Improving Your Interviewing

A job hire can be a very significant investment in the resources and reputation of our organization. Although we may be very exacting in our review of resumes and recommendations, we often treat interviews more lightly. In today's economy, we do this at our own peril.

There was a time when the technical aspects of a job were paramount. We needed to know if an applicant could operate assembly line equipment, type 60 words a minute, sell a product, or write advertising copy. We could generally find this out by looking at school records and work experience. When we made selections, we'd place them at a machine or telephone and wait for production.

There are a few impediments to that process today. A lot more work is done in teams now, so it isn't enough to know the candidate has the skills to do the work. We have to assure ourselves that he or she can interact with others, value their information and viewpoints, and contribute to an integrated product or service. This is most effectively done in structured face-to-face meetings.

Another change that must be taken into account is the growth of the career counseling industry. While this group provides important assistance to people seeking guidance, it has also raised resume-creation to a fine art. Justifiably seeking to help their clients put a best foot forward, counselers employ word massaging and desk-top publishing techniques to produce resumes that can both dazzle and oversell. More attention must therefore be directed at finding the true substance behind the words on the paper.

The employer should first decide if a one-on-one intereview is adequate. Some organizations prefer panels of three if a broader range of expertise is needed to evaluate the candidates or the ability to interact with varied personalities is particularly important. Whatever the case, interviewers should be oriented and, if necessary, trained to:

• make introductory remarks to put applicants at ease;
• talk briefly about the organization and its goals and values;
• ask questions directed at supplementing and clarifying resume information;
• avoid questions about family responsibilities, religion, and politics; and
• give applicants the opportunity to ask questions.

If a panel is involved, the members should arrange the order of their questioning and avoid any appearance of "ganging up" except for those rare jobs for which this kind of stress is part of the evaluation.

It is human nature to assume that our ability to converse with co-workers and clients transfers easily into interviewing job candidates. Without preparation, we miss gaps or contradictions in resumes that need explanation, or we confuse applicants with a line of questions, or, even worse, we turn them off by appearing less than serious about the process. Worst of all, we may ask an irrelevant question about private matters that leads to a discrimination complaint.

Properly prepared interviewers will have carefully examined the resumes and noted the areas that need elaboration. They will make allowance for the relative glibness or shyness of inteviewees unless those qualities are relevant to the job. They will draw out the candidates on how they value team effort and sharing accountability. They will make notes and review them as quickly after the interviews as possible so that they can make recommendations, singly or as a panel, while recollections are fresh.

In this way, interviewers contribute to the success of their organizations in getting the right person in the right job.

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