It is likely that the first time your managers were required to conduct an interview (hire someone), they simply asked the same questions of the applicant, that they themselves were once asked, when they used to apply for jobs.
In order to conduct an effective interview, you must be asking relevant questions (of the applicant), to determine their suitability for your company and the position for which you are hiring. Too many companies look at the interviewing process as a waste of time, which also means a waste of money. It is a waste of time and money, without a strategy to quickly identify the ‘cream of the crop’ so that you only invest your time interviewing the best candidates. You should not simply collect resumes and invite many applicants for interviews, hoping your gut feeling will tell you who to call back for a second interview. Gut-feeling hiring is the number one reason for bad hiring. Furthermore, the decision to hire is usually made (subconsciously) in the first 4.3 minutes of an interview. First Impressions based on emotions, bias, chemistry, personality, and stereotyping cause more hiring mistakes than any other single factor.
Considerable time and money can be saved by implementing the following techniques and processes:
Before the interview:
1) Customize your application form! Modify the template to reflect questions that will lead you to assessing the candidate’s suitability for THIS position. By changing the application form from the standard template that every company uses, it also forces the applicant to think about their answers, and not simply provide answers that were studied or rehearsed.
2) Do not collect a resume or an application …. Collect BOTH! Whether an applicant asks you for an application, or offers you their resume, you should insist that they provide you with both. (When advertising you should have people send their resume, and then come in to pick up an application. If this extra step is too much for them … you don’t want them!) Cross-referencing the information they provide, will often uncover inconsistencies. This is what you want to focus on in the interview. By asking probing questions in the interview about the issue/topic that generated inconsistent responses on paper, you will be able to observe the applicant’s ability to think on their feet, and respond spontaneously. It will also give you a better indication of what the true answer is.
3) Call them before the interview! A Neuro-Scientist has determined that the thought process differs between the brain processing verbal v.s. written responses. Specifically, when applicants read a question (eyes) and provide a response in writing (hands), the answer is often different than when they hear a question (ears) and respond verbally (mouth).
eg. One company asked applicants (on their custom application) to name a job, which they enjoyed the most and the reason why. One applicant wrote the name of their previous employer/supervisor, and the reason being that they never made the employees work past the end of their 4:30pm shift. When the interviewer phoned the applicant and asked the same question, the applicant provided a different response. Then the interviewer read the previous answer (that she had written on the application) back to the applicant and she could not believe that she had written that, after hearing how bad it sounded verbally. In fact she denied writing it. If the interviewer had only accepted the applicant’s resume and proceeded with a typical interview, the ‘true’ feeling of this applicant would never have been discovered until after she was hired. At that point she would be costing the company money in lack of dedication and productivity, and probably turnover, as shoe wouldn’t last very long.
During the interview:
4) Probe & Elaborate! Too many interviewers ask questions that lead the applicant to say what the interviewer wants to hear. eg. An interviewer will typically say “We are looking for someone who is self-motivated, ambitious, out-going, and a real people person”. Then the interviewer follows up by saying “tell me about yourself”. The applicant of course says “I’m really outgoing, I love to deal with people, I set my own goals and always like to push myself to develop further”. This is exactly what the interviewer just said they are looking for, in the reverse order. You haven’t learned anything about the applicant. Instead of using the interview to talk about your company and sell the applicant on wanting to work there, use the time to get the applicant to expand on his/her answers in the application/resume. Develop your own list of probing questions. Applicants only expect an interviewer to repeat the questions asked on the application form for confirmation, or to repeat information provided in the resume, for the applicant to reiterate. It is no wonder that interviews are a waste of time and money. One really good probing question is “I noticed that you really enjoyed working for Mr. Smith at XYZ Company. You must have a reason for saying that…do you mind if I ask why?” The applicant wasn’t expecting this and therefore answers from the heart - not with a rehearsed response. You get an accurate sense of the person’s character, work ethics, and thought process.
5) Ask the same questions - in a different way! This is another great way to discover inconsistencies and determine if the applicant is being truthful (to themselves and to you). Asking the same question a different way, can also generate the same response in a different way. This doesn’t mean the person is lying, but in fact verifies that you are getting the ‘true’ response from the applicant. Applicants do not study and prepare for interviews by rehearsing the same response in different ways. Thus, they will respond naturally, take time to process their thoughts, and make decisions on the spot. An example would be to ask (on the application) what the applicant considers to be a personal weakness. Then (during the interview) ask the applicant what personal traits or habit they would most like to improve on. Of course these questions are part of many interviews, but most interviewers don’t take the time to compare the answers and interpret if the answer is good or bad (eg. does this person represent good ‘jobfit’!)
Written by: Michael Shuster, President: HIDDEN CONCEPTS INC.
His expertise encompasses strategic employee attraction and hiring processes, sales & customer service training, ongoing employee performance management, and curriculum design. His goal setting, coaching programs, and tracking formulas, have been used by managers within over 250 organizations across North America, to successfully inspire and achieve excellence at hiring and managing top performers!
Effective Interviewing - Are All Job Interviews The Same ? - To learn more about this author, visit Michael Shuster's Website.
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Michael Shuster
(Visit Michael's Website)
Michael's expertise encompasses strategic
employee attraction and hiring processes,
sales & customer service training, ongoing
employee performance management, and
curriculum design. His goal setting,
coaching programs, and tracking formulas,
have been used by managers within over 250
organizations across North America, to
successfully inspire and achieve
excellence at hiring and managing top
performers!
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