Chapter 13

Why Do You Want to Work Here? Interviewing Job Candidates

In This Chapter

Considering a candidate's behaviors, education, skills, and traits

Developing effective interview questions

Knowing what to do with the candidate's responses

You've pinpointed your employee value proposition (EVP) and created your “sales sheet,” outlining why you rock as an employer (see Chapter 10). You've built your BEST profile (see Chapter 12). You've leveraged social media as a branding and staffing tool (see Chapter 12). Now it's time to interview the bevy of candidates who are sure to come your way. This chapter discusses the interviewing process and how you can tweak it to hire only the most engaged employees.

Best in Show: Interviewing the BEST Way

In the preceding chapter, I introduce you to the BEST approach to hiring candidates. This approach goes beyond evaluating a candidate's skills and education to also consider his behaviors and traits (hence, the acronym BEST). If you opt to use the BEST approach to hiring, you'll need to adapt your interview process accordingly. In this section, I show you how.

Step 1: Develop your BEST profile

In Chapter 12, you develop a job description that factors in the BEST model. You need that job description — what I call a “BEST profile” — on hand as you embark on the interviewing process. This profile guides you in developing questions for candidates, so if you haven't developed your BEST profile yet, turn back to Chapter 12.

Step 2: Develop your interview questions

Using the BEST profile for the job you want to fill, develop your interview questions. These questions should be designed to tease out each candidate's behaviors, education, skills, and traits. Note that you'll want two sets of questions: a shorter one for the phone interview (discussed in the next section) and a more detailed one for the face-to-face interview (see the upcoming section “Step 5: Hold face-to-face interviews”).

As you develop your questions, you may realize that some of them are more important than others. For more information on developing questions, see the section “Kick Ask: Asking the Right Questions.”

Step 3: Conduct preliminary phone interviews

In the interest of saving time, you'll want to conduct preliminary phone interviews, or, more precisely, phone screenings. Telephone interviews should be short, highly structured conversations aimed at identifying unsuitable applicants. They also give you an opportunity to be objective. Physical appearance and age are inconsequential when you can't see the candidate; in a phone interview, you'll be able to concentrate more on what the candidate is actually saying.

Here are some tips to ensure you get the most out of the phone-screening process:

• Review your BEST profile to develop a set of standard questions that you'll ask each candidate during the phone-interview phase. These questions should cover personal/professional details, education, career history, experience, and so on. Also, ask for the desired salary range if the candidate didn't provide this information on her résumé or in her cover letter. As you interview the candidate, be sure to stick to the pre-planned questions. That way, you'll get the most out of the interview, as well as demonstrate your preparation, commitment, and focus. (For more information on crafting effective questions, see the section “Kick Ask: Asking the Right Questions.”)

  Developing questions is critical. Unstructured interviews almost always result in the wrong people getting hired because interviewers tend to ask questions that are directly related to what's on the candidate's résumé, which generally focuses on education and skills rather than behaviors and traits. You have to identify the behaviors and traits you're looking for in a particular position and then ask specific questions designed to ferret out whether the candidate possesses those behaviors and traits. Hiring right takes time, due diligence, and planning — which includes deciding ahead of time which questions you're going to ask each candidate. Don't forget the old adage “Hire easy, live hard; hire hard, live easy!”

• When you call the candidate (or leave a message), explain who you are and ask when would be a good time to have a brief discussion about the job opportunity. If now is a good time, continue. If later is better, schedule accordingly.
• Keep a glass of water handy. This will help you stave off mid-call coughing fits.
• Smile. Your interviewee will be able to “hear” your smile. It projects a positive image of you and your company.
• Ask the candidate whether he minds if you take notes during the call. For example, say, “Do you mind if I take notes? I want to be sure that I understand and remember what you're telling me.” Just be sure note taking doesn't occur at the expense of a natural dialogue. Plan to write more detailed notes after you hang up.

  Be sure any written notes are legal and job related. Document only those details that are specific to the job interview. Avoid including personal opinions or observations that are not specific to the position, because any personal reference could be construed as discriminatory in nature. For example, writing down a description of the candidate to jog your memory could cause a problem down the road, particularly if you inadvertently note a candidate's inclusion in a protected group (such as gender, race, or age). Also, interviewers should understand the legal ramifications of taking notes during the interview process, because notes are discoverable in the case of a discrimination lawsuit.

  Organizations should train anyone who is going to be interviewing candidates on the basics — what they can and can't ask, and what they can and can't write down. Seek help from an employment attorney when designing this training.

• Follow the 80/20 rule: Spend 80 percent of your time listening and 20 percent explaining the job and the benefits of working at your company. (For best results, you should do the selling part at the end of the conversation.) Also, remember to keep silent when appropriate. Give the candidate plenty of time to fully answer your questions and to ask any of her own.

