Page 198 - James Caan - Get the Job you Really Want

you think he would rise to?’ Or, ‘In this particular position, Bill’s
going to be responsible for seventeen people. What was the
size of team he managed with you?’
‘Eight.’
‘OK, so if in your organization you had to double the size of

that team, how do you think Bill would have coped with that?’
I am very specific with my questions. And you would be
surprised how many times the answer I get is, ‘I’m not sure,’

or, ‘I don’t think he could.’ Which is exactly what I need to
know. I am looking for real feedback on the candidate for the
job that I am looking to fill.
I remember taking a reference on somebody I was hiring,
and the referee was telling me, ‘Yes, he was very good, he did

this, he did that, he was here for three years.’ I was getting
nothing fresh, nothing useful to me.
Then I asked, ‘Would you rehire him?’

There was a deathly silence at the other end of the line.
Eventually, the referee said, ‘Probably not.’
I thought, ‘Aha!’ and followed up with, ‘Can I ask why?’
‘Not really. I don’t want to go into the details.’
I said, ‘OK, I appreciate that. Would it be because of his

ability in the job?’
‘No, his ability was OK.’
‘Was it the quality of his work?’

‘No, not particularly.’
‘So, was it his style?’
He said, ‘You’re getting warmer . . .’
My interpretation of that conversation was that the

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