campaign was sent to the wrong
email list.
d)This wasn’t my fault though. This was due to our campaign operations team not sending
the campaign out to the right list, they used the wrong version of the drafted copy, and my
manager was the final sign-off who was supposed to oversee the process start to finish.

28. #hiretowin
Candidate Interview Evaluation Candidate Follow-up
Post
Evaluation
/Follow-up
Closing the loop
and filling the role
3
Forms
http://bit.ly/2liNpdS
TIPS:
q Complete evaluation form same day as
interview
q Evaluate all candidates on the same scale
(e.g. 1-5)
q Avoid discrimination (see slide 21)
q Never make a spot-on decision
q Align your feedback with other interviewers
q Consider in-person interview performance
coupled with homework assignment
Interview Lifecycle:
Treat All Candidate Evaluations The Same

29. #hiretowin
Candidate Interview Evaluation Candidate Follow-up
Post
Evaluation
/Follow-up
Closing the loop
and filling the role
3
For Candidates You’re Considering:
Close Loose Ends with Interviewed Candidates
Can Help with Employer Brand

30. #hiretowin
Candidate Interview Evaluation Candidate Follow-up
Post
Evaluation
/Follow-up
Closing the loop
and filling the role
3
For Candidates You’re Rejecting:
Close Loose Ends with Interviewed Candidates
Can Help with Employer Brand

31. CEO Interview Questions:
From Marketing Your Job to
Asking Strategic Interview Questions
#hiretowin
4

32. 32#hiretowin
CEO Interview Questions and
What They Look For
CEO Interview Questions Analysis
To become an expert at something it is said one
must put in 10,000 hours of
practice. What have you put 10,000 hours into?
Or what are you working on putting
10,000 hours into?
“By telling us about your routine, schedule and
focus, we can learn whether you have a
commitment to excellence,” says Chase Garbarino,
CEO of VentureApp, a vendor consulting firm.
What motivates you to come to work every day?
Maren Hogan CEO of the B2B marketing agency
Red Branch Media hopes it’s more than money
because that paycheck isn’t what typically keeps
employees motivated. “If the motivation is ‘paying
off my student loans,’ take a pass,” she says.
What are you good at doing (I focus on soft
skills) and how well do you know yourself?
“These two answers reveal more about the person
if they are choosing their degree based on their
strengths, challenges and personality,” says J.
Isabella Johnston, CEO of the strategy consulting
firm Pivot Business Consulting. “I look for
entrepreneurial, coachable types that want to lead,
follow and work well in teams and independently.”

33. 33#hiretowin
① Taking time to work through the 3
interviewing lifecycle stages
• Planning
• Interview Execution
• Candidate Evaluations + Follow-up
② Craft action-based or behavioral
interview questions for top areas of
focus (e.g. ability to lead, judgment,
prioritization, accountability, etc.)
② Consider promoting your job through
these top 5 sources for quality
candidates:
• Referrals
• Job Boards
• Social Professional Network (e.g.
LinkedIn Talent Solutions)
• Staffing Firms
• Internal Hires
Summary:
7 Secrets to Interview Candidates Like a Boss
④ Be aware of hiring discrimination. Avoid
making decisions in the screening,
interviewing, consideration, or selection
process based on protected characteristics
⑤ Default to phone interviews before on-site
interviews. Some companies have a 5:1
interview ratio.
⑥ Evaluate candidates and their answers
with these points in mind:
• Negativity & finger-pointing
• Conflicting messaging & body language
• Work motives (e.g. money vs. passion)
• Suspicious work history
⑦ Don’t forget to close the loop with a
follow-up email.

34. LinkedIn Talent Solutions offers a full suite of tools
to help you find, attract, and hire top candidates.
Contact us to learn more.
Call
855-655-5653
or visit
http://bit.ly/ContactTalentSolution
s
Let’s connect!
#hiretowin
Cory Eustice
Talent Director, Hart
linkedin.com/in/coryeustice