Interview Techniques
There are a great number of resources for interview techniques designed for candidates but who teaches the interviewer how to conduct an interview? This is an overlooked aspect of the interview process. Think about it for a moment, how many times by poor interview technique fail to properly gauge the skills of candidates? Worse yet, if the interview is conducted poorly by the interviewer, top candidates will have second thoughts about joining your organization.
Learn here some pointers about the different types of interviews and some suggestions on how to make your interviews more meaningful.
Typical Company… AKA What Not To Do
Here’s an example of a typical interview scenario at many companies. There are 3 candidates coming in to interview. The day of the interview, the resumes are sent to 2-3 people who are assigned to interview the candidates. When the candidates get there, the interviewer scans the resume and asks a couple of questions about the different jobs they have had and then asks the candidate if they have any questions for them. The end and the candidate moves on to the next interview where the exact same process is repeated.
At the end of the interviews, the team gets together and gives their opinion on who is the better candidate. Then the person who is the hiring authority makes a decision on who to hire…based on a ‘gut’ instinct.
If this is your process, please do two things, look at your hire rate of ‘A/B+’ candidates and the ‘B-/C’ candidates. If you are not 90+% you may want to reconsider your process.
The Preparation
The first bit of information every interviewer needs is training on how to prepare for an interview. The company should have a hiring strategy that lays out what type of interview technique, what format, and what types of questions that should and should not be asked .
Each position that is open should have a complete job description with success criteria. The people who are selected to conduct the interviews should be intimately familiar with the success criteria and trained in how to conduct an interview . Beyond that they should understand not only what questions to ask but how to ask questions in an interview setting. Poor questioning and follow up may leave a bad impression on that future employee.
Next, depending on the type of interview, whether it is a behavioral interview or a panel interview or another type of interview, each person needs to be briefed on their expected contribution.
The Interview
Once the interview team is assembled, it is incumbent on the lead person to insure each person has had some form of interview technique training. This could be as simple as doing mock interviews and explaining the difference between a good answer and a bad answer.
During the interview, there should be a focus on getting results and being expedient. A first round interview should not last longer that 45 minutes to an hour.
My preferred method is to look at the last 5-7 years of job history and work backward chronologically. As focused and targeted open ended questions that allow for the candidate to answer without a Y/N response.
It is also your job as the interviewer to put the candidate at ease and get them into the flow of the interview. Without getting too personal, ask them about themselves and let them talk. Most people can talk about themselves much easier than any other subject in the world. It is an ice breaker and should get the ball rolling. For more on this and other interview techniques, learn about the screening process and how to get into the flow of an interview.
Documentation/Follow Up
It is imperative that you as in interviewer take notes. Be sure to let the candidate know that the notes are to refresh you about the nature of the interview to give them the best chance to have an accurate portrayal of their skills knowledge and experience.
It is also important part of the selection process and critical to be as accurate as possible.
The Wrap Up
Your last question in an interview is most likely asking the candidate if they have any questions for you. Answer these questions as honestly and succinctly as possible. Write down the questions the candidate asks. The thoughtfulness tells a lot about the preparation of the candidate as well as their understanding of the position.
Finally some candidates will ask for a business card. It is up to you as to whether you want to give them one. The risk is the occasional stalker candidate but most want just to send along a thank you note. If you don’t want to give out your card, don’t bring one to the interview…but I will tell you that you may be looking at your next colleague or your future boss so it may be a good idea to get off on the right foot!
After 20+ years as an engineer in the R&D world, Tom Tassinari found himself in the recruiting world. By adapting the problem solving and process discipline skills of engineering to the recruiting world, he now works with companies on locating and hiring top talent…with his own techie twist.
