Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.

-- Alexander Graham Bell

INTERVIEWS — CHANGE THE GAME

Are you using "pin the tail on the donkey" interview techniques? If so, your organization might get stuck in some of the following places:

Unproductive employees who cannot do the work
Employees who do not fit in with the work culture
Employees who are an emotional drag on the team
Employees who vacuum morale from the workgroup
Lost customer service
Malcontented employees looking to leave
Reposting, re-recruiting and another spin around with a blindfold

Do you ever saunter into an interview without a plan? Is your primary goal to hurry along trusting your instincts based on a breeze shooting session? Did you see the game last night? If any of this sounds familiar, it is time to change your interview game to "catch a top performer."

Rules to follow to "catch a top performer":

Prepare — know the job and the group or organization culture
Prepare — know the qualities, skills and abilities that make current top performers successful with this position - identify position related success factors
Prepare — know the application materials, including the work history and accomplishments the interviewee depicts
Prepare — identify other members of the interview team and share information with them
Prepare — formulate work related performance based interview questions along with responses that will be indicative of a good fitting top performer
Interview — based on competency and performance criteria, determined in your preparation plan
Prepare — an interview outcomes rating system