How hiring managers spot talent in interviews

Employers are often concerned their hiring processes miss weaknesses in well-presented candidates and sometimes overlook gifted people with unconventional approaches.


Thus hiring managers are increasingly being trained as professional talent-spotters. They want to get under the skin of candidates, matching strengths and weaknesses and teasing out hidden depths missed by the average interviewer, who usually skim the surface without deep diving.

Knowing the secrets helps you to understand the employer thought processes and to match up your answers:

Secret 1 – you will hire more successfully if your job description and desired traits are short and to the point, allowing you to bring focus to the essential ingredients for the role.

Secret 2 – use your experience and contacts to understand where the market is going, who is performing the role in question within your competitors and what qualities the coming generation of leaders will require.

Secret 3 - the candidates who impress are those able to connect the dots in a decision-making environment that isn’t fully clear, without getting lost in the details or misreading a situation.

Secret 4 – when interviewing, delve don’t glide, since you will not learn much from the first or even second question on any topic, but as you dig further you will reveal a true sense of a character and track record.

Secret 5 – good listeners gain authority by being incredibly attentive to others, detecting gestures, pauses and attitudes that hint at something behind what is actually being said, so value this as a prime virtue in candidates.