“I rolled out purchasing and inventory for three warehouses.” That would get my attention if I were hiring an ERP consultant. My next question would be, “Can you walk me through a decision you made when a delivery came in short?” A good project can tell you a lot about what a team accomplished. That follow-up tells you where to look for the candidate’s own work.
Cynthia Kay writes in Entrepreneur that she’s interviewed people who brought impressive samples and later discovered how little of the work they’d done themselves. Drawing on more than 35 years in business, she makes three points: look past familiar credentials to how people solve problems and work together, with particular attention to how they communicate, consider the size and working conditions of the business, and take your time hiring and act promptly when it becomes clear someone needs to leave. Cynthia Kay’s article in Entrepreneur, May 26, 2025
Ask what the candidate did
Suppose a small ERP team needs someone to set up and test how a customer receives goods. In the interview, I’d give every candidate the same fictional case. The warehouse ordered 100 units. Only 80 arrived today, and the supplier says the other 20 will come later. What should the warehouse record now, and what should purchasing still see as outstanding?
Then I’d ask the candidate to explain their answer to a teammate playing the warehouse supervisor. Can they show why recording 100 would leave the system with stock the warehouse doesn’t have? Do they check whether the supplier has confirmed the follow-up delivery before telling purchasing when to expect it? I’d ask what they would test before handing over the workflow, such as receiving the remaining 20 without counting the first 80 twice.
When the candidate brings up a past project, ask what they decided or changed themselves, who else did the work, and how they checked the result. A sketch using fictional data is enough for the conversation. They can leave their previous employer’s records out of it.
Let future teammates see how the candidate works
Kay describes hiring a producer from a large retailer who was used to directing work. In her smaller company, the role also required doing the production work. I’d turn that distinction into a question about this particular job. If the consultant has to sit with the warehouse staff, configure the system, and run the first test, say so up front and ask the candidate to show how they’d take the workflow from a conversation with the warehouse to a test the warehouse could repeat.
Ask the people who’ll work with the candidate to look for specific behavior. Did the candidate ask the warehouse how they record damaged goods? Could they tell purchasing how many units were still due? If someone in the interview comes away uneasy, ask what they heard or saw and what question or exercise would help them check it. “They didn’t feel like one of us” gives the team very little to work with.
Check the same work after they start
Kay describes using short independent engagements and a probationary period in her own business. She also recommends trusting your gut. I’d use a hunch to decide what to check next and use what the team sees to make the decision. In this example, a short simulated exercise is enough before hiring. Once the consultant joins, set up a practice session with a teammate and make time to discuss the result.
For an early assignment, have the consultant run through a partial receipt in a test environment, record the result, and show purchasing what remains open. Give them access, a sample transaction, and someone to ask about exceptions. If they receive all 100 units in the test, find out whether they misunderstood the workflow, lacked access to the right screen, or followed an ambiguous instruction. Explain what should happen and agree on when to run the case again.
If the same issue persists after support and a clear follow-up, the manager has something concrete to discuss with the employee and HR. I’d start with the test result and its effect on the people using it. That lets everyone talk about the same problem while there’s still time to address it.
For a longer example of assessing candidates and following up on performance in Thailand, see applying “Hire Slow, Fire Fast” in Thailand. If a termination decision has already been reviewed and made, see how to tell an employee they’re being let go.