A job interview is a two-way conversation - or should be. As such both parties need to be prepared. With all the layoffs of the past years, no doubt a lot of your candidates will come in armed with the latest outplacement service advice on prepping for typical interview questions. This together with all of the whiz-bang resume software templates available, can make all but the worst Jerry Springer guest look good.
Don't be fooled. There are lots of cons, losers, and deadbeats masquerading as "potential talent." Your job is to weed 'em out BEFORE they ever get on the payroll.
The best way to do this, is to do your homework and structure the right questions. Make sure the interview reveals, not conceals the good, the bad, and the ugly! Here's how:
Know what you want and ask what you really want to know
It's easy to spot the technical skills needed to perform the task, but what about values, ethics, personality, communications, attitude, demeanor, etc.? The 'soft skills' are the hardest to learn - and to teach. That's why the 'people skills' are taught over time, from childhood. If a candidate doesn't have it, you can't teach it and still keep a profitable enterprise going. If you don't see what you're looking for in 'soft skills,' don't think they'll get them somehow after you've hired them.
Ask questions that are 'open-ended.' These are questions that demand serious thought, contemplation, reflection - not, snappy, spiffy come-back answers that are practiced over and over. Ask questions like "Have you ever succeeded with a difficult project?" "Tell me about it" "What is some of the best advice an adult gave you that you remember to this day?" and "Why do you want to work here instead of somewhere else?" I've covered these and other questions in my book, Keeping The Very BEST (Lighthouse 2003/05 available at www.REACHdevelopment.com), but the idea is to get away from the expected and ask the unexpected to reveal the skills you really want. The right questions can be pure magic in separating the winners from the losers.
Pay attention and use a team approach
Don't just listen to the answers, look at the candidate. Body language, roaming eyes, constant fidgeting -- all signs of discomfort. Now is the discomfort simply from nervousness over the interview or signs of lying. No one talks about this, but candidates do lie. They do make things up. They are humans and as such can succumb to bad things. So how do you know? Standardize some favorite questions or at least areas of interest in applicants. Line up other managers, supervisors and/or highly respected employees to interview the applicant and ask similar questions. Take notes and compare notes. Are the pictures consistent or are there too many conflicts? While this isn't a criminal interrogation, it is an attempt to ensure you're not wasting time on someone who just isn't a fit for your team.
Clear your schedule far enough in advance to prepare for the interviews. Make sure you are not interrupted. Focus on asking, listening and looking at each candidate, not thinking about what else you could be doing.
There is nothing more important to ensuring your enterprise's success - nothing more significant to establishing your own professional reputation, than having a track record of getting the right people in the right positions, to do the right things. Remember, it's better to weed out the losers BEFORE they cause you to lose time, money, and morale. |
