In this lesson, you learn valuable techniques for maintaining control of the interview while obtaining the information that you need to evaluate candidates.
Effective interviews are focused, yielding important information about a candidate in a specified amount of time. Maintaining control of the interview is a vitally important task. Following are some valuable techniques that can help you stay in charge of the interview from beginning to end.
Controlling the interview begins with the interviewer being well prepared. Preparation is essential to good interviewing. The more time you spend preparing, the more likely you'll hire successfully.
When preparing for an interview, don't skip any bases:
Research the job thoroughly to identify mandatory success factors.
Make copies of the current job description to provide candidates that you interview.
Talk with previous jobholders and others who are familiar with the requirements of the job.
Choose interview panel members who have a stake in finding the right person for the job.
Structure the interview by developing position-specific questions that will be asked of all candidates and that correspond to mandatory success factors.
Develop an evaluation tool to rate each candidate on the basis of behavioral responses to questions. See Appendix B, "Interview Evaluation Summary," for help.
Don't forget the 80/20 rule. Let the candidate do 80 percent of the talking. The 20 percent of talking done by interviewers should be in the form of asking questions or using follow-up probes.
Many times during an interview you may feel tempted to abandon structured questions and simply converse with the candidate. Resist the urge. An interview (especially a behavioral interview) is not meant to be a casual conversation with a candidate. Its purpose is to obtain and assess specific behavioral information so that you can identify the best candidate for the job.
The 80/20 rule implies more for the interviewer than simply allowing candidates to do most of the talking. Interviewers should listen actively and intently to what a candidate says (and does not say) during the 80 percent of the time that they are not talking. Active listening provides you with a unique opportunity for insight into a candidate's behavioral patterns. Attentive listening also enables you to construct follow-up probes to further explore behavioral issues while keeping the interview on track. (See Lesson 10, "Active Listening Skills," for more on active listening.)
During an interview, be mindful of the clock. Take responsibility for starting and ending on time and for accomplishing all that needs to be done during the course of the interview.
Don't let yourself run out of time or let the interview run long because you allowed candidates to respond to questions at length. Also avoid rushing through the last few questions because time is running out.
You provide adequate time for interviews by planning ahead. Estimate the time that candidates need to answer each set of behavioral questions and follow-up probes.
And don't forget to reserve time for evaluating the candidate after the interview has concluded. Both the candidate and the organization are shortchanged when evaluations are postponed to a later time.
Controlling the interview and obtaining the behavioral evidence that you need means following up each primary behavioral question with several follow-up probes.
Although it's true that some follow-up probes will be spontaneous, based on behavioral information provided by the candidate, you should develop several follow-up probes for each primary behavioral question before the interview.
Probe deeply to obtain all the behavioral evidence that's available. (See Lesson 7, "Structured Behavioral Interviewing; Part 2," for more information on effective probing techniques.)
Use supportive feedback to calm and reassure candidates and to encourage sharing of important behavioral information. You should use supportive feedback throughout the interview, but it's particularly important early on, when the resumé-related exchange of information takes place. Helping the candidate to build confidence when easier questions are asked will pay off when the candidate is asked more sensitive questions.
Comments such as "That must have been very exciting for you" or "That must have been very difficult for you" provide the encouragement and support necessary for some candidates to talk freely. Supportive feedback is important for every candidate, to be sure, but it's essential for the candidate who's nervous or distressed.
As we've already discussed, in an ideal interview situation, the candidate speaks at least 80 percent of the time. It follows that during the course of an interview, interviewers will communicate with candidates in ways that are primarily nonverbal.
So just what is it that you want to communicate to candidates? Decide ahead of time. If your objective were to communicate skepticism and a certain degree of hostility, as in a stress interview, folding your arms and frowning while a candidate attempts to answer questions would convey the message. But if you're interested in encouraging a candidate freely and openly to provide behavioral evidence of his qualifications for the job, a much different nonverbal message is in order.
It's important to remember that nonverbal messaging begins before a candidate even enters the interview room. How a candidate is treated in waiting areas communicates much about the organization and the degree of importance that it places upon the position to be filled. Candidates who are ignored in waiting areas receive one message; those who are met with a smile and words of welcome, who are offered coffee or a soft drink, and whose arrival is immediately announced receive quite another message.
