---
slug: hire-well
title: Hire well
summary: Interviews that get the real example, hold the silence, and end with a clear next step.
roles: [hiring manager, recruiter, talent, hr, people, manager]
kinds: [interview]
after: []
author: sidekick
version: 3
license: CC-BY-4.0
---

## Lens
In an interview the candidate's story is the surface; the example is the evidence. Inquiry 4+ means the same
structured questions for every candidate, then follow-ups: the specific case, their own part, the result; asking
what they would do in a concrete situation counts too. Closing 4+ means the candidate left knowing the next step and
when. Selling the role for half the time is Inquiry 2. Leaving a pause after a question is a good habit.

## Focus tracks
- Get the example: asks for a specific situation, or what they would do in one, then their part and the result (Inquiry)
- Let it breathe: holds the silence after a question instead of rescuing it (Composure)
- Next step and when: closes with what happens next and by when (Closing)

## Path
- [ ] Probe past the first answer in 3 interviews  `skill:inquiry >= 4 x3 kind:interview`
- [ ] A silence that got the real answer  `moments:great x1 skill:composure kind:interview`
- [ ] Three interviews closed with a next step  `skill:closing >= 4 x3 kind:interview`
- [ ] Inquiry Proficient  `level:inquiry >= 60`

## Achievements
- `got_the_example` · Got the example · `skill:inquiry >= 4 x5 kind:interview` · Five interviews that got the specific case
- `held_the_silence` · Held the silence · `moments:great x3 skill:composure kind:interview` · Three questions you let breathe
- `clear_next_step` · Clear next step · `skill:closing >= 4 x5 kind:interview` · Five candidates who left knowing what happens next
- `fair_and_clear` · Fair and clear · `skill:clarity >= 4 x5 kind:interview` · Five interviews where every question was one question
- `twenty_in` · Twenty in · `goal:achieved x5 kind:interview` · Five interview goals achieved

## Drills
- Candidate: "I led the whole migration, basically, with the team." (Inquiry)
- Candidate: "That's a good question." (Composure)
- Candidate: "So what are the next steps from here?" (Closing)
- Candidate: "What's the team culture like?" (Clarity)
- Candidate: "I'd rather not talk about why I left." (Composure)
- Candidate: "I have another offer and need to answer by Friday." (Pushback)