What are the 4 Structured Interviews in Who - the A Method for Hiring?

The End of Random Prediction

After dedicating time to sourcing a flow of A Players, the next critical challenge is selection. Traditional interviews are "almost a random predictor" of job performance. This is the third major failure point: managers "do not trust their ability to pick out the right candidate".

The Select step of the A Method is designed to eliminate this guesswork, replacing Voodoo Hiring with a structured, rigorous, and highly predictive process.

The goal is simple: to gather facts about a candidate's performance track record that spans decades, not just a few minutes in a conference room. The A Method provides four interviews that build on each other to collect this data.

1. The Screening Interview: The High-Leverage Filter

The Screening Interview is your crucial first filter, designed to cull the B and C Players from your list as quickly and efficiently as possible.

This is a short, phone-based, structured interview, typically lasting no more than thirty minutes.

Four Essential Screening Questions:

1. What are your career goals? (Assesses passion and alignment before tainting the discussion with your own pitch).
2. What are you really good at professionally? (Prompts a list of strengths that should align with your Scorecard).
3. What are you not good at or not interested in doing professionally? (Aids in uncovering real weaknesses, avoiding cookie-cutter answers).
4. Who were your last five bosses, and how will they each rate your performance on a 1-10 scale when we talk to them? (The word "will" compels immediate honesty by signaling future reference checks).

The "What? How? Tell me more" Framework: After every answer, probe deeper. These open-ended questions ensure you get specific details, not generalizations. Only advance candidates whose profile makes you "thrilled" about the possibility of a match.

2. The Topgrading Interview: Uncovering Behavioral Patterns

The Topgrading Interview is the engine of the entire Select phase. It is a chronological walk-through of a person’s career, typically lasting one and a half to three hours.

The genius of this interview is that it uncovers the patterns of somebody's career history. It delivers an immense amount of decision data.

Five Core Questions Per Job:

1. What were you hired to do? (Uncovers their mental Scorecard) .
2. What accomplishments are you most proud of? (The stories behind the resume) .
3. What were some low points during that job? (Persistence is key to getting an honest answer) .
4. Who were the people you worked with? (Focuses on bosses and team development) .
5. Why did you leave that job? (Determines if they were pulled to a better opportunity or pushed out due to performance) .

3. The Focused Interview: Laser-Sharp Vetting

The Focused Interview is leg three, allowing you to gather additional, specific information where the Topgrading Interview may have left gaps.

Crucially, this interview is laser-focused on the Outcomes and Competencies of the Scorecard, not generalized behavioral questions. It is also the perfect opportunity to involve other team members, ensuring they stick to the script.

This process provides a final, robust check on both the candidate’s hard skills and their cultural fit, ensuring they are capable of getting the job done and able to thrive in your environment.

4. The Reference Interview

The Reference Interview involves conducting thorough, structured interviews with a pre-determined list of references )ideally three bosses, two peers, and two subordinates) provided by the candidate. This step is a crucial for verifying the information gathered in the previous interviews and ensuring the candidate is an "A player". 

Key Takeaways

• End Voodoo: The A Method replaces subjective guessing with four structured interviews designed to collect objective data about a candidate's decades-long track record.
• Filter Fast: Use the 30-minute Screening Interview and the "What? How? Tell me more" framework to quickly cull B/C Players.
• Uncover Patterns: The 1.5- to 3-hour Topgrading Interview is the core data-gathering tool, using five simple questions per job to establish reliable behavioral patterns.
• Verify Alignment: Use Focused Interviews to drill down on the specific Outcomes and Cultural Competencies from the Scorecard, providing the final layer of granular vetting.