  Some people express their anxiety by talking a lot. Don't assume this is a sign of inexperience or incompetence. In fact, this mannerism may hide real ability. Just be aware when interviewing these talkative types that you may need to frequently interrupt them to ask specific questions.

• Regardless of whether you think the candidate is a “go” or a “no go,” be sure to thank the person for his time. Let the candidate know when and how he can expect to hear from you — for example, “I'll be in touch by e-mail within one week, so be on the lookout for that message.”

By the end of the phone screening, you'll have a good sense of the candidate's level of knowledge about your organization, how closely the candidate fits the BEST profile for the position, and how well the candidate communicates verbally. You'll also have determined how well the candidate was able to “sell” herself to you by phone and whether you and the candidate have any “chemistry.” All this information will help you decide whether it makes sense to invest more time in this candidate with a face-to-face interview.

Within the timeframe you outlined, contact the candidate. If the candidate is a potential fit for the job, outline the next steps in the review process, along with the approximate timeframes, set up a time for a face-to-face interview, and ask how best to reach the candidate in the interim. If the candidate isn't a good fit, let him know. If you know of another opportunity at your company that may be a good fit, mention that as well.

Adopt the “rule of threes” and interview at least three candidates for every opening. Most of the time, companies hire in crisis mode, seeking to replace an outgoing employee. (“The work has to get done. Hire anyone with a pulse — now!”) This is a sure-fire way to make a hiring mistake. Speed is great if you're in the Indy 500, but it's a handicap in the hiring process. By interviewing at least three candidates for every opening, you ensure a more thorough evaluation of candidates. Crummy employers often have no choice but to interview just one candidate; often, that's all they can find. But firms with engaged cultures that have built a strong EVP will have an applicant flow that allows for more candidates.

Step 4: Prepare for the face-to-face interview

You wouldn't go out on a customer call without being prepared, right? Along those same lines, you should never interview a candidate without preparing beforehand. After all, when the candidate comes in for a face-to-face interview, your goal is to sell him on your company and the position.

Review the BEST profile to develop a set of questions to ask during the face-to-face interview in order to tease out each candidate's behaviors, education, skills, and traits. (For more information on developing effective questions, see the section “Kick Ask: Asking the Right Questions,” later in this chapter.) For best results (no pun intended), write down your questions in a customized candidate evaluation form. Figure 13-1 shows a blank version of this form, which you can copy or use as the basis for your own. (Note that this form includes fields for “Rating” and “Weight.” I fill you in on these items later in the chapter.)

In addition to developing your questions, decide who else will participate in the interview process. Strive for diversity of thought. For example, if you're interviewing an accountant, consider including someone from marketing or procurement on the interview team. That said, avoid overwhelming the candidate with too many people. When scheduling interviews for a candidate, which generally occur one-on-one throughout the day, stick with five or fewer people (including HR) or risk interview fatigue. Also, decide who will ask which questions. For a candidate, nothing is worse than having to answer the same question five times! Make sure everyone knows what topics they'll be covering, and when.

Anyone involved in the hiring process should be armed not only with a precise understanding of the attributes a candidate needs to succeed, but also with the skills to discover those attributes during an interview. To aid with this, your organization should provide training and refresher courses on hiring for anyone who will be interviewing candidates.

Finally, before the candidate arrives, think about what questions that person is likely to ask, and be prepared to answer them. Hint: Most candidates will want to know more about the job and about opportunities for learning and promotion.

Step 5: Hold the face-to-face interview

Many of the points to remember during the face-to-face interview come down to simple good manners: starting on time; treating the candidate like a guest (for example, personally greeting the candidate when he or she arrives rather than sending a minion to do it); giving a warm smile and a firm handshake, and offering coffee, water, or juice; staying within your time constraints; and so on. Beyond that, the majority of the points for phone interviews apply here, such as sticking to the pre-planned questions, taking notes, following the 80/20 rule, and so on.

In addition, you'll want to keep the following in mind:

• Start with small talk, and then take control by reviewing the agenda for the interview. Also, provide a very brief overview of what you do and how your job relates to the position.
• When you ask questions, concentrate on what the candidate's answers reveal about her honesty, values, beliefs, personality, and work ethic. It goes without saying that these things are as important as — in some cases, even more important than — anything you could learn about a candidate's technical skills! If the candidate offers evasive or “canned” answers, keep probing until you feel comfortable with his response.
• Close the interview by asking the candidate if she has any questions or additional information to share.
• Communicate your next steps. For example, you may say, “We're just starting the interview process and plan to get back to all candidates within the next ten days.”

  Avoid expressing your delight in the candidate (for example, “You're the best candidate we've seen so far!”). Otherwise, you risk having to come up with a reason why the candidate wasn't selected if you decide to hire someone else. Likewise, never hint at a rejection or lack of interest during the face-to-face interview. If you do, you risk the candidate going into overdrive to sell himself — not a pretty sight! As a general rule, don't show your hand.

