| Asking S-O-A-R Questions! | | | | Situationo Obstacleso Actiono Results |
| Part of my corporate experience is working in the | | | | The idea is you get the potential employee discussing |
| retail industry at a mall overseeing the customer | | | | a situation they have encountered in the past to |
| service center. We would experience turn-over as | | | | assess their real-world experience and then you cut |
| high school kids who worked as Customer Service | | | | right to the challenges and barriers they faced, what |
| Representatives moved away to go to college. I | | | | action or behavior did they exhibit to overcome the |
| personally know it can become very time-consuming | | | | challenge, and what were the end results? |
| to interview someone and get excited thinking they | | | | I want to provide some examples; I'll share for both |
| are the right fit only to get them on the job and | | | | the non-profit and corporate worlds. If you are |
| have a different side of them emerge! During the | | | | inquiring about the potential employee's experience |
| interview it's easy for people to look right, and say | | | | with recruiting volunteers as they show it on their |
| the right things. Then it's expensive to work with | | | | resume or are telling you they have recruited |
| them or try to manage them out only to post the | | | | volunteers and you need to get deeper, you could |
| job and start all over again. I had to learn a way to | | | | utilize the following S-O-A-R.o Situation - "Tell me |
| save my time and the organization money! | | | | about a situation where you recruited volunteers for |
| One of the core groups I work now with are Human | | | | no pay in the past?"o Obstacles - "What obstacles |
| Resource professionals. They are constantly either | | | | did you encounter when recruiting these |
| interviewing potential employees for their employer | | | | volunteers?"o Action - "What action did you take to |
| or working with personnel supervisors and managers | | | | overcome this?"o Results - "What was the end result |
| on what interview questions to ask of potential | | | | of the event?" |
| employees. | | | | How about a S-O-A-R example for the corporate |
| I have experience with this and so wishing to help | | | | world?o Situation - "Tell me about the situation where |
| with this significant challenge so many have of what | | | | you dealt with the most upset customer you've ever |
| questions to ask to cut to the heart of how an | | | | experienced."o Obstacles - "What did you feel were |
| employee will behave once hired and on the job, I | | | | the obstacles for this customer?"o Action - "What |
| want to share incorporating S-O-A-R questions into | | | | action were you able to take in this situation?"o |
| your interviews you're conducting. | | | | Results - "Tell me about the end results; was the |
| What does S-O-A-R stand for you may ask?o | | | | situation resolved for the customer? |