Interviewing With Confidence

So you've faced the fact that you need to hire an employee for an open position in your organization. You've already run an ad, surfed the Internet, called a recruiter and even scheduled some interviews. Now what?

If you're like many hiring managers, you probably start to experience pre-interview jitters and ask yourself: "Why am I anxious? I thought that was the candidate's job."

Being unprepared is a common reason for getting a little nervous before you interview someone. Here are some tips on how to get organized, so you can interview with confidence and hire someone based on something more than a gut feeling.

1. Before you sit down in front of an interviewee, you should review the resume and formulate open-ended questions about the candidate's background and look at the job description to formulate more open-ended questions.
2. Remember that the single best predictor of a candidate's future job performance is his or her past job behavior. Ask for specific answers to questions. For example, if someone answers, "I am a hard worker," ask for an example of when that hard-working attitude has been demonstrated.
3. Conducting an interview should be considered a fact-finding meeting. You should:
   • Establish rapport with the candidate by making him or her feel comfortable.
   • Ask about past job performance from your pre-interview preparation.
   • Probe and clarify answers to questions until you get clear and specific information.
   • Ask the candidate to ask questions. This usually gives you an idea of his or her interest level and how well the candidate has researched the company. Beware the candidate that only asks about compensation and benefits. Clearly, this person is more interested in getting a job than in accomplishing its