Interviewing a candidate is one of the most important steps in selecting a new employee. The encounter with the candidate can give you a sense of how they will conduct themselves in your workplace, and often it is apparent very quickly whether the candidate is the right fit for the position.
If you’ve narrowed down resumes to several final candidates, starting with a brief phone interview may be best to screen applicants. This can give you a sense of their professionalism and preparedness, as well as their phone-style if this is an important factor for the position.
Once in-person interviews are set, prepare questions ahead of time, as well as criteria by which to score candidates.
“It is important to develop scoring systems based on the job descriptions and specifications,” Deborah Stallings, President & CEO of HR Anew, said. The scores can be based on personal appearance and conduct, actual responses to questions and the manner in which they are answered (for example: you’ll most likely want simple yes and no questions answered briefly, not for the candidate to go into a long dissertation or concrete examples given when asked about specific situations the candidate has experienced). It is also a good idea to have others interview a candidate as well, since they may gain insight that you missed in your interview.
When preparing interview questions, it is important to be aware of what is legal to ask and what is not. Illegal interview questions include any questions related to a candidates age, race, ethnicity or color, gender, country of national origin or birthplace, religion, disability, marital or family status or pregnancy. Visit www.eeoc.gov for more information on this. To be safe, keep interview questions focused on behaviors, skills and experience needed to perform the job, even if the discussion becomes more relaxed.
There are different techniques to use when interviewing to learn more about a candidate. Stallings said that there are four interview question styles that can be used:
Open ended – What are your five-year goals? Would you help me understand a certain aspect of your resume?
Probing – How did you resolve a particular situation? Why did you leave your last position?
Closed ended – These are ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ questions. Did you find the location easy to reach? Are you willing to relocate? When can you begin?
Behavioral – Tell me about a situation in the past where you had to manage a conflict. This is where you’re trying to get the person to tell you about situations that help you to assess what their behaviors are at work.
Using a combination of these styles may help you gain additional insight about your candidate.
For more information about interviewing techniques and questions, visit www.hranew.com.
