Games Interviewers Play - employee recruitment - Statistical Data Included

HR Magazine, Jan, 2001 by Martha Frase-Blunt

He says the kind of message such a process sends to candidates could also be a problem. "Like whether the company is taking the selection process seriously, and whether good applicants may be turned off by what they may consider to be a frivolous or unfair process of making important selection decisions based on a five-minute exercise."

Puzzles vs. 'Situationals'

Interestingly, two who seem to agree that puzzles and gamesmanship have their limits are Aylward, whose client likes to be driven to the cleaners, and Perry of the ZEFER Lego test.

"In a short period of time, the hiring market has evolved, and now you'll see fewer games," says Aylward. "Now our clients use 'situationals,' posing problems that are real-life, or close to real-life. Our clients are looking for problem solvers, and candidates are more closely scrutinizing companies for effective management." But she acknowledged, "You'll see some very clever and creative situationals."

Perry explains that, "After using the Lego test for a while, we determined that it was important to give candidates an opportunity to truly experience what it would be like to work at ZEFER. Our organization has evolved and migrated our selection tools, and now we rely on presenting cases to solve."

Interviewers present real-life problems and ask candidates to develop creative solutions, she says. "We don't use this test alone to make a hiring decision, but it gives us the opportunity to evaluate them in real time. At the same time, candidates can gain insights into ZEFER's clients, and the types of daily challenges they will face."

The Lego test is not dead, though. ZEFER managers find that it--and other toys--are useful tools for job fairs and talent labs. "It's a great ice-breaker, and it helps people remember us," says Perry.

Martha Frase-Blunt is a freelance writer based in Alexandria, Va., who frequently covers recruiting issues.

How Did You Do?

The two guards:

One approach is to ask one guard: "Were I to ask you if the door on the right was the correct one, what would you say?" The truthful guard would answer yes (if it's the correct one), or no (if it's not). If you ask the guard who always lies whether the same door is the correct one, he would answer no. But if you ask him: "If I was to ask you if this door were the correct one, what would you say?" he would be forced to lie and say yes. When you get two identical answers about the same door, you've solved it.

White house paint:

Employers use questions like this to see how the candidate approaches the problem and all its subtle variations. For example, taking interior walls into account would certainly indicate broader thinking. Here's how one candidate answered: Start with the basic assumption that there are 270 million people in the United States. Perhaps half of them live in houses. The average family size is about three people, so that's 45 million houses. Add another 10 percent for second homes, and you get 50 million houses. If houses are painted every 10 years, on average, then there are 5 million houses painted every year. Assuming that one gallon of paint covers 100 square feet of wall, and that the average house has 2,000 square feet of wall to cover, then each house needs 20 gallons of paint. So 100 million gallons of paint are sold per year.