Interviewing

INT ER VIEWI NG FOR SE LE CTI ON

V1.0/01 Jan 22

You c an’ t bu ild a g re at com pan y w itho ut great p eopl e There is only one problem, how do we know great people when we see them.

Hav e you ev er found your self in one of the fol lowi ng situati ons

✔ Enjoying the interview but realising

that you know very little about the candidate’s real ability to do the job ✔ Making assumptions about the person and their abilities without being able to justify ✔ Not having enough questions to ask

Obj ec ti ves ✔ To understand interviewing as a

selection tool ✔ To have a step by step guide to plan, prepare and conduct goaldirected interviews ✔ To develop and practise the skills required for effective interviewing

The cos ts of g ett ing i t wrong ✔ Sourcing and selection,

relocation ✔ Salaries - candidate’s , manager’s ✔ Education and Training ✔ Management overheads ✔ Decreased productivity ✔ Decreased morale ✔ Mediocrity begets mediocrity

Tabl e of Po pu lari ty Application Personality Questionnaires

Ability Tests

References

Typical Interviews

Tabl e of Predi cti ve Ac curac y Structured Interviews Ability tests

Work Samples Resume

Personality Questionnaires

Typical Interviews References

Wh y i nterv iewi ng is an un rel iabl e too l ✔ Most interviewers are untrained. ✔ Interviewing not seen as a basic

skill ✔ Interviewers decide to accept or reject a candidate far too early in the interview ✔ Most importantly most interviews are unplanned. Most interviewers are not ready for prime time candidates

Impl ica ti ons ✔ Treat candidates no less than

customers ✔ Respond with speed. Expect candidates to be in the job market for a day or less ✔ Good candidates need to be “Wooed” by the selection process. The hiring process should be a matter of selling as much as assessment

Pl ann ing an i nter view

Pl ann ing an i nterv iew c onte xt ✔ Room booked ✔ Seating ✔ Lighting ✔ Refreshments ✔ Papers, pencils, White Board,

Markers ✔ Reception informed, panelists informed

Pos sibl e seating ar ran gements

You can’ t fi nd w hat yo u ar e not looki ng for

Pl an ni ng th e i nte rv iew conten t ✔ Job description ✔ Essential and desirable skill sets ✔ Questions / methods to assess

the candidate on the skill sets that are essential ✔ Resume review ✔ Questions to understand the facts in the resume better

Kn owing the obj ecti ve of the interv iew ✔ Can the person do the job? ✔ Will the person do the job? ✔ Is the person the right fit for

the organisation?

PER FORM ANCE FAC TORS ✔ The intellectual factor

– Can the person do the job? ✔ The motivational factor – Will the person do the job? ✔ The interpersonal factor – Is the person the right fit for the team/organisation?

THE INT ELLECT UAL F ACT OR ✔ Knowledge

– Ability to memorise, repeat and recall information ✔ Application of that knowledge – Creative, Imaginative, problem solving, analytical

THE MOT IVAT IONAL F ACT OR ✔ Personal and Professional

goals ✔ Interests ✔ Personal Drive ✔ Eagerness to learn

THE INT ERPER SONA L F ACT OR ✔ The people behind the resume. ✔ Personal traits that affect

performance

The Inte r view Stru ctur e

The WASP s tr uc ture for the interv iew Welcome

Ask

Supply

Part

Put the candidate at ease

» Greet Candidate » Introduce yourself » Chat

Collect information

» Ask questions » Probe » Observe

Give Information

» Answer questions about company, culture etc

Close the interview

» Decide further course of action » Commit on a date

We lcom e ✔ Go out to greet the person ✔ Make small talk ✔ Treat the person like a guest in

your home ✔ Block ALL interruptions

As k ✔ The information collecting

phase of the interview ✔ Start with open ended questions and graduate to more closed ended questions

Types of ques ti ons ✔ Topic Openers ✔ Probing ✔ Reflective ✔ Self Appraisal ✔ Hypothetical/Situational ✔ Leading ✔ Multiple ✔ Silence

Topi c Openers Examples Tell us about the last project that you worked on

When to ask When starting an interview.

Gives you plenty of What would you say has information on which been your most you can base your successful project? follow-up questions (Often contain the words Gets the candidate to who, what, where, start talking freely when, why and how)

Probi ng Examples

When to ask

How have you arrived When you want to ask at the following for more detail solution? When you want to What subjects did you test the depth of the have in the 6th sem? candidate's knowlgege What are the languages you have worked on?

When the interview is taking or rambling too much.

Refl ecti ve Examples In other words… Are you saying… Do you mean… As I understand…

When to ask When you wish to clarify or understand When you want to tell the interviewee that you have understood When you don't wish to influence the interviewee with your ideas or opinions When the interview is incoherent

Sel f App rai sal Examples

When to ask

Why do you think you When you wish to were selected as the know if the candidate leader? is aware of his/her own What qualities do you strengths/weaknesses have that should make us hire you?

Hypoth et ical /Si tuati ona l Examples What would you do if… What would have happenned if… Can we role play this? I'll be the client and you sell this to me

When to ask These would give valuable insights into the candidates behaviour on the job. To test specific skills To test creativity / logical thinking

Hypoth et ical / Si tuati onal questi ons ✔ Problem situations

– Have you ever had a problem where you had to handle an angry customer? What happened? – What if you were given a job to do for which you had no skills? ✔ Continuum – Where would you place yourself on a continuum from conceptual thinker to pragmatic executor?

Hypoth eti cal / Si tuati onal questi ons ✔ Comparison

– Given a choice between working for a boss who is strong technically & another who is more imaginative & delegates easily, who would you like to work for? – Compare your current job with the ones we are considering you for, in terms of challenge, satisfaction and opportunity for success?

Hypoth et ical / Si tuati onal questi ons ✔ Future Assessment

– Where do you see yourself 5 years from today? – How would your present employer respond when he/she realises that you are looking for a change?

Leadi ng Ques ti ons Examples

When to ask

We maintain the highest standards of integrity. What are your views on integrity?

Never

Don't you think 3 years is too long a wait to be promoted?

They tell you little about the candidate

I suppose in your job, you have to be very organised.

They tell the candidate what you want to hear.

Mu lti pl e Ques ti ons Examples

When to ask

So music is you hobby? What kind of mucic do you like? Do you sing? Western or Classical? Which was the last concert we went to?

Never Because the candidate will answer only the last question or the easiest one!

Si lenc e Examples

When to ask To allow the interviewee to collect his thoughts To encourage the interviewee to share information that he probably wants to keep to himself

Manag ing the i nter view

Ma nag ing a n i nte rvi ew ✔ Smile, lean forward, look interested ✔ Listen actively ✔ Use prompters, maintain eye

contact ✔ Give non judgemental responses ✔ Be encouraging ✔ Avoid getting into debates with the candidate Keep the mood relaxed and conversational

The rol e of intui ti on ✔ Intuition is defined as the direct

knowing/learning of something without conscious use of reasoning ✔ The weight of intuition in a decision is dependent on your belief in it ✔ Verify your intuition: – Never ask leading questions – Ask questions that would verify or refute your decision

The deci sion maki ng pr oces s ✔ Candidate job profile ✔ Your notes ✔ Balance Sheet

Di ffi cu lt I nterv iewing situati ons ✔ Reticent ✔ Loquacious ✔ Hostile ✔ Other challenging situations

– When you have to cut the interview short – Interviewing out of your field – The courtesy interview – Interviewing over your head

You are n ow ready to condu ct ef fecti ve i nterv iews