Some HR professionals are refreshingly candid when they tell me that their hiring managers are not skilled interviewers. Oh, there may be a job specification developed in order to approve the job and target the hire, however many times I have heard that the person hired just doesn't seem to fit the target nor are the questions asked in the interview designed to ascertain whether the person fits the job requirements.
So what can you as an HR professional or you as a hiring manager or business owner do to keep your interview in line with your pre-determined needs?
1.
Ask open ended questions designed to encourage the job applicant to talk. It doesn't take a genius to determine the right answer to a closed ended questions. Asking open ended questions allows you to find out about the job applicant's oral communications, logic skills and experience that is relevant to you.
2.
Double team the applicant. Let one person ask questions and the other observe your questioning to see what you've missed. Or have one person ask tons of questions and the other person fill in some of the gaps. Or do the "strong arm tag team" approach--alternate questions that are extremely difficult and that determine required skills.
3.
Jot down your questions in advance and don't "wing it." Too many people are completely unprepared to administer an interview. By writing down your questions in advance and then by writing down the applicant's answers, you prevent making mistakes by operating from memory or whim.
4.
Remember to evaluate the person for personality match. When you hire a sales person, do you look for a "nice person" who agrees and goes along with everyone or do you want to hire a "killer."
Interviewing applicants is the most common way companies decide whom to hire yet research shows that interviewers do a poor job at predicting if an applicant will succeed - or flop - if hired.
Jeff Altman
The Big Game Hunter
Concepts in Staffing
thebiggamehunter@cisny.com
© 2007 all rights reserved.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm, He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff in many disciplines since 1971. He is a retired certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.
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