The WHO Interview Method is a systematic, structured hiring process designed to increase the success rate of bringing high-performing individuals, often termed “A-Players,” into an organization. This methodology replaces traditional, subjective recruitment practices with a clear, disciplined framework aimed at achieving a hiring success rate that consistently exceeds 90%. Focusing on measurable outcomes and objective data, the WHO method standardizes the talent acquisition journey from initial job definition to final offer negotiation. It is engineered to remove the biases and inconsistencies that often plague less organized hiring efforts.
Why Use the WHO Method?
Traditional hiring often relies on unstructured interviews, where managers make decisions based on superficial impressions or a “gut feeling.” This lack of structure leads to significant organizational risk, as the cost of a bad hire can exceed 150% of the position’s annual salary when factoring in lost productivity, recruitment expenses, and team morale damage. Companies frequently fail to define the required outcomes for a role before beginning the search, resulting in interviewing for skills rather than proven performance capability. The WHO method addresses these failures by imposing a rigorous, repeatable framework that validates a candidate’s history of success against clearly defined expectations.
The Four Phases of the WHO Methodology
The WHO methodology operates in four distinct, sequential phases. The process begins with the Scorecard phase, which establishes precise definitions of success for the role before any candidate is contacted. Following this definition, the organization moves into the Source phase, focusing on proactive methods to attract top-tier talent who are often not actively searching for new employment. The third phase, Select, involves a series of structured interviews designed to vet candidates against the established criteria. Finally, the process concludes with the Sell phase, where the organization tailors the offer to the specific motivations of the A-Player to secure their acceptance.
Creating the A-Player Scorecard
The Scorecard serves as the foundation of the hiring process, replacing the often vague and skill-focused traditional job description. This document must be completed and agreed upon by all stakeholders before the search begins, defining success in measurable terms. The Scorecard is composed of three interconnected sections that articulate the role’s expectations and requirements.
The first component is the Mission, a concise, single-paragraph summary explaining the ultimate purpose of the role and what it is expected to accomplish. This section provides the high-level context for the subsequent elements. Following the mission are the Outcomes, a list of three to eight measurable results the new hire must achieve within the first 12 months. These outcomes must be quantifiable, such as “reduce customer churn by 15%” or “launch three new products,” ensuring performance can be tracked objectively.
The final section details the Competencies: the specific behavioral traits, soft skills, and cultural characteristics necessary for the individual to achieve the defined outcomes. These might include attributes like a bias for action, intellectual curiosity, or extreme ownership, which are distinct from technical skills. Defining mission, outcomes, and competencies upfront provides a clear, objective standard against which all candidates will be assessed, minimizing subjective judgment later.
Strategic Sourcing for Top Talent
Once the criteria for success are documented in the Scorecard, the organization moves into the sourcing phase, recognizing that A-Players rarely respond to standard job board advertisements. Effective sourcing is a proactive and continuous effort, rather than a reactive scramble when a vacancy arises. The focus shifts to leveraging professional networks and asking for referrals, often referred to as the “Who” approach, to tap into the passive talent market.
A significant portion of top talent is found through personal recommendations from current high-performers, who are often well-connected to other high-performers. The organization should maintain a constant effort to build a talent pipeline, even when there are no immediate openings, ensuring potential A-Players are identified and engaged in advance. This strategy transforms talent acquisition from a transactional activity into a relationship-building function.
Executing the Selection Interviews
The Select phase is the core of the WHO method, comprising structured interviews designed to verify a candidate’s ability to meet the Scorecard’s outcomes. The process begins with a brief Screening Interview, typically a 15-minute phone call conducted early to quickly weed out candidates who do not meet the minimum criteria. This initial step ensures time is not wasted on B or C-Players, focusing the remaining effort exclusively on high-potential individuals.
The most substantive part of the process is the Focused Interview, a structured, chronological review of the candidate’s career history, focusing on their past roles and measurable accomplishments. Interviewers use questions that prompt the candidate to detail their greatest accomplishments and biggest failures in a previous role, asking for specifics on the context, actions taken, and results achieved. This technique identifies patterns of success and failure, providing concrete evidence of past performance rather than hypothetical claims.
Following the history-based discussion, the Talent Interview assesses the candidate’s alignment with the Competencies listed on the Scorecard and their cultural fit. This interview often uses scenario-based questions to observe how a candidate approaches problems and interacts with others, verifying the behavioral traits necessary to thrive in the role. The final step is the Reference Interview, which involves structured, backward-looking calls with former managers to verify claims made during the focused interviews. These calls confirm the specific outcomes and competencies the candidate demonstrated in their prior positions, acting as a final check against the Scorecard.
Closing the Deal with A-Players
The final phase, Sell, recognizes that A-Players are highly sought after and require a customized approach to secure their commitment. A typical offer focused solely on salary is often insufficient to motivate a top performer to make a career change. The approach must center on the “WIFM” (What’s In It For Me), tailoring the proposition to the candidate’s personal and professional motivations.
These motivations often fall into five categories: Fit, Family, Freedom, Fortune, and Fun. The organization must identify which drivers are most compelling to the individual and position the opportunity as the best fit for their long-term career aspirations. Speed and certainty are paramount in this phase, as A-Players often consider multiple offers, and any delay or ambiguity can lead to losing the candidate. Articulating how the role addresses their personal desires for growth, work-life balance, and impact successfully closes the deal.
Measuring Success and Continuous Improvement
The implementation of the WHO method requires a commitment to measuring results and continuous refinement. The most direct metric of success is the percentage of A-Players hired, tracked against the performance of new hires relative to the Outcomes section of their Scorecard. High retention rates for new hires and a decrease in the time-to-hire metric also indicate process efficiency and effectiveness.
Organizations must regularly audit their adherence to the four phases, ensuring stakeholders do not revert to unstructured interviewing or subjective decision-making. If a new hire is not performing as an A-Player, the organization should determine where the process failed, whether in defining the Scorecard or in the selection interviews. This commitment to data-driven feedback and disciplined execution ensures the WHO method remains a reliable system for building a high-performance team.