Some research has shown how companies can spend over 35% of their profits on recruitment.

This is a staggering amount to be spent on recruitment cost, with a large amount of that spend, being spent on the time it takes to interview applicants, shifting the hundreds of job applications received and the cost of advertising vacancies.

You first need to ask yourself how much are you spending on recruitment cost? And how many new employees leave or are sacked?

Asking the wrong interview questions

Many companies ask the wrong type of questions at the job interview, which results in the wrong applicant being offered the position. Many businesses state they have an interim period and if the new employee doesn’t meet the standards they can get rid of them. Often this doesn’t happen as the employer puts the mistakes made down to the employee being new. The cost of re-recruiting is also very high and can put employers off the thought of re-advertising a position.

Many interviewers ask the wrong question, they ask age-old questions including “have you experience in X.” Some interview questions will help you understand the applicant’s knowledge of your sector, but what is more important is how the employee is motivated and what stresses the employee, because we can all agree that a motivated employee work rate is increased.

Readers of this can relate, as we have all been in one job where we work well, but when you have started in a new company in the same position your work rate drops. But why does this happen?

Motivated employees have a higher output

We are all motivated and stressed in different ways, some employees need to be organised and planned, and others need variety and creativity to stay motivated.

Employers first need to understand their job role and company.

Are you looking for a pro-active or re-active employee, as both have benefits and negatives?

Do you require a problem solver or a goal setter as these employees work completely different to one another?

Do you need an employee who is motivated through praise or an employee who is internally motivated, as work rates can increase both of these two types depending on the job role?

Understanding the job role

First you need to breakdown the job role and how your company operates, including your management style. Do you require a proactive or reactive employee? Would you prefer a goal-orientated or problem solver? Will the applicant need to be motivated externally or internally? Do you want some to follow procedures or would someone who can take the initiative? Will the job be repetitious or will the duties change through the working year?

By knowing exactly what you require, you can ask job interview questions that pull out a persons motivational and stress states.

For one person following procedures will keep them well motivated but for another having to follow procedures can make them stress as they may know a different a better way to do it.

This is why someone you know who has a good reputation in your sector becomes your employee, instantly their performance drops, they are just motivated and stressed by the way an organisation operates.

What questions to ask

Below is a set of questions, that you can to your interview to understand an interviewees motivation and stress indicators.

People, who are motivated and stressed in different ways, show this to us by the way they word their interview answers.

To understand if you are recruiting the applicant who will be motivated in your workplace you need to listen to the words they use, as the words indicate how they are best motivated.

Interview Question                      Motivation/Stress Pattern      Language Indicators

No question                                                Proactive                  Action, Do It

                                     Re-active                  Try, Think, About It

What do you want in your  career?          Towards                   Attain, Gain, Achieve

                                                                           Away From            Avoid, Exclude, Recognise

How do you know if you                         Internal                     Knows within himself

Have done a good job                             External                    Told by others, facts and figures

Why did you choose                                 Options                      Criteria, Choices, Possibilities,

your current job                                        Procedures               Story, how, necessity, didn’t

What is your relationship                       Sameness                   Same No Change

Between your work this          Sameness with Exceptions     More, Better, Comparisons

Year and last year                                      Difference                   Change, New, Unique

Sameness with Exceptions    New and Comparisons

and Difference