WHAT'S MY HIRING LINE?

Here are some valuable pointers for how to conduct a successful interview

By Rich Ream
RMC Associates
Appeared in Information Today

Making the most of a job interview is a shared responsibility. If you review the literature on how to prepare for that all-important face-to-face meeting you'll find that the advice applies equally well to both parties. In today's difficult and uncertain economic times, the manager who gets a requisition to hire a new employee had best be as well-prepared as the applicant. And there's no question that preparation is the key to a successful interview. So while the focus of this article will be primarily on the hiring side of the desk, the interview really offers a 360-degree perspective that fosters complementary skills. The good news is that if both parties have done their homework, the odds of a good fit rise exponentially.

Inspiration/Preparation
More mistakes are made in the first 20 minutes of an interview than at any other time. While you may not believe in "matches made in heaven," the emotions that are stirred when you first meet a qualified candidate who seems to think like you or who senses that this is indeed the "ideal job" can be powerful indeed. Anticipation and expectation run high and you suddenly have the sense of relief that this process can soon be over and you can get back to your real work. This is when you should take a deep breath, review your hiring plan, and repeat "I never want to say, 'If I had only known that before I decided to hire him.'"

According to respected HR consulting group Drake Beam Morin, nearly 80 percent of turnover is the result of mistakes made during the hiring phase. Further, the most often cited failures are directly related to mismatches of culture. Culture can include soft skills, behaviors, and attitude. In fact, many successful hiring managers believe strongly in "hiring for attitude, training for skills." While this may seem a bit extreme, careful groundwork and preparation can help you ask focused, behavioral-based questions. They will give you a clearer insight into the candidate that goes beyond skill and task matching.

 Front-end preparation should include the following: 

  • Identify skills and competencies. The job description should be clear and serve as an important yet basic screen. 

  • Identify the previous employee's successful attributes. Interview those who have excelled in similar positions. 

  • Ask yourself what are the two or three personal qualities you'd most like to find in the successful candidate. 

  • What personality qualities are you looking for? Do keep in mind that a personality difference between employees does not always indicate a performance difference.

  • While making sure the work content is well-understood, of equal or greater importance is the context in which the position will function. 

The importance of job context often comes into play when interviewing and hiring. For example, when looking for a great librarian/information specialist, ask yourself if the candidate will be primarily involved in information analysis only. How much control will this person have over the typical parameters of his or her work? Will he or she, as librarians have done for centuries, add value by determining what information is required, deciding upon the best and most trusted sources, and categorizing and presenting the results so they're easy to comprehend? Will there be an emphasis on working closely with end-users? Will the candidate teach users how to search for information and utilize it in the context of the job? Will he or she explain how to rank the quantity and validity of different information sources?

Thinking through the job's context will lead you to place more or less value on traits and skills that will increase the opportunity to make a great hire. 

The following are a few broad skill categories with which to do a first sort: 

  • Investigative-Performs well at jobs that involve explorative, scientific research skills but may not require a great deal of interaction with other departments or group work. This person loves to solve complex puzzles and is self-directed.

  • Artistic-Creative and open to experimentation. Good basic skill set coupled with enthusiasm and vision. 

  • Social-The perfect team player. An enabler and teacher by inclination; helping and agreeability is second nature.

  • Enterprising-Persuasive and directing. Gregarious by nature with a natural inquisitiveness that's coupled with confidence.

Batter Up
Spring training is over and you're now fully prepared for that all-important interview. You may have already spent some time with the candidate on the phone to make an initial determination of baseline skills. Before we open the door and meet him, let's take a breath and review a quick mental checklist: 

• Listen, listen, listen-The 80/20 rule was never more apropos. Allow the candidate to have 80 percent of the speaking time. Many people get uncomfortable with silence. Don't let it be you. Trust me, you will learn more in the time you have by being an active listener and by asking reflective questions than through any other means.
• Reduce threat or stress by providing a comfortable interview environment that will not be interrupted in any way. Use small talk to open, give valid compliments, and use acceptance as a technique to avoid condemning or condoning-e.g., "That's interesting, tell me more." "I see. Could you just provide a bit more detail on how job performance was determined?" 
• Remember the "first impression" fallacy. To avoid putting too much emphasis on personality rather than competency, ask tougher questions if, after the first 20 minutes, you like someone. If you don't like someone, ask easier questions. This shift increases objectivity. 

  • If there will be multiple interviewers, make sure there's a common set of key questions that's covered by all.

  • Don't jump to conclusions. Remember, people have a combination of strengths and weaknesses. 

  • Make sure you've already decided what defines superior performance for the job at hand.

Open Sesame
The following are some open-ended, behavioral-based questions and strategies. Like so many other things in life there are really no absolutes. What works best is what feels most natural to you: 

  •  "Tell me about yourself."-Talk about an opportunity to sit back and learn about how a person organizes and presents a complex topic! 

  • "Do you have any questions?"-Most candidates expect this query at the end instead of at the beginning. Asking it at the start of the interview will give you a great opportunity to find out how well the applicant has done his or her homework. 

  • The list-Some interviewers like to hand the candidate a list of five to 10 questions, saying: "Here are many of the questions I would normally ask you over the next, say, 30 minutes. Please feel free to take a moment and then answer them in any order you're most comfortable with. We can fill in any blanks at the end."

  • "Can you give me an example of how you demonstrated creativity in your last job?"

  • "How do you assess an opportunity?"-Do not be more specific. Allow the applicant to define what kind of "opportunity" he or she wants to dissect. The choice itself will be telling. 

  • Think in "opposites."-If a person is into generalities, I focus on specifics. If he or she concentrates on the past, I focus more of my questions on the present. If the applicant is cool and distant, I'll try to be relaxed and approachable to break down the barriers to good communication. 

  • "Have you worked in a team environment in which not everyone pulled his or her weight? How did you handle it?"-If the candidate says "no" ask what he or she would do in such a situation.

These and similar questions should help you assess judgment, conceptual ability, verbal skills, logic, intellectual horsepower and thinking style, personal and professional strengths, and the capacity and application of skills. Remember, there's no benefit to leading a candidate on. There's nothing wrong with saying during the interview process, "I'm sorry, but I don't see this going any further. I appreciate your time and interest." For those who make the first cut but who won't receive an offer, treat them with courtesy and leave the door open if appropriate. A simple "I'm sorry. We have chosen another candidate, but if all goes well we may have an opening next quarter. I would be delighted to have another interview at that time."

When you do make your decision and hire the perfect fit for the job and your organization's culture, remember that human capital is the most important capital there is. Make sure you create an environment that fosters a long-term relationship. 

References
"Playing the High-Stakes Hiring Game," by Carolyn Hirschman, HR magazine, March 1998.
"Employment Opportunities and Hiring Strategies," by Barbara Castellano and Anne Byrne, Computer Reseller News, September 2001.