Topgrading can be defined as a company that takes interviews of the candidates depending on their aptitude and skills. More thorough screening is done for behavioral aptitude than most of the interviews which are conducted. We will discuss Topgrading Interview Questions here.
Goal: To have potential candidates and a family-like environment at the workplace.
Not only one but a series is conducted, and the pattern of the answers is observed. There are mainly twelve steps, but some of them can be skipped based on the time available and position to be given.
The following article will tell you all about it and help you crack the interview. The first discussion is about the questions asked and apt answers to be given, followed by the steps followed.
Some basic Topgrading Interview Questions:
- Q1. What according to you is the highest and lowest point in your career?
The highest point in one’s life depends on how one sees the situation as it is said that your perspective can change the state of affairs, like in the case of half-filled milk. So, every opportunity I got was a high point, even if I failed. Some may think that the failures were low points, but they taught me something and helped me move forward and learn.
- Q2. If asked about your relationship with your supervisor in the previous job, would you be comfortable in answering? Will the person talk to us if asked to give your referral?
Yes, I would be comfortable answering the questions related to my previous job. I left my previous job not due to disputes between management and me but because I have a better opportunity in this company. The supervisor will give me my recommendation letter and always talk to you about my referral. My supervisor was the one who told me to find a better opportunity for myself.
- Q3. Can you tell some shortcomings of your previous boss?
No one is perfect. Everyone has weaknesses and strengths. We can make our failures our strengths, and that’s what my previous boss believed in. Sometimes he would get frustrated and angry on the team but would always apologize or tell us why those words were important at that time. Most of the time, his words gave us the motivation to work.
- Q4. Can you tell one of your regrets from the past?
I usually don’t regret many things from the past. I believe that what’s gone can never come back, but the future stands ahead to make the best choices. But to answer your question, I regret giving up the opportunity of working as a student mentor at the management department due to the peer pressure of the first year since I was the only one selected.
- Q5. What are your aspirations?
I always want to grow my business and help my father repay the loans he took for my studies. I want to establish my company on an international level. Till then, I will work hard for the company I will stay in.
- Q6. What is one thing you think you will bring to the company?
My biggest strength is my communication skills and perseverance. This is my biggest asset, and I think I would be great since it requires talking to new people and pursuing them to be our clients. Since my position would-be manager, I also need to talk well with the subordinates, so my friendly yet professional nature would be of great help.
- Q7. Since you said you are great at communication, sometimes what we speak is interpreted wrongly by the other person. Elaborate on one of the situations.
Although I am great at this, as you said, my words were misinterpreted once. I was in high school and was the head of some department, I asked my deputy to fetch the files from the staff room with the teacher’s permission, but he didn’t listen to the last part and brought it without notice. The file was important and was reported lost instantly upon the teacher’s arrival.
- Q8. How did you handle the situation of panic and chaos at that time?
I firstly gave back the files immediately and asked my deputy why he brought them without notice. He informed me about the communication gap. So we told the teacher calmly about everything that had happened and apologized. Then we went to the principal’s office to prove our innocence through the CCTV footage. This incident taught us that we should never do anything in a hurry and listen to all of the instructions.
- Q9. Since this interview is conducted via a phone call, may I know how much information you have about the company?
I am well-versed with all the information about the company. I have gone through the official website and read it thoroughly. I have also prepared my notes on what you expect from your candidate and my job description. I also have gone through the necessary qualifications required and see myself apt for this position.
- Q10. How did you find out about our job openings?
I was always interested in your company and was waiting for this opportunity. I got the information about the job openings through one of my friends whose partner works here. The day I was informed, I filled the online form and started my preparation.
- Q11. What are your salary expectations?
I expect a salary of 20000$ per month for the beginning level alongside appraisals from time to time. I know this may sound high for you, but I give that quality of work and motivate my teammates to do so. I assure you that you won’t regret a single penny of your pay.
- Q12. If you are expected to change one of your traits, what would it be?
I want to change my emotional behavior. Sometimes I empathize with people more than required, which lands me in trouble that is not mine. This can also be my biggest strength since I can easily connect with their problems and solve them.
12 Important Things to Become an Interviewer
- Look into the Hiring Process: Firstly, look into the hiring techniques of the company and suggest some changes. Prepare your client for the process and check all the procedures like posting jobs and content to be posted. You can also check the company’s background alongside the survey of the past few years about their mistakes in hiring people.
- Job Scorecard: Create a checklist sitting with your clients about the characteristics required in the ideal candidate. The time taken for this thing may be more than you intended, but it will make your work easier. This list will help you sort them based on their forms and answers.
- Recruit: Now start the recruiting process by first posting about the job online on the different job-providing sites, or you may even use your website to do the promotion. Make sure to post all of your requirements and qualifications needed to avoid any chaos afterward.
- Screening: Now start with the screening process that is accepting and rejecting applications based on a scorecard alongside other requirements. Also, see their work history form to know more about their behavior and workplace ethics.
- Telephone Interview: To avoid taking interviews of a large mass, first do a telephonic interview which will help you know more about their passion, past jobs, career path, etc. If you are interested in the starting answers given by the candidate, you may continue for 45 mins. This will also help you narrow down the people you require in a personal interview.
- Personal Interview: After that round, conduct one more interview in which you get to them more based on their work ethics, professionalism, and work environment. It also gives the idea about the aura they will bring in with them.
- Topgrading Interview: After these screenings, go for the main topgrading interview. The interview has a long list of questions that are answered and are mostly in chronological order. They usually start from high school and continue up to future goals taking all other aspects like career, past jobs, behavior, and aptitude.
- Feedback: After the interview for a candidate is done, provide honest feedback about what you thought and whether he would be an asset or a liability. You may also take feedback from the client if you were involved in interviewing.
- Summary: Write a summary for the candidates analyzing every aspect you talked about like history, present, and future. This will make it easier for you at the time of final selection.
- Reference Call: One of the most important aspects of finding a new job is why in the first place did the person leave the last one. For this, ask the candidate to contact their reference and set up an interview. Most good workers do not have a problem with this since they leave on good terms and get a chance to contact them. Once this is done, sort the candidates according to the priority.
- Hiring and Training: Now that you have done the screening and analyzing, choose the perfect candidate and start their training. In training, the period monitors them on the basics of tasks and their behavior towards everyone in the room.
- Analyzing: Analyze the candidates selected within a year to see the performance and the quality of the candidate you hired. You can also see whether the mistake in past surveys was repeated or rectified.
In today’s scenario, this method of recruiting has proven to be very fruitful. Not only the company benefited from this, but also the potential candidates got their choice of job. It also ensured fewer workplace abuses due to the long system of screening. This method helped to know about one’s mindset and theory about the situation they are put in.
Also read Topgrading 101: The Interview Questions You Need to Know