  If you run across a great candidate, do what you can to accelerate the process. Otherwise, you risk losing her to another employer.

• Provide the candidate with information about your company (ideally, in the form of a “sale sheet”; see Chapter 12 ). Even if you don't end up hiring the candidate, you want that person's opinion of your company and your brand to be positive!

The people in charge of interviewing new recruits must be informed of the company's vision. Otherwise, they won't be able to convey the culture to a potential employee. If you're hiring employees who don't fit your culture, you'll have trouble persuading those people to become invested in your organization and to work alongside you to achieve your goals.

Step 6: Collect input from your selection team

After you interview at least three qualified candidates, take time to collect input from your selection team. For best results, have everyone fill in the details on the candidate evaluation form (refer to Figure 13-1), taking care to avoid subjective impressions. This form contains fields for rating candidates and weighting answers; you'll want to fill these in to determine each candidate's score, which you can use to determine who is the best fit. (For more on rating and weighting, see the section “Kick Ask: Asking the Right Questions,” later in this chapter.) Remember, though, that hiring is not a democratic decision. Ultimately, the person who will be the employee's direct manager (the “boss”) should be empowered to hire his “BEST fit” candidate.

At the risk of contradicting myself, be aware that there are times when you simply won't get three qualified candidates. For instance, suppose your BEST profile requires a multilingual chemical engineer with experience working in the biomedical field who is willing to relocate to Afghanistan for a two-year expatriate assignment. Odds are, you won't receive much in the way of résumés from candidates who meet all these criteria. In that case, you'll want to skip the whole “interview at least three qualified candidates” rule. (If you do find one candidate who fills the bill, trust me: You'll want to accelerate your offer!) You'll also want to skip this rule if you find yourself interviewing a superstar candidate who fits the BEST profile ideally, comes highly recommended by internal staff, and is also being wooed by your key competitors. That's another scenario where you'll want to extend an offer sooner rather than later!

Conduct a “post-mortem” of each interview — what you did well, what you'd like to do better, and so on. That way, you'll have the tools to improve your interviewing skills, which will almost certainly lead to better hiring practices.

Step 7: Check references

In a perfect world, you could just take every candidate's word as to her accomplishments and experience. But as is evident by the simple fact that hot dogs are typically sold in packages of ten, while buns are usually sold in packages of eight, we don't live in a perfect world. That means you'll need to check up on your applicants to make sure they're on the level.

Your first and most obvious step is to contact the references provided to you by the candidate. When you do, consider using the reference check form in Figure 13-2. This form will help guide you in asking the right questions — questions designed to elicit responses that give you a sense of the applicant's behaviors and traits in addition to his skills and education. Of course, if the candidate has been referred by an existing employee, that employee is the first person you should contact!

Don't stop with the references the candidate lists, however. Make it a point to leverage the web in general and social media in particular to learn more about your candidate. Start with the person's LinkedIn profile; then consider searching the web for the candidate's name. No doubt, you'll learn all kinds of things about the candidate — some related to the job at hand, some not.

Never settle for an employment agency's reference. Agencies are too vested in their candidates getting the job. Your own personnel should always check references.

Step 8: Extend an offer of employment

Did you find a candidate who matches your BEST profile, who interviewed well, and whose references check out? If so, you may well be prepared to make an offer. When you do, remember: You're not selling used cars. Make the highest final offer you can afford based on sound compensation practices, including the evaluation of external and internal market data. Repeat after me: “I will not enter into a negotiation with the candidate.” After all, you're selling your company's culture. If the candidate is all about money, that in itself might tell you that she isn't a good fit culturally and likely won't fit your definition of an engaged employee.

Nothing — and I mean nothing — will disengage your current staff like paying incoming employees with like credentials and experience more money. I cannot emphasize this enough. You must maintain internal equity. Your offer should not exceed the compensation of your current employees if skills, traits, years of experience, and academic credentials are the same. Otherwise, the inevitable (and accurate) perception of unfairness will be a major demotivator for your current employees.

Kick Ask: Asking the Right Questions

A candidate's résumé says a lot about her education and skills — the E and S in the BEST profile. It also likely contains all you need to know about her experience and work history. But as I explain in Chapter 12, a candidate's behaviors and traits — the B and T in the BEST profile — are often at least as important as her education and skills. Indeed, a candidate's behaviors and traits are likely the truest barometer of her performance level and her ability to fit in at your organization. Odds are, however, you won't find that information in a résumé.

