12 Techniques For Better Interviewing
Sitting outside my office door, a manager is interviewing a candidate in a meeting room. He is talking loudly and non-stop. The manager did not ask the candidate any questions. Even if a question was forthcoming, the candidate couldn’t get a word in edgeways. How the manager thought this technique was providing good information about a candidate, I’ll never know.
Other managers use the technique that anyone who shows up, can state their name, complete paper work, and pass the drug test gets the job. Just another warm body.
Still others don’t feel it’s necessary to prepare. They have a few stock questions they ask every candidate and if the answers are even close, the job is theirs.
Being in a job interview is not news. However, it seems that being a good interviewer just might make headlines! We’ve all been in job interviews. It’s sad to say, but most of the time, the candidate is better at interviewing than the interviewer. Having a career in HR brought this fact home to me as the opportunity to observe both candidates and the hiring manager puts me, and now you, in a rare position of sitting on both sides of the desk.
None of these interviewers take the time to prepare or get to know the candidate in a way that helps them make the best hiring decisions for them, the candidate, and the organization. Here are a few tips to ensure better interviewing techniques.
- Every position should align with the organization’s strategic plan.
- Be aware of illegal and inappropriate questions. Hiring a poor fit is bad enough but facing a judge in a discrimination case is definitely no fun.
- The hiring process is to seek out solution finders who deliver results in alignment with the organization’s strategic plan. That mindset alone, should give you an entirely new perspective on how to go about the recruiting and interviewing process.
- Candidate’s prepare for interviews and so should you.
- Know the candidate just as much if not more than the candidate knows about your organization.
- Read the job description and the candidate’s resume right before the interview.
- Introduce yourself to the candidate and offer your business card.
- Put the candidate at ease. Offer water. Give a tour of the facility.
- Ask well thought out questions. Avoid off the wall questions unless that fits in with your culture. Even then use them sparingly.
- Ask follow-up questions when appropriate. Being robot without flexibility doesn’t work well.
- Remember that your job is not to play “Gotcha!” You are there to learn more about the candidate and how they might fit into your organization and bring the solutions the organization needs to achieve goals.
- Always allow time for the candidate to ask questions.
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