subject: How To Conduct An Interview So You Pick A Winner Every Time! [print this page] Are you a smart manager? I bet you are! Are you a smart manager? I bet you are!
Are you being smart in the interview process? Do you REALLY know how to conduct an interview so you pick a winner every time? Not sure?
Test yourself by answering these questions with a yes or no:
1. When interviewing candidates I usually talk 50-75% of the time. Yes or No?
2. I am very supportive, engaging and encouraging to candidates when interviewing them. I make sure they feel good about their answers. Yes or No?
3. I never push the candidate for clarification if they give vague answers, I don't want to be too tough. Yes or No?
If you answered Yes to any of these questions, you may want to improve your interview style. What you are currently doing in the interview may hinder your ability to pick winners every time.
Smart managers have strong product knowledge. You know the company and you work well with others. You ARE smart. That is why you were promoted to leadership.
But many very smart managers do not know how to conduct an interview. When they interview, they often arrive unprepared, talk too much, ask the wrong types of questions and base hiring decisions either purely on logic or purely on gut.
Here are nine important basics on how to conduct an interview. These are things you should do every time you interview. They ARE basic but they WILL increase your ability to be more effective helping you pick a winner every time.
Nine How to Conduct an Interview Basics:
1. Start and end on time.
2. Clarify & explain the overall interview process.
3. Don't allow outside interruptions.
4. Encourage candidate to talk: Candidate should talk: 75-80% of the time!
5. Maintain eye contact.
6. Use the candidate's name.
7. Allow silence.
8. Be pleasant, but response-neutral.
9. Listen aggressively
Items 1-3 above are really basic AND are often missed because smart managers like you are very busy and in demand.
Your schedule is ALWAYS packed tight and you are always running from meeting to meeting. (That 'smart-thing' you have, has everyone wanting a piece of your time, all the time!)
If you want to hire right you MUST make interviewing potential team members a priority. When interviewing do not sandwich the interview into an already overbooked calendar. Find a way to clear some time before the interview, so you can prepare and plan your interview questions, and after the interview so you can summarize your findings and plan the next steps.
During the interview you must eliminate ALL interruptions --- your phone, cell, email and your door.
To motivate yourself to take more time for interviewing - keep in mind that turnover costs are conservatively estimated at approximately 1 and 1/2 times a person salary.
For example: the time spent interviewing to fill a technical position that pays $70,000 is really a $105,000+ project. Wouldn't you make time on your schedule to ensure that you don't lose $100,000+ for your company? I think you would.
Change interviewing to something that you take time to do and plan for, like all the other high revenue producing, high impact projects on your plate.
Take a look at how to conduct an interview basic #4. Circle it, highlight it and say it out loud ten times. The candidate should do most of the talking. In ineffective interviews the interviewer talks 50-80% of the time which is the exact opposite of what you need to be doing.
Talking too much usually stems from a lack of preparation, from moving fast from meeting to meeting, a lack of awareness and/or nervousness. If you are prepared - which means you know what you're looking for and you have interview questions ready - you will easily change the habit from talking too much to listening more.
Remember this - the candidate should talk 75 to 80% of the time.
In a one hour interview the candidate would talk 50 minutes, you would talk 10 minutes. Changing this one error - will dramatically change your interviewing success.
And while the candidate is answering your interview questions, providing specific examples to your competency, behavioral-based questions, you are very busy too. Even though you are not talking you are not passively sitting there. YOU are focused on tuning into the candidate by making eye contact, letting the silences stand as needed, remaining response-neutral and listening aggressively.
If you do items 5 through 9 you will be focused on the interview, and on what the candidate is saying. And you won't be thinking about the 25,000 other things you have on your mind.
You want to allow silence to give the candidate time to think. If you rush through silence you may miss a great answer or you may miss great insight into the fact that the candidate cannot think of any examples. This tells you that he or she may not have strength in that area. Let the silence stand - do not rush through it.
What do you think I mean: Be pleasant, but response-neutral (item #8)?
TRY THIS: Take a moment now and think of your child, or if you don't have kids, think of your best friend or a favorite pet.
Now imagine that this person or pet is in front of you and they are trying to get your attention - I want you to smile broadly, nod your head, lean in and give this person or pet a big hug.
THAT is the exact OPPOSITE of being response-neutral.
Remember, you are in an interview. You are using your company's dollars to hire the best candidate. If you hire the wrong candidate you could make the next 6 months of your life a living hell, or at the least very frustrating.
As you use this very important how to conduct an interview basic - "Be Pleasant, but Response Neutral" - focus on putting on a pleasant poker face.
Pull back your natural enthusiasm - if you have it - and let the candidate work through the interview without a "hug" from you.
Now, I know you would not hug a candidate, but when you over-encourage and jump-in with comments to help, the interview is less effective. You are not with a friend at a bar.
This is not that kind of conversation. This is a cordial and professional interview. Be pleasant, even be warm, but think and act response-neutral.
The official definition of item #9 Listening aggressively is: To hear with determination and energetic pursuit, demonstrating a desire to understand.
The Bottom Line: Tune into to what the candidate is saying and not saying. Pay attention to EVERYTHING.
These nine How to Conduct an Interview basics will help set the right tone for the interview and keep you on the right track - so that you pick a winner every time!.
