Tweet

Good Interviewing is mostly listening

Written by: John M. Beane

Article Overview: Knowing how to interview can make a major difference in the quality of the people you hire!

Good Interviewing is mostly listening

I watched some of the confirmation hearings of Judge Samuel Alito before the Senate in years
past and it did not take long before I found myself yelling at the television for the Senators to
“just ask the question!” Of course that didn’t last too long because my wife was quick to point
out to me that she was the only one hearing my frustrations.

If I had to grade the Senators’ interviewing skills during this hearing process, I would had given
most of them an ‘F’ because 13 out of 15 of them spoke longer than the job candidate. I think
their goal was to impress the public with their knowledgeable elocution rather than finding out
about Judge Alito’s qualifications and beliefs.

That is the most common mistake made by interviewers--speaking more than the job candidate.
Often, the candidate leaves the interview knowing a lot about the interviewer and the
organization but the reverse is not true. Often the interviewer ends up rating the candidate highly
when, in fact, they are judging how well they listened to the interviewer rather than having
learned anything about the candidate.

As an interviewer, if your first impression is that you like the person, everything after that just
reinforces the initial impression. Many times, job candidates pay a compliment to the
interviewer, the office, the organization or something that distracts the interviewer and gets the
whole process off track. Don’t take the bait. Politely thank them and then return to the prepared
list of questions that are asked of every candidate for a particular job. If the candidate attempts to ‘hijack’ the interview by coming to it well prepared with their own list of questions, make them
wait until you have gotten what you need from them and then let them ask what they wish.

Remember, a lot can be learned about a potential candidate by just letting them talk. And, the
interviewer also needs to remember that there are many people who are much better at ‘selling
themselves’ than they are at ‘delivering the goods’. So the interviewer needs to develop good
listening skills to pick up on subtle clues provided by the candidate about how he or she truly
behaves.

“Well done is better than well said.” Ben Franklin

Related Articles
  C-Level Relationship Selling - 9 Active Listening Steps to Effortlessly Sell Prospects
  LISTENING SKILLS IN COACHING
  The Art of Heart-Listening
  There is More to the Job Interview Than Answering Questions - It’s in the Ears
  INTERVIEWING SUCCESSFULLY

Article Tags: compliment, confirmation hearings, elocution, first impression, frustrations, initial impression, interviewer, interviewers, interviewing skills, job candidate, judge alito, judge samuel alito, mistake, samuel alito, senate, senators, television



Related Forum Posts
Re: I really feel great today because . . . . . - Hi Aneshia Well done and nailing it in one go makes it even better. Looking forward to listening to it and please remind us when it is aired will definitely promote it for you. MichelleJ
New to the site! - Im really excited to be part of this site! I look forward to reading your articles and listening to any advise that you may have. Cheers! Dallas Berry
Re: LEADERS - Hi Yinka, Great post for early 2011, I also think L is for listening as well as loyalty because I have come across a few so called leaders in my time who can only hear their own voices, thanks, Mal.
Re: Networking - Good work, just remember to continue to plug away and dont stop. Good luck, Matt Belock
Re: SEO for your small business: 4 tips - Good post....thanks for sharing. Good to know. Thanks for a great source.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Effective Email Marketing Requires Planning

Setting Goals for your Home Based Business

Tips to Take Control of Credit Card Debt

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.