A Corporate Event Question Technique
This approach uses actual events that have occurred in your company as a basis for interview questions for the vacant job. It's quite simple.

• Consider the key elements of the vacant job
• Identify 4-5 major issues that determine managerial success in those key elements. These may or may not be "problem" areas. But they should be key determinants of managerial success
• Write a brief description of each issue
• Describe an actual event that typifies each issue e.g.
• The ebb and flow of business needs constant managerial juggling
• Technological change creates unforseen pressures
• Your business is almost out of control due to unprecedented growth
• You have difficulty recruiting and retaining qualified and experienced people.

If you can isolate particular events within the issues, so much the better.

Using The Technique
Describe the event/issue as precisely as you can to the candidate then ask

• "Have you confronted this or a similar situation?


• How did you handle it?


• What was the outcome"

Example of the Technique
You might say.
"Our business ebbs and flows in 3 month cycles due to climate factors. This causes problems in funding, warehousing and staffing. Have you confronted this or a similar situation?"
If the candidate says
"Yes" ask them to describe their experience then ask
"How did you handle it and what were the results?"
Feel free to ask other relevant questions as you proceed. Make sure you ask about the outcome.
If the candidate says "No" move to your next issue. Do not get involved in speculating about what candidates might do. Move through your list of issues until you find one the candidate can discuss in real terms.

If the candidate has never experienced any issues or events similar to the ones you've described, perhaps you should examine their background more closely!

Warning!
Never ask questions that invite speculation and prophecy. No matter how articulate candidates are, they can only guess about what they'll do or how they'll behave in circumstances they haven't encountered before. There's no guarantee they'll actually do what they say they would. Avoid these sorts of questions.

Conclusion
This technique is most valuable because it uses actual events in your company as a basis for questions. It provides you with information that's relevant to your job vacancy and how candidates resolved similar issues. And it eliminates speculation about what they "might" do. It also enables you to probe for more information in specific areas that affect on job competence in your company.