Ten Ways to Interview Right The First Time and Every Time

Interviewing always looks easier than it is - if you're doing it the right way.  Too frequently we, as interviewers, arrive at the interview unprepared.  With skimmed resume in hand, we have a picture in our mind of who we want to hire.  But have we really refined that picture, clarified and detailed who really fits the job and the organization? 

The best test to determine whether you're interviewing methods are effective is to look back on how many poor hiring decisions you made. How often were you surprised that the new hire didn't have all the skills he or she claimed? How often did it appear that someone else showed up on Day One? How many of your hires leave in 90-days or within a year?

The stronger you are in interviewing, the more successful you'll be in hiring.

Another important consideration for interviewing is recognizing that the image we portray to applicants during the interview process correlates to our successfully attracting top candidates. If our interview method or style is unprofessional, the applicant assumes so is the workplace. To attract the best, we need all aspects of our interviewing techniques to be the best.

Consider following these steps when preparing for and conducting interviews:

1. If you don't have a up-to-date job description for each position, outline each position's primary responsibilities and identify the corresponding knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA) required of an applicant. If you have more than 15 employees, you are supposed to be doing this in order to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, anyway. But it's a great core document to keep you focused on hiring what you really need.

2. Use this "KSA" list to prepare 20 interview questions to ask of every candidate. Yes, this means you need to script your interviews - a new script for every job opening. And these questions should be open-ended, probing questions that truly show you how the candidate thinks and what they really know.

Think about the advantages of scripted interviews. When you have a written interview questionnaire, you're able to create deeper questions that get to your objectives. You focus better on listening to each candidate's response rather than creating questions as you go. You can truly compare candidate answers more  effectively when they're answering the same core questions.

3. Start the interview out right. Establish good rapport with the candidate as soon as you meet them and throughout the interview. Start out with small talk to make the person comfortable and more willing to open up to you.

4. Be yourself. This sounds silly - who else would you be? Your interview style and your managerial styles should be the same. Just as you don't want to be surprised at who shows up on Day One, neither does the candidate.

5.Listen well to the candidate's experiences. A good interviewer listens 80% of the time. Remember your objective is first to find out whether they're the right person for the job, then second to sell yourself and the organization.

6. Take useful notes throughout the interview. Write down what's not on the resume, including personality traits. Then make sure you complete the notes after the interview and read them before making your decision. It's easy to forget details discovered during an interview.

7. Minimize distractions during the interview. Don't answer the phone. Clear off your desk of distracting clutter. Let your associates know you wish not to be disturbed during the interview. Show the candidate the respect they deserve.

8. Plan ahead. Allow yourself enough time to interview. A 30-minute interview is a good minimum to get to know the basics of an applicant. More time means more knowledge. You're going to spend a lot of time with this person as an employee. How well do you want to know the person before you hire them?

9. Get a "second opinion." Have other managers or co-workers interview the candidate. These interviews can even be as brief as 15-minutes in length, depending on the objective for their interview. This benefits both the candidate in getting to know more about the organization and who works there and you in having other input to the decision.

10.Make sure all the questions you ask are job focused. If you stay away from personal questions and you'll stay away from potentially discriminating questions.

This is just a start on developing solid interview skills. Yet, if you start with a solid base of interview practices and follow them consistently, the success of your hiring the right candidates will make it all worthwhile. 

Arlene Vernon, PHR, is a professional speaker, consultant and author on maximizing the human resources in your managers and your people. For more information on how HRx can help you achieve the results your organization seeks, contact Arlene today at HRx, Inc., Eden Prairie, MN 55344, 952-996-0975, www.HRxcellence.com.

Here's a couple of forms to help make hiring easier!
To assist you in successfully hiring employees, we've created an Employment Application and a list of Interview Questions you can print and use.

Employment Application (two-page pdf)

Interview Questions (one-page pdf)

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