I’ve sat at the interviewing table many times and I thought I’d share some tips for how I prepare for and conduct an interview. I’m not going to spend time going over what is legal or appropriate… that’d be a different, and much longer, post. Rather, I thought it might be insightful to share the steps I go through to help conduct a good interview. After all, both you and your candidate are making an effort to see if this is a good fit. Take time – perhaps more than you had intended – to prepare for each and every interview.
Develop your basic questions. Before I even look at any candidate resumes, I spend time going back over the job description and job posting and formulate questions that I want to ask everyone. Depending on the candidate and how talkative we both are, I figure I can get 7 – 10 questions in during an hour interview so I try to have 5 – 7 standard ones for everyone and then leave space for 2 – 3 questions targeted to each candidate.
Research your candidate. Once I’ve decided I want to interview someone, I spend time with their resume, see what I can find online and, if you have access to them, I will review any assessment tests that were administered in advance. I look for things that catch my eye – good or bad – so I can prepare additional questions around those points. In my questions, I also try and incorporate things I’ve learned about them as they help set a reference point for the candidate when we’re speaking and it also demonstrates that I am engaged and taking our conversation seriously.
Set aside any preconceptions. This is my one bit of legal advice. When I walk into the room and meet the candidate, I try to ignore most everything about them – gender, age, race, etc. We are just two people having a conversation and I want to be actively engaged in that conversation – what to do they? How do they say it? What do I think about what they are saying? In this way, I really try to set aside any preconceptions I may be carrying and instead focus on this person and how well they might fill the position I’m hiring for. That’s the core question we need to answer for every candidate.
Remember that you are both being interviewed. The decision that is being made is truly one that goes both ways. We each need to determine if this is the right fit, and I usually open by asking the candidate if they have any questions for me before we start. Doing this accomplishes three things: first, it is a test to see if my candidate is taking this opportunity as seriously as I am and has done some research; second, it puts them in a position of control for a little bit and, therefore, hopefully more at ease; and finally, it warns them that, even if they don’t have questions now, I am looking for us to have a discussion. Each of these can be a really good indicator of how they’ll be as a co-worker.
Never answer questions for the candidate. One time, I was interviewing a young man with another manager. He was clearly nervous and having a hard time formulating answers to some of my questions. A natural tendency when we see someone struggling is to prompt them with a possible answer or start to an answer. I didn’t do that. Instead, I told them it was okay and to take their time but then sat there with a patient expression and let the silence linger until he was ready. After we were all done and walking back to our offices, my colleague actually hit my arm and told me I was a jerk. That surprised me but her point was that I sat there and let this poor man suffer. My counterpoint was that I owed him an opportunity to answer questions in his own way and not lead him to where I thought he should go. Doing so would be a disservice to all of us.
Afterwards, schedule yourself time to reflect and make notes. I create a rating grid when I develop the questions and fill it out for everyone I meet with… ideally, soon after we finish. I note things that stood out and, if I choose to bring them back in, topics I want to revisit or explore further. If an interview process goes on for weeks or longer, this summary has proven invaluable to remind me of the specifics for a particular candidate. I cannot encourage you strongly enough to take the time to write down your notes.
There’s nothing magical about the process I am advocating here. Rather, it is the old adage of being prepared. By spending time better understanding who you are looking for and how each of your candidates potentially matches your criteria, you stand a much better chance of finding the right person. And that is going to be time well spent.
I’m pulling you for.
Chris
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