Most job interviews are now carried out using a competency model. The idea is that by having candidates discuss situations similar to ones they will encounter in their new job, and interviewer will see the mix of knowledge, skills, abilities and other personality characteristics (KSAOs) a candidate can offer.
One of the complaints about this type of interview is that it misses some of the depth or colour of candidates. Interviewers claim they don't get to ask needed questions and candidates say they don't get to explain themselves. We think this could be solved with some good traditional values.
What we would now call old fashioned CVs and interviews touched on what you liked to do, what hobbies you had as a teenager, your passion for potholing or knitting or Dr Who. Psychologists (the people who design your competency interview questions) would call this vocational interests and there is a surprisingly strong link between them and what makes us happy and involved at work. If a candidate tells you she was in the Guides and set up her own football team, you can bet she will flounder in a work environment where she spends days alone without human interaction. Similarly if your candidate says he loved "taking things apart" as a child and built his own computer when aged 11, he stands a better chance in technical areas than a sales based call centre.
Of course you should not employ someone based on their hobby, but if you can match what they love doing and their work [1], they are likely to be happier, more involved in their organisation, and more likely to stay in that role for years. This saves you the trouble and cost of going through another recruitment process.
So next time you are interviewing, don't be an in-competent... ask them about their passions.
[1] For more on working to you strengths and passions see our post Your best working day or to see how close you are to your ideal job role try a test based on John Holland's vocational choice theory.
