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Guidelines for Interviewers

 

Guidelines for Interviewers

  1. Remember to identify before the interview whether the candidate falls into the passive or active category. Passive candidates are those that are qualified but not proactively looking to make a change. The challenge with passive candidates is to intrigue them, and save incisive evaluation for later on during the process. Active candidates are those that are currently seeking a new opportunity by all means available. You have more freedom to "interrogate" these candidates on the front end.

  2. To uncover who the candidate REALLY is, they must drop their guard. Start the first interview with a relaxed approach and some personal, open-ended questions. When a candidate relaxes you will get an honest picture of how they will likely behave as a colleague.

  3. Resist the urge to start the interview by elaborating on the company story, your personal views of the ideal candidate, what the incumbent did wrong, etc. At least 70% of the interview should be spent listening to the candidate. The more a candidate talks, the more information you will obtain.

  4. Focus on culture fit at least as much as competency, it is the most difficult criteria for a recruitment consultant to quantify. Nobody knows your corporate culture better than you do.

  5. Be cautious of the tendency to hire yourself. In other words, the fact that the candidate reminds you of yourself does not mean that they will be a good fit; if anything, it might suggest that the candidate is redundant. Further, do not judge the candidate's responses to tactical questions based on how closely his/her responses match your ideal. Focus on whether the logic is sound, not on whether the answer matches what you would have said if you were interviewing for the job.

  6. The goal of the interview is to make a decision, 'YES' or 'NO'. If your answer is 'MAYBE', force yourself to commit to a 'YES, contingent on X' where X represents data that you did not have time to obtain. Otherwise, 'MAYBE' means 'NO'. Do not be afraid of rejecting too many candidates. Be very afraid of hiring the wrong one. This is more difficult than it seems however as there is no such thing as a perfect candidate for any job.

  7. Immediately after the interview, write down all thoughts, questions, reservations that you may have about the candidate. DO NOT WAIT - you may forget important details.

  8. The most important factor in closing is forging an emotional connection. Building an emotional connection is a process - not a switch, and it starts the moment you meet the candidate for the first time.

  9. Keep in mind that twelve to twenty questions is about all you can ask in an interview that lasts from 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Arrange your questions in an effective order. The initial questions should ease the interviewee into the conversation; the more controversial questions should be asked near the conclusion of the interview. Recommended questions include:

    • "Walk me through your résumé." (Dig for logic and reasoning behind job changes.)
    • "What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction?"
    • "What did you accomplish this year, both personally and professionally?"
    • "Describe a difficult situation in which you were able to succeed."
    • "When have you failed? What did you learn from it?"
    • "What are your short and long-term goals?"
    • "What is your current understanding of our company and what we do?"
    • "Why do you feel you might be successful in this role with our company?"
    • "What would you do in the first 90 - 180 days in this position?"
    • "Give me an example of a team that you have built/worked in and why it was successful."
    • "What criteria are you using to evaluate different opportunities?"
    • "How would you compare our company with others you are interviewing with?"

  10. Draw out specifics when discussing the candidate's accomplishments; "How long, how much, when, who was involved etc.?". If the candidate goes off on a tangent, it is appropriate to stop them and move on, you might say something such as: "Fine, but let me ask you this…". Remember though to keep the interview generally on track, be open to directions not originally anticipated as long as they are relevant.