While managers are typically a major part of the hiring and interview process, they're often short on experience, confidence or time. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of the process and possibly avoid litigation down the road.
Traditional interview questions focus on the applicant's past: Where have you worked? What have you done? What have you learned? But you need to know how people will perform in YOUR workplace. That's where talent-based interviewing comes in.
Preparing for the interview
You and the candidate need to exchange a good deal of information in a short amount of time. The right kind of preparation will help to spend the time efficiently. Do this work before you post a job opening, so your message is consistent throughout the hiring process.
Know the job. What's the purpose of this job? What does success look like? What skills are required? You should have answers to these questions. Also, think about how flexible you can be about job requirements—if the position could or should be restructured to accommodate a particular candidate.
Know yourself. What's it like to work for you? Do you want someone who is independent or someone who works better as a team player? Do you prefer a self-starter or would you rather someone who clears things through you first?
Know the organization. How would you describe the culture and work climate? What is the mission, vision and philosophy? What kind of salary, benefits and promotions can an employee expect? It's important not to make any promises, but be honest about the opportunities.
What to ask. Develop questions you need and want to ask all applicants. Be aware that asking questions of some—but not all—applicants could be interpreted as reflecting bias. Make sure questions are related to the applicant's experience and nature of the job he or she seeks.
Scheduling. Outline each interview as you would a meeting agenda, with allotted time for introductions, your questions and the applicant's questions. Give yourself enough time to record your impressions.
Where to interview. Choose a quiet place, preferably not your office or—at least—don't interview the candidate from behind your desk.
During the interview
Listen and observe carefully. Avoid phrasing your next question in your mind when you should be listening to the applicant's answer. And listen to what's not being said: What is the candidate enthusiastic about? What topics get avoided? How organized and clear are the responses?
Maintain control. Bring interviews back on track by interrupting—at a pause—with an approval or agreement. Then change the subject or take a new direction.
Acknowledge the downside. Don't avoid negative aspects about the job. Say "This job requires about 40% data entry, and there's little contact with other employees. How do you feel about those conditions?"
Be consistent. Take interview notes in the same way for each candidate, and follow the same pattern for organizing each interview. It'll be easier to compare the candidates later.
Stay legal. Avoid topics that could generate hiring-bias lawsuits—age, race, religion or disability. If the candidate brings up these topics, steer the conversation back to the job.
Talent-based interviewing asks questions about real-life situations, phrased in a unique way to elicit a candidate's first (natural) response. It's a better assessment of future performance in actual work situations — and the ideal way to smoke out stock answers and "professional" interviewers. Learn more about this increasingly popular technique with Talent-Based Interviewing: Best Questions & Best Practices.
After the interview
Give yourself time. Don't make a commitment to any candidate until you've interviewed, evaluated and compared all of them.
Check out the details. It's becoming rare for prior employers to provide in-depth references, but you can and should verify important details on résumés and applications.
Rank the candidates. Identify major areas to evaluate—experience, skills, knowledge and so on—and rank each candidate.
5 common interview mistakes to avoid
1. Talking too much. Aim for an 85/15 split, with 85% of your time spent listening. Don't rush to break a silence.
2. Not being straightforward. Provide a realistic overview. Downplaying the unattractive aspects will only lead to high first-year turnover.
3. Becoming blinded by personal preferences. Are you both baseball fans? Have kids at the same school? Don't let common interests bias your feelings.
4. Being impolite. Don't start interviews late, cancel at the last second or read email during interviews.
5. Making snap judgments. Quick, negative judgments based on instinct are often wrong. Be open-minded and friendly without signaling disapproval.
Talent-based interviews are a powerful way to assess employee fit. What makes them effective is that they require on-the-spot thinking and responses to real-life events. This basically tells you how a candidate thinks and solves problems before he or she is hired.
On Thursday, October 13, you will learn: - The best talent-based interview questions
- How to phrase and deliver questions
effectively - Why (and how) you should review résumés from a talent-based approach
- How to use the handy Talent Matrix to assess the core performance attributes in any role
- Answers to YOUR specific questions about hiring interviews from a true expert
Our speaker, Jay Forte, delivered this presentation to a packed house at the national SHRM conference. Now you and your team can benefit from his insights – from the comfort of your office.
Better interview questions = better hires. And that reflects better on you! Register now for Talent-Based Interviewing.
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