The Art of Interviewing

When you need to add a new employee to your company, there is an air of positive expectation for the benefits this addition will bring. Increased sales and profits, better customer service, reduced pressure on present key employees, and better distribution of the workload among team members are just a few of these expectations.

Then the reality of the task sets in. Interviewing candidates is not what you or your managers do best. However, there is a rainbow behind this dark cloud. We call it the art of interviewing.

The art of interviewing begins with your having a clear view of your expectations for the new, added employee. If you do not have a job description, be sure to create one. If you have the job description, be sure to review it for the current needs of your company.

Once the job description is set, create a list of measurable expectations you want the new employee to meet in the first 30 days, and then by the end of 90 days. The very best way to create this list is to work with six or eight company stakeholders who will be affected by the new employee’s performance in the position. This consensus view will take time to build, but it will create a big-picture view of what the employee is expected to deliver. If the employee receives a copy of this list, he or she and the company will be on the same page from day one.

So far, we have several things in: positive expectation of a new employee; job description (new or reviewed) and a list of measurable expectations that the employee needs to meet in 30 and 90 days.

Now we are almost ready for the interview (and the rainbow comes out from behind the dark cloud).

Let us say you have created a list of six critical expectations for the added employee. The stakeholders need to create two or three interview questions along with expected answers that will measure whether the candidate has the personal talents to do the job. (Note: the job description outlines the technical skills needed, the education requirements, etc. The purpose of these two or three custom questions is to determine if the candidates possess the human talents to meet the expectations for the position.)

Once the questions have been created, the art of interviewing begins by asking the question, and then waiting for the candidate to answer. All too often, interviewers drive the interview. This approach does not work. Candidates need to be placed under pressure in the interview. The best way to do this is to ask a question and wait for them to answer – not to ask the same candidate the same question in a different way.

Here’s an example. Suppose that your position calls for a person to be good a managing his or her time. In the interview you might say, Give me a specific example of a project that you were responsible for organizing from beginning to end. Or suppose that your position calls for superior customer service. In the interview you might say, Describe a situation where you went over and above what was expected to exceed a customer’s expectations.

The candidate will answer you clearly and easily, or will not. If the answer is not clear, or if the answer is unexpected, then ask the same question again – without modifying it.

The true art of interviewing lies in remaining in control of every interview, and having a clear expectation of what you want to achieve from every interview. Telephone interviews are very effective when you have the custom questions your stakeholders have created. These interviews will tell you if you want to have candidates come in for face-to-face interviews, where you can ask the same questions again.

Call me today at 610-458-3511 to ask me how our service can give you the right questions to determine if cadidates are a match for every position you need to fill.

Source: John Mathis, Owner/President, Keyline Company, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright protected.