2.  A seasoned human resources professional
with more than 20 years’ experience in
several different employment environments,
Victor Melendez heads International
Consulting Associates, a Los Angeles-based
management and HR consultant firm
specializing in human resources and related
issues. Adept at interviewing job candidates
and identifying their strengths and
weaknesses, Victor Melendez is a certified
Lominger interview architect.

3.  Developed by Drs. Michael Lombardo and
Robert Eichinger, who combined parts of
their last names to name the program, the
Lominger interview is a behavioral
structured process designed to help
businesses identify the core competencies
of successful leaders. Nearly 70 positive
characteristics were identified in years of
research; that same research also identified
nearly 20 traits considered negative, which
the researchers called “stallers.”

4.  One of the essential elements of Lominger
interviewing is to ask open-ended
questions, which require some thought to
answer, and then to ask follow-up
questions. For instance, the interview might
ask about a situation that tested the
candidate’s conflict management skills.
Once the candidate is done responding, a
follow-up question might be “Why did you
take that approach?” or “What did you
learn from that incident?”

5.  Lominger interview questions are designed to elicit
responses that highlight aspects of candidates’
personalities, such as flexibility and adaptability to
change, both considered positive competencies.
Stallers, which generally indicate a trouble with
people or trouble with results, can also be identified
through this process; for example, inflexibility is
considered a staller, as is an inability to change
direction when necessary. Other positive
competencies include interpersonal savvy, good
business acumen, ability to delegate, career
ambition, intellectual horsepower, and the ability to
listen, among many others.

6.  No two jobs require the same competencies. A
proficient Lominger interviewer will identify the
20 or so competencies specifically sought for a
position and develop interview questions
whose answers will demonstrate the degree to
which a candidate possesses those
competencies. In addition to identifying good
job candidates, the Lominger competencies
can also be used to evaluate executives in
place. Where weaknesses are found, training
can help strengthen competencies or
eliminate stallers.