Practical Interviewing Tips: Jim Bierbower

PRACTICAL INTERVIEWING TIPS Jim Bierbower

INTERVIEWING SUCCESS Q. In what percentage of interviews, will an untrained interviewer make the right recommendation? A. 51% Q. In what percentage of interviews, will a trained interviewer make the right recommendation? A. 70%

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UNDERLYING INTERVIEWING THEORY

Past behavior predicts future behavior.

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ANALYZING RESPONSES • The perfect candidate doesn’t exist. • Interviewers must differentiate between “acceptable flaws” and deal-breakers: – Generally acceptable: too much of a behavior (i.e., verbose) – Deal-breaker: unwillingness to work designated schedule – The massive middle: difficulty in 4 accepting criticism

Tip #1 – Pre-Interview Information • MYTH: The interview begins when the interviewer asks the first formal question in the interviewing room. • TIP: Often, some of the best information is collected prior to the start of the formal interview when candidates assume that they are engaged in informal conversations.

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Tip #2 – Relaxed Equals Candor • An interview is an inherently stressful experience for most candidates. • The best interviewers make an upfront investment of time in order to establish rapport, gain some measure of trust and reduce the tension in the room. • Consider adding time to the beginning of the interview to improve the candor of the 6

Tip #3 – Announcing Start/End Times • While announcing the beginning of the formal interview can temporarily increase the stress level, the benefits associated with announcing the end of the interview outweigh the cons. • Consider reinforcing the “interview is over” message through non-verbal communication (i.e., putting your pen down). 7

Tip #4 – Recording Information • Candidates monitor interviewers’ non-verbal behaviors. • The best interviewers create an intentional disassociation between the time of the collection of the desired information and when such information is recorded on the interview guide. • This tip is especially important when candidates provide negative information about themselves.

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Tip #5 – It’s Not a Script • Interviewing guides have been developed to provide part-time interviewers with guidance on how to conduct an effective interview. • The best interviewers do not use the guide as a script. Instead, they: – Ask follow-up questions, where appropriate; – Skip questions, when information was provided at the wrong time; and,

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Tip #6 – Giving Guidance to Candidates • The best interviewers will provide intra-interview guidance to candidates who are not meeting the expectations of the interview. • For instance, an interviewer might say to a long-winded candidate, “that was a terrific and comprehensive response, but since our time today is limited, please try to tighten up some of your upcoming responses.” • Most candidates respond well to such guidance because, even though

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Tip #7 – “Wrong Time” Information • Q. Describe a situation where you were able to motivate others to action. • Desired data: does this individual possess leadership skills? Is he/she assertive and engaging? • Potential response could include information related to functional orientation: “Well, let me tell you about my sorority’s rush, which I chaired. This event gave me more satisfaction than anything else 11 that has occurred in my life. Our

Tip #8 – Getting Answers from Questions • Think about the questions that candidates ask you. These questions can give you insight into the candidate that our interviewing guide questions did not elicit. • “Does A&F have a tuition reimbursement plan?” – Suggests grad school interest • “Are there opportunities to be based overseas?” – May be seeking international 12 employment

Tip #9 – The Best Interview Question • Many candidates are specifically coached by their career planning & placement offices on our interviewing philosophy and have prepared responses to typical questions (especially true at Miami of Ohio). • If you sense you are dealing with a heavily coached candidate, consider increasing the amount of follow-up questions to get to the real answer. 13 • A terrific way to get unrehearsed

Tip #10 – Non-Verbal Communication • Verbal answer – “I am a confident person.” – Non-verbal: no eye contact, fidgeting • Verbal answer – “My friends consider me to be an enthusiastic and energetic person.” – Non-verbal: low energy, little passion 14

Tip #11 – Hire to the Standard • Be cautious when interviewing candidates whose background has similarities to your background. – Same hometown – Same university – Shared interests outside of work • Exercise caution when interviewing physically attractive candidates.

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Tip #12 – Carefully Make Promises • Unless you are fully in control of some aspect of the candidate/associate experience, allow your fellow team members some room to maneuver in the future. – All offers will be extended by next Friday vs. We hope to extend all offers by next Friday. – No one ever works past 8pm vs. Except in unusual circumstances, most associates have exited the 16

Tip #13 – Can-do vs. Will-do • Less experienced interviewers have a tendency to recommend candidates who have a large measure of “cando” attributes without sufficiently exploring the “will-do” component. • When interviewing candidates with a high cognitive profile (attending Harvard, very high SAT/ACT scores), be especially alert to this factor. Most high cognitive candidates can do the job. Many high cognitive 17 candidates won’t do the job.

Tip #14 – Allocating Your Time • Use the 90/10 rule for determining the level of your interviewing success. • Experienced interviewers create a hospitable interviewing environment, ask initial and follow-up questions and respond to candidate questions, but minimize the amount of time consumed by their voices (10%). • When an interviewer is talking,

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Questions?

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