This chapter covers the importance of planning; including three approaches to interviewing: Behavior Description Interviewing, Model Answer-Based Interviewing, and Strengths-Based Interviewing. It also considers other assessment methods to use alongside the interview.
As I have highlighted in the Introduction, recruitment campaigns are often less successful than they should be. All too often organizations end up hiring the wrong person, for the wrong reasons, and end up spending time and money on managing a poor performer, instead of spending it on developing a talented new employee.
Like most things that go wrong, this is usually down to inadequate planning. All too often the plan for a recruitment campaign is presented as:
- Write a job description
- Advertise
- Shortlist
- Interview
- Appoint
Looks simple, doesn’t it? And for a busy executive, simple is tempting. But in reality, this superficial approach to planning recruitment leads to poor decisions being made, at each stage of the process, and ultimately the wrong people being hired.
To recruit effectively, we need to think deeply about each stage of the process. We also need to plan the process holistically, so that each stage flows naturally into the next. I’ve encountered organizations where no thought is given to how interviews are to be structured, and what questions are to be asked, until the day before they take place. The risk of this last minute planning is that we fall back on the approaches we have always used—even if evidence suggests they have not been effective! The most common outcome of this is hiring candidates on the basis of their experience, because that is easy to test at interview, rather than their potential, which is much harder to test.
If interviews are to be effective, then we need to plan our approach to them right at the start of the recruitment campaign. We also need to recognize that an interview is not always the best way to test candidates’ full range of abilities. Indeed, relying on evidence from interviews alone often leads to poor recruitment decisions, because panels are seduced by candidates who talk persuasively and present themselves well. Sometimes there is little substance behind these positive first impressions—something it would be useful to identify before making the appointment.
So we’re going to start by considering three approaches you can take to conducting the interview, then identify the other selection methods you may wish to use alongside the interview. By planning ahead, and putting the right combination of processes in place, you give yourself the best chance of recruiting a candidate who will do a great job for your business.
Approaches to Interviewing
Three approaches to interviewing are:
- Behavior Description Interviewing
- Model Answer-Based Interviewing
- Strengths-Based Interviewing
Some organizations stick rigidly to one of these approaches, but over recent years it has become increasingly common to use a blended approach, combining these different approaches together in order to gain a full picture of the applicant’s suitability for the job.
Behavior Description Interviewing
Behavior Description Interviewing is based on the principle that the best guide to how someone will behave in the future is how they have behaved in the past. It is also sometimes known as
Evidence-based interviewing—because it involves obtaining evidence of what people have done.
Or
Competency-based interviewing—because it is used to test the applicant’s competence to do the job, often by asking questions derived from the organization’s competency framework.
The job interview is sometimes described as having been “born” in 1921, when Thomas Edison developed a standardized list of questions to ask job applicants. The list of 150 questions included:
- Where do we import cork from?
- How is sulfuric acid made?
- Who was Hannibal?
The questions were designed to test applicants’ levels of knowledge and education. While they are very different from the questions we would ask candidates today, the approach of asking the same set of questions to all applicants provided the origins of today’s recruitment interview.
The following year business psychologist H. L. Hollingsworth studied the rankings given to candidates applying for positions in the army. Several officers interviewed the same applicants, but Hollingsworth’s study revealed wide variations in their assessments. This was due to each interviewer adopting their own approach, with no consistency or standardization.
In response to such studies recruiters began adding more structure to interviews. Questions were drawn up in advance, so that each interviewer would ask the same set of questions to each interviewee. The results of this were greater consistency of approach and improved accuracy of results.
Job descriptions started to be used to clarify what successful applicants for a post would be required to do. One study revealed that managers assessing candidates against job descriptions were less likely to be influenced by irrelevant details, than managers assessing candidates in a less structured way.
In 1980 Latham, Saari, Pursell, and Campion developed the approach which became known as critical incident or situational interviewing. This involved describing a scenario to a candidate, then asking them questions to identify how they would respond. Interviewers were also given instructions on how to rate the candidates’ answers. Once again, this development improved the consistency and accuracy (measured against subsequent job performance) of results.
