Interview Tips for Employers: Getting the Right People on the Bus

Employers and managers are often the center of attention when asked to lead an interview process for their organization, with little training or guidance. Getting the right person to join your organization, in the right position, at the right time, is one of the most strategic business decisions today.

The cost to an employer for job rotation can be the equivalent of a year and a half of salary. This takes into account recruitment costs, lost productivity, training, and other onboarding expenses. As a result, it is important to get the correct fit for the position the first time.

Keep the following tips in mind as you approach your next interview process; These ideas could literally save you thousands of dollars:

1. Think about the interview process and develop a consistent process for all candidates:

To ensure the best “fit” for your organization, make sure each candidate is measured in the same way. What this means in practice is that all candidates must be asked the same questions and must follow exactly the same steps. This is important not only for selection, but also to ensure consistency, which could be challenged in the legal environment.

2. Know the legislation:

Each country has different legislation that will affect the interview process. Here in Canada, employers must be aware of the impact of the Canadian Human Rights Codes and the questions that may be prohibited by them. Not knowing the legislative framework in which you operate can be a very costly mistake. Make sure all personnel involved in the selection process – from recruitment advertising to application, interview, and selection process – are aware of the prohibited grounds.

3. What really are the KSAs (knowledge, skills and abilities) you need to hire for?

KSA stands for knowledge, skills and abilities. When putting together a job description and hiring process, focus on the KSAs needed for that position. Knowledge includes the technical knowledge and information that a candidate needs to get the job done (for example, knowledge of marketing principles). Skills are the hard and soft skills required to perform a position (for example, keyboard or multilingual). Skills are demonstrated observable competencies (for example, the ability to thrive in stressful environments or meet tight deadlines).

We talk a lot about KSA and job specs in HR for good reason. How many times have you attended an interview where the questions and the interview process did not really take into account what was required for the position? In addition to the legal issues, it is important to really focus on the KSAs required for any position. KSAs will play an important role in your recruitment, selection, compensation, performance management (evaluation), and training and development processes.

4. Group decisions are better than individual decisions:

Today it is increasingly common, and good practice, to conduct panel interviews. Panel interviews involve two or more interviewers speaking with each candidate. Research continues to show that group decisions are better than individual decisions for many reasons, including the fact that our own personal biases do not play such a dominant role.

When conducting a panel interview process, make sure all panel members are informed about the process, the position you are hiring for, as well as interview best practices. It is often helpful to have time at the beginning of the talk show for a 15-30 minute meeting between panel members at the beginning of the interview process to discuss what it will look like – who will ask the questions, when and how. An interview kit can be developed for panel members about a week before the interview, giving them some time to review it before the interviews. The interview kit can include resumes of shortlisted candidates, interview questions, interview scoring information, and any other information.

5. Block time between candidates:

Block the time between candidates for interviewers to complete their notes and also to synthesize the group’s comments or recommendations. If you have 6 to 8 hours of back-to-back interviewing, it is natural for each candidate to start to look like each other. By blocking the time between interviews, you can summarize your findings and then move on, returning to your summaries for each candidate at the end of the day or at the end of the interview process.

When conducting a panel interview, make sure all panelists feel comfortable and are aware of the process and measurement (for example, if you are using some kind of matrix to measure). Also make sure all panelists are on the same page (for example, a rating of 5 is consistent with the appearance of other ratings of 5). It may be helpful to provide some specific examples of what behavior would be considered 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 (if using a 5-point scale).

6. Avoid closed questions:

Whenever possible, avoid using closed questions as well as leading questions. Closed questions are those questions that, when used, would elicit a yes or no answer. For example, “Have you had experience as a supervisor before?” Seek to rephrase this as “Describe your previous supervisory experience” or, better yet, “What are the lessons you have learned from your previous supervisory experience?” Notice how the second question gets even deeper than the first?

7. Be clear on the next steps:

A common interview mistake is a lack of clarity regarding the next steps in the process. Will there be a second interview? When can the candidate expect to hear from the panel? Be as specific as possible about when the candidate can expect to receive a response from the company. Remember, impressions are everything and interviews can be a public relations opportunity. Even if the candidate is not elected, what message are you sending with the communication you are sending about the next steps?

8. Interviews are a two-way process:

Remember that interviews are an opportunity for you to see the candidate and for the candidate to see your company. Often times, strong candidates can walk out of an interview realizing that they don’t want to work for the company they just interviewed with. What is the image of the company you are portraying through the interview process? Does this match your corporate values, culture and ways of working? If not, what changes do you need to make?

Interviewing is often referred to as an art. What can you do today to improve your interview process and skills?

Copyright 2007 – Jennifer Britton. All rights reserved.