How a candidate is received in the interview room also conveys important messages about the organization and the open position. When the manager in charge meets the candidate at the door, extends a hand, smiles, and offers the candidate a seat, the message is one of warmth and welcome.
During the interview, smiles and nods from each member of the interview panel will also work wonders. Leaning forward in one's chair can also show interest in what's being said and offers significant nonverbal support.
An interviewer's nonverbal communication plays an important role in controlling the interview while simultaneously encouraging candidates to speak freely. Nonverbal communication is a powerful tool.
Interviewers sometimes panic during momentary silences in an interview. Big mistake. Just relax and let the silence happen.
Occasional lulls should be expected in every interview. Remember that structured behavioral interviewing requires the candidate to think. Thoughtful consideration requires silence.
Whatever you do, don't jump in to save a candidate with a follow-up question that attempts to make things easier or that changes the subject entirely. Instead, take the opportunity to observe how the candidate reacts to the additional stress.
Does the silence prompt the candidate to begin talking nervously to fill the void? Does the candidate try to change the subject? Does the candidate give up and confess his inability to answer the question? Or does the candidate use the silence to consider how best to answer the question? How a candidate reacts to silence can be revealing.
Momentary lulls do not mean that an interviewer has lost control of the interview. They are a natural part of the interview process. The interviewer loses control only when he or she panics and tries to fill the void.
Tip
Be careful how you act during silences. An interviewer who displays signs of obvious impatience will only add to the problem. Instead, reassure the candidate with comforting words, with a friendly smile, and with body language that conveys relaxation and acceptance. Remember, there's a difference between reassuring a candidate (in order to promote open communication) and jumping in to save a candidate by suggesting actions that might be taken, moving on to the next question quickly, and so forth.
An interviewer's ability to keep the interview moving along is absolutely critical. But when should an interviewer move to the next question?
Use the STAR technique (see Lesson 7) to determine when you've thoroughly explored a behavioral situation and are ready to move on. Remember—every behavioral situation requires a number of actions; each action requires certain skills or competencies. Use follow-up probes to delve into each of these actions, the skills required to handle them, and, finally, what the result of each situation was.
Once you're satisfied that you have enough information about the specific competency to accurately assess the candidate's level of skill, move on! Whether the result was positive or negative, once you've used the STAR technique to probe it at length, you've accomplished your mission. Move on to the next question.
Tip
What to do when you find yourself interviewing someone who is clearly underqualified for the position? Don't just go through the motions. Explain to the candidate that it appears that he or she simply doesn't have the work experience or skills that you're seeking. Thank the candidate for his or her interest, and encourage the person to apply for other positions with your organizations in the future. Cut your losses early and move on!
Interviewing mistakes can be costly, especially if they result in the wrong candidate being hired. But the most common interviewing mistakes are entirely preventable. Knowing what they are is the first step in preventing them from occurring in your organization.
Here are the nine most common mistakes made by interviewers:
Managers lack training in interviewing. Such lack of training can cause problems ranging from hiring the wrong person to being sued for asking illegal questions. Time, money, and effort invested in training managers to interview effectively pays immediate dividends and ensures quality hiring decisions.
Interviewers fail to determine a position's mandatory success factors. If you haven't defined what it is that you need, how will you know it when you've found it?
Panel members fail to prepare for interviews by meeting to discuss the process (discuss questions, decide who will ask what, etc.).
Interview questions are not carefully prepared ahead of time, or they lack a behavioral component.
The interview lacks depth as a result of inadequate follow-up probes designed to seek additional behavioral evidence.
Interviewers surrender control of the interview to candidates who are skilled at interviewing and who redirect the course of the interview to areas that they're familiar with (and well-rehearsed in).
In selecting candidates to interview, interviewers give little or no thought to the importance of diversity in the workplace.
Interviewers compare candidates against each other instead of on the basis of mandatory success factors.
Hiring decisions are made on the basis of "gut feelings," or "a twinkle in the eye," or "just a hunch."
Many of these mistakes may seem obvious, and they are. But as obvious as they are, they still occur. Avoid them, and you'll significantly increase your chances of hiring the right person for the job. Remember, it takes work to interview effectively, but the results are worth the effort.