In 1982 Tom Janz took elements of this approach and developed Behavior Description Interviewing. Whereas Situational Interviewing asks candidates what they would do in a specific situation, Behavior Description Interviewing asks candidates to describe what they actually did in a specific situation. This meant that the answers given would describe actual behavior, instead of being purely hypothetical. As with previous developments, Janz found that using this approach increased both consistency and accuracy of interviews in identifying suitable candidates.
Subsequent studies suggest that Behavior Description Interviewing is 66 to 70 percent successful in identifying candidates who will go on to succeed in the job. Unstructured approaches only achieve around 46 percent success rate. The chances of maximizing the success of Behavior Description Interviewing are increased if it is used intelligently alongside the other approaches described in this chapter.
Model Answer-Based Interviewing
One of the criticisms of Behavior Description Interviewing is that, due to its emphasis on past performance, it may not be effective in identifying candidates who have the potential to be successful, but have not yet had sufficient opportunities to demonstrate this in practice. By operating Behavior Description Interviewing in a simplistic way, we run the risk of treating young or inexperienced candidates unfairly, and possibly missing out on selecting candidates with the greatest long-term potential.
One way of overcoming this is by using Model Answer-Based Interviewing alongside the Behavioral approach. If there are gaps in a candidate’s experience it is therefore possible still to assess them, and to rate their answers against those given by more experienced candidates.
Model Answer-Based Interviewing involves asking hypothetical questions about situations that the candidate may have to deal with if appointed. The interviewer begins by describing the context and relating the situation to the job, then asks the candidate to describe what they would do. For example:
As you are aware, one of the key aspects of this job is managing the office budget. What would you do first if the Managing Director called you into her office and told you that you have to make immediate savings of 20 percent?
As you are aware, one of the key aspects of this job is managing a team. What would you do if you came in one morning and found two team members having a stand-up row in the office?
Of course, when using this technique it is important to have a clear idea of the answer you are looking for, and to have follow-up questions in mind for probing the candidate’s answer in detail. The “model answer” should usually meet the “STAR” criteria:
Situation—good candidates will demonstrate their understanding of the situation, for example, by recapping the key points, or by asking clarifying questions.
Task—this involves analyzing the situation and identifying what needs to be done.
Actions—what specific actions would be required to resolve the situation?
Results—clear identification of the outcome required in order to resolve the initial problem.
Please note that Model Answer-Based Interviewing should not be used as a substitute for asking the candidate about real-life examples. As research has shown, real-life examples will give you the best indication of the candidate’s abilities. However, blending Model Answer-Based Interviewing with Behavior Description Interviewing will enable you to ask about situations where the candidate has little or no experience, and gain a broader view of the candidate’s talents and abilities.
Table 1.1 shows the pros and cons of the Behavior Description and Model Answer-Based approaches.
Table 1.1 Comparison of behavior description interviewing and model answer-based interviewing
|
Behavior Description Interviewing |
Model Answer-Based Interviewing |
|
|
Pros |
Quality evidence through real-life examples Through the use of probing questions interviewers should be able to test candidates’ abilities in detail |
Enables you to test candidates who may not have had sufficient “real-life” opportunities to demonstrate the criteria |
|
Cons |
Candidates may not give full and accurate accounts of what actually happened Examples on candidates’ application forms may not be representative of their normal, day-to-day performance |
Answers may not be representative of what the candidate would actually do in practice Easy to prepare “the perfect answer”—particularly if the questions are predictable ones |
Strengths-Based Interviewing
Strengths-based questions enable you to find out what a candidate is good at, and whether what they perceive as their strengths are a good fit with the strengths that need to be demonstrated in the job you have to fill, and more widely, in your organization.
There are three elements that determine whether something is a strength:
- Performance: the ability to perform an activity or demonstrate a behavior to a high level of capability or proficiency.
- Engagement: the candidate demonstrates that they feel motivated, enthused, and empowered when demonstrating the behavior or carrying out the activity.
- Use: the extent to which the candidate has regularly carried out the activity or demonstrated the behavior.
