Page 48 - Investment Advisor - October 2021

THE NEW SCHOOL

By Caleb Brown

Interviewing New Talent? Questions You

Can and Cannot Ask

You need information to hire someone, but in today’s world, there are rules.

esumes can be overrated and Gender
probably will be obsolete soon. No: How do you feel about working
RBut in an interview, you need to with men/women?
learn as much as you can about a candi- Yes: Have you ever been disciplined
date, including their exact experience. for your behavior at work?
While most candidates don’t try to
intentionally mislead, some do. In fact, Health & Physical Abilities
they’ve taken great liberties with how No: Do you have any physical disabili-
they have structured their career history ties or health problems?
and responsibilities on their resume. Yes: Are you able to perform the
Further, they may not even realize essential functions of this job with or
they’re overstating their qualifications without reasonable accommodations?
because they don’t have perspective on No: Why have you not been vaccinated?
what other CFP programs offer instead. However, as tempting as it may be to Yes: We have implemented a vac-
To help determine if the candidate engage in friendly conversation during cination strategy to achieve 100% vac-
has the experience you seek in an advi- the interview, there are legal restric- cinations for everyone in the office. If
sory role, here are some questions to ask: tions in six areas on the type of ques- you are not currently vaccinated, do you
• How many financial plans have you tions you may ask. have any opposition to this strategy?
done from start to finish? Here are ways to turn potentially No: When are you going to provide
• How many financial plan updates litigious questions into insightful, legal proof of your vaccination status?
have you done? alternatives for those areas. Yes: If we offered a safe and confiden-
To help determine if they have had tial method, separate from your personnel
the responsibility you seek in the techni- Nationality file to store a copy of your vaccination card,
cal functions of the role, ask: No: Are you a U.S. Citizen? would you be comfortable providing us
• When you aren’t sure how to enter Yes: Are you authorized to work in with a copy? Important note: It is not illegal
something into the financial plan- the U.S.? to ask, but you have to ensure the employee
ning software, what do you do? is in control of disclosing the information
• When a client asks you a technical Religion without feeling pressured or threatened.
question you don’t know the answer No: What are your religious beliefs? Additionally, although not illegal, you
to, how do you handle it? Yes: Are you able to work our want to avoid questions about salaries,
To help determine if they have the required schedule? residence, legal affairs and military ser-
experience you need in the sales func- vice. Instead, provide the candidate with
tions of the role, ask: Age the salary range and ask if they are com-
• How many prospect meetings have No: How much longer do you plan to fortable with it, ask about their ability to
you been involved in? What % con- work before retiring? arrive to work at the scheduled time, ask if
tribution did you make? Yes: What are your long-term they have ever been convicted of a specific
• How many client relationships have career goals? crime or how their military experience
you brought to the firm? could benefit the company.
Marital & Family Status
BUT DON’T ASK THESE QUESTIONS No: Do you have children or plan to Caleb Brown is co-founder and CEO of
The goal of an interview is to obtain have children? New Planner Recruiting and hosts The
vital information to determine if Yes: Are you available to travel or New Planner Podcast which you find at Adobe Stock
the candidate will be a good match. work overtime occasionally? newplannerrecruiting.com/category/podcast

46 INVESTMENT ADVISOR OCTOBER 2021 | ThinkAdvisor.com