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Interviewing Results
Return to BlogsPublished: February 20, 2010 07:46 AM
There are two sides to interviewing: The candidate being interviewed and the hiring manager conducting the interview.
The key words “the art of interviewing” have produced the highest hit rate my Website has ever had, and the number of “hits” continues to be very strong for over six weeks. I have always thought of interviewing as a problem area, somewhat similar to the problem some salespeople have closing sales.
My experience is that salespeople achieve the highest closing rates by obtaining the best information about the customer’s needs. I believe there is a parallel between interviewing candidates or candidates doing the interviewing, on one hand, and salespeople meeting customer needs on the other. The key in both cases is to put the other person first.
I am sure you have heard this before. It is at the heart of marriage relationships, it is one of the key results for any of the twelve-step recovery programs, and in general, this priority leads to a more peaceful life.
So why do many hiring managers dread the thought of interviewing candidates? It’s simple! It is very difficult work, and the end results are not known for a long time because hiring managers do not know if they have received correct information.
One solution is for candidates and hiring managers to become professional dummies. Professional dummies are sure they have the answer to a question but they want nevertheless to give the other person the opportunity to answer it. The person’s response reveals not only the expected answer but more importantly, the passion the person has for the response. Once the passion is revealed it presents the opportunity to ask deeper questions that will provide intrinsic information about the person, which will define what he or she will do.
Professional dummies transfer personal stress to the other person by asking open-ended questions. This kind of question cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. For example: “Why do you believe this position is a good fit for you?” There are only two types of answers – aggressive or cautious. The aggressive response may be short on details but with lots of emotion. The cautious response will take time to develop, but could have more details that are necessary for knowing more about the candidate.
Another parallel between salespeople and hiring managers is that both tend to want to be in control of the interaction. The best way to be in control of any interview is to give up the control. Allow the aggressive response to be so you carefully listen to the message. Listen for emotions and facts, for different levels of emotion all the while taking notes. When the person stops talking refer to your notes to ask more probing questions to have more clarification and enhance the message the candidate delivered.
To be truly in control of any interaction with someone, ask the other person a question and wait for the response. No matter what question you ask you cannot know what their answer will be. So wait for it and be in control of the conversation.
Call me today at 610-458-3511for more information about improved interviewing techniques.
Source: John Mathis, Owner/President, Keyline Company, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright protected.
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