Strengths-based questions are a great way to start an interview. Most people feel comfortable talking about their strengths, so it enables the candidate to get the interview off to a good start by talking enthusiastically about something they do well. By showing signs of encouragement while they are doing this, such as smiling and nodding, you will be able to build rapport with the candidate. Seeing how they respond to a question which enables the candidate to talk easily about their strengths also establishes a baseline for monitoring their demeanor during the rest of the interview. What questions lead them to appear less enthusiastic and motivated? Are these the areas where they are less confident in their abilities? And, if so, is this matched by the content of their answers?
There are two ways in which you can ask strengths-based questions. The first approach relates to the candidate’s strengths. These questions might be very broad, for example:
Let’s start the interview by getting you to tell us about the main strengths you think you can bring to this role.
A variation on this approach is to base the question on information provided by the candidate on their application form:
I see from your application form that you feel one of your strengths is your ability to motivate people. Tell me more about that.
The second approach to asking strengths-based questions is to relate them to the strengths required in the role they have applied for. For example:
We’re looking for a candidate who has a real strength in quickly building great relationships with customers. Tell me how you do that.
It would be unwise to base a whole interview solely on strengths-based questions. One of the advantages of strengths-based questions is that they put the candidate at ease at the start of the interview, but using them throughout might make the interview too comfortable for the candidate, and may not enable you to test their ability to handle situations which take them out of their comfort zone. For this reason it is important to use a blended approach, using Strengths-Based Interviewing alongside Behavior Description Interviewing and Model Answer-Based Interviewing.
Other Assessment Methods
As I have already stated, there are many other assessment methods that can be used alongside the interview. Just as a blended approach enables you to obtain a full picture of the candidate’s abilities at interview, using the right blend of assessment methods will enable you to gather evidence of the candidate’s abilities from a range of different sources. These methods include:
- Video interviews
- Presentations
- Exercises
- Tests
Video interviews may be used as an alternative to face-to-face interviews, particularly if long distance travel would otherwise be required. They can also be used at the Sifting stage, to decide which candidates should be invited to a full face-to-face interview.
Presentations can easily be arranged alongside interviews. A short presentation will enable you to identify whether a candidate has the required skills for a position in an area such as training or sales.
A range of both individual and group exercises can be used to observe candidates carrying out activities in practice. Close observation will provide you with a great deal of information about their knowledge, skills, and attributes.
A wide range of tests are available and can provide valuable insights as long as you pay attention to selecting the right one and ensure that it is properly administered.
All of these methods can add value to your selection process. The key aspects to ensuring that they do are to:
- Plan ahead, by identifying the information you will need to make your selection decision, then choosing the right combination of approaches to enable you to gather this information.
- Take a holistic approach to selection, ensuring that the methods you use are compatible with one another, and appropriate to the nature of the role and the values of your organization.
- Follow a blended approach, which will enable you to develop the fullest picture of candidates’ abilities, and select the one who is best suited to the job.
The pros and cons of using these methods alongside the interview are discussed in Chapter 9.
Summary of Chapter 1—Planning Recruitment
In this chapter I have discussed the importance of considering a range of approaches when planning your recruitment process. This includes three approaches to interviewing:
Behavior Description Interviewing—based on the principle that the best guide to future performance is past performance. It therefore involves asking questions based on the candidate’s experiences, such as, “What did you do ...” or “Tell us about a time when you ...”
Model Answer-Based Interviewing recognizes that not every candidate will have had experience of the range of situations you wish to ask about. It involves asking hypothetical questions, such as “What would you do ...” Candidates’ answers are then assessed against model answers prepared in advance.
Strengths-Based Interviewing, which provides the candidate with the opportunity to talk about their strengths, and for you to test if these are aligned with the strengths required in the post they have applied for.
Planning a blended interview structure will enable you to utilize the benefits of each of these approaches to interviewing.
You may also wish to consider other assessment methods to use alongside the interview. These include:
- Video interviews
- Presentations
- Exercises
- Tests
Planning a recruitment process which utilizes a combination of these methods will enable you to gain a fuller picture of candidates’ abilities, and make more reliable decisions about who should be appointed.