So, how do you find out about a candidate's behaviors and traits? After you've identified the behaviors and traits you're looking for, map these into your interviewing process. Most likely, your existing interview process stresses past assignments and accomplishments too heavily. Although these factors are necessary in evaluating candidates’ experience and qualifications for the job, they don't necessarily speak to the deeper issues of how those candidates will perform according to your company's priorities or how well they'll work within your corporate culture. It's up to the interview team to ask the right questions in order to capture this information.

Based on the theory that past behavior is the best indicator of future responses, the “behavioral interview” has become popular in recent years — and with good reason. Behavioral interview questions require the interviewee to provide concrete, narrative examples of past situations. Often, these responses reveal the degree to which the candidate possesses the behaviors and traits identified as essential to top performance within your organization. Such questions avoid the typical hypotheticals (“Where do you see yourself in five years?”) and instead focus on how an individual has responded to specific situations in the past. Obviously, you'll need to tailor your questions to the position's responsibilities and context, but here are a few examples of “typical” interview questions and their “behavioral interview” counterparts:

• Typical interview question: What was the biggest accomplishment in your last job?
• Desired trait: Creativity.
• Behavioral interview question: Describe the most creative work-related project you've carried out, and describe why you succeeded with this project.

• Typical interview question: Are you a team player?
• Desired behavior: Collaboration.
• Behavioral interview question: Give an example of a time when you were able to successfully complete a project on a team where there were personality conflicts.

• Typical interview question: What major challenges and problems did you face at your last job?
• Desired trait: Resilience.
• Behavioral interview question: Describe a difficult and tense situation in which some people were losing hope and you were able to influence them in a positive direction.

The idea is to craft questions that are targeted toward the specific behaviors and traits that are unique to your organization and to the position. Although traits like enthusiasm, patience, selflessness, and optimism may be desired in almost any company, there will be differences in positions’ requirements that require tailored inquiry. Examples may include a job that requires travel, involves client or customer interaction, includes management of other staff, or requires working remotely.

Table 13-1 contains a list questions to suss out an individual's important qualities. Use these as a starting point as you tailor your own questions.

Table 13-1 Questions for Determining Behaviors and Traits

As you develop your questions, also keep these points in mind:

• Even when detailed information on specific areas is required, keep your questions open ended. The descriptive response elicited by an open-ended question will include specific information. The candidate's response may even reveal information that you never thought to ask about. Closed-ended questions (those that require only a yes or no response) won't yield a broad, informative response. Plus, open-ended questions can be followed by more specific ones.
• Don't ask leading questions. A leading question is a rhetorical question that indicates to the applicant the answer that the interviewer wants to hear. For example, “Don't you think that getting along with subordinates is absolutely critical to good management?” is a leading question.
• Don't ask any questions that are legally off limits. For example, it's illegal to ask a candidate his or her age, sex, marital status, parental status, health status, race, height, weight, or religion. This is by no means an exhaustive list, however. For more information on questions you shouldn't ask during an interview, visit http://hiring.monster.com/hr/hr-best-practices/small-business/conducting-an-interview/common-interview-questions.aspx or check with an HR or legal representative. Bottom line: If you're worried a question may be inappropriate or unacceptable, don't ask it!

Assessing the Candidate's Responses

Of course, knowing what questions to ask is only half the battle. You must also assess the candidate's responses to these questions to determine whether he's the right fit for the job and for your organization as a whole. Fortunately, this section offers a few ideas to help you make the best choice!

Weighting questions

After your interview, think about which behaviors, education, skills, and traits are most important for the position in question, and then weight your questions accordingly. Here's how I do it:

• I assign questions designed to suss out helpful behaviors, education, skills, and traits a weight of 1.
• Questions meant to uncover important behaviors, education, skills, and traits receive a weight of 2.
• Questions designed to reveal critical behaviors, education, skills, and traits get a value of 3.

For example, suppose you're interviewing candidates for a position as a brain surgeon. In that case, you might assign questions designed to illuminate the candidate's skills and education a weight of 3, but assign questions that pertain to revealing a candidate's personality a weight of 1. Or, if you're interviewing candidates for a position that involves working from home or a remote office, you might weight questions that pertain to independence more highly than those related to cultural fit.

Rating answers

In addition to weighting the questions, you'll want to rate the candidate's answers. I generally assign a rating of 3 to answers that indicate an excellent match, a rating of 2 to answers that are a good match, a rating of 1 to answers that are satisfactory or acceptable, and a rating of 0 for answers that are unsatisfactory.

Scoring candidates

So, how do you use this info? If you refer to Figure 13-1, you'll notice that the candidate evaluation form includes a “Rating” column, a “Weight” column, and a “Score” column for each question. To score the candidate's answer to a question, you simply multiply its rating by its weight. For example, if a question is weighted a 3, and the candidate's response is a 2, you would enter 6 in the “Score” column. You can then add the scores for all the questions to determine an overall score for the candidate. This score can then be compared to the scores of other candidates to determine who's the best fit.