This chapter wouldn't be complete if it didn't include a brief section covering the four basic ways candidates respond to behavioral questions. To maintain control of the interview, you should be familiar with, and know how to react to, each.
Remember that a candidate will often employ more than one strategy during the course of an interview and can even attempt more than one strategy in answering a given question. Listen carefully for the type of response that the candidate uses, and react accordingly.
The motor mouth response comes from a candidate who probably has little to say about a particular behavioral question. However, instead of pleading ignorance, this candidate attempts to gain control of the interview by talking incessantly. He or she hopes to redirect the interview to another topic of choice.
How to react: . Try to gently bring the candidate back to the original question by using open probes. Failing that, don't hesitate to stop the candidate in mid-sentence, if necessary, and ask to return to the subject at hand. Sometimes it may be necessary to repeat the original question. Whatever you do, be sure to intervene. The motor mouth response is an attempt to impress the interviewer, but it's really a cover-up for a lack of competency. Don't be fooled by it.
This response is abrupt. The candidate answers a question with a short comment, sometimes consisting of just a few words, such as, "Whenever I had a problem, I'd ask my boss what to do, and then I did it." The interviewer, in an effort to draw the candidate out, uses follow-up probes that require a behavioral response with specific examples. But they, too, are met with terse responses. What's happening is that the candidate is extremely nervous, is attempting to hide something, or completely lacks the competency that you seek.
How to react: . Use sufficient follow-up probes to be sure that you're dealing with a true short stop response and not just a nervous candidate. Once you're sure that you're dealing with a short stop, note the lack of responsiveness and move on to another question set dealing with the next mandatory success factor. If the pattern repeats itself, you may want to consider ending the interview. You're interested in obtaining behavioral evidence of key competencies; the candidate, for whatever reason, is interested in disclosing as little as possible. Proceeding further would likely be a waste of everyone's time.
The generalist response is a clever attempt on the part of the candidate to cover up a real lack of competence. In fact, most of those who attempt a generalist response do so because the subject matter of the question is over their heads. Often, these are the candidates whose resumés contain a significant amount of "fluff."
The generalist response is similar to the motor mouth response in that candidates may opt to talk incessantly. However, unlike the motor mouth response, the generalist does not attempt to redirect the focus of the interview onto another topic. Instead, the generalist wants to provide general answers to specific questions.
For example, if asked, "Tell me about a time when your boss talked to you about a problem related to your work," the generalist might answer by talking at length about how employees in general can develop a positive working relationship with supervisors.
Often the information provided by a generalist response is quite good, and the candidate providing it may be very articulate. But notice how it misses the mark! The question in this example requires a specific behavioral response, not a general monologue on building rapport with one's supervisor. There's a big difference.
When pressed for specific behavioral evidence, candidates relying on the generalist response sometimes revert to providing interviewers with adjectives that describe how they see themselves in the situations being probed. For example, instead of providing behavioral evidence of being hardworking, a generalist response may be, "I'm a very hardworking person, and I always have been." But, again, note that the response is nonbehavioral and general.
How to react: . Continue to press for behavioral evidence by using follow-up probes. If general responses continue, it sometimes helps to simply say, "But that's not what I asked. Let me restate my question." If after several attempts you still cannot make headway, summarize by saying, "I take it you have no examples you wish to share with us today." If after a few question sets the generalist response continues, consider ending the interview.
A valid response to a behavioral question or follow-up probe is a real-life account demonstrating how a candidate responded to a specific situation or task, together with an explanation of the actions taken and the results achieved (STAR). This response allows the interviewer to properly evaluate a candidate's level of competence with the success factor under consideration.
How to react: . React by providing verbal and nonverbal support and encouragement. This is the kind of response that provides the information you need.
Maintaining control over the interview is achievable by using a few simple techniques: prepare; remember the 80/20 rule; stay on time; probe in depth; use verbal and nonverbal supportive feedback; allow silence to happen; and, when it's appropriate, move on.
There are nine common interview mistakes, each of which can be easily avoided.
Candidates answer behavioral questions in four ways, each requiring an appropriate response by the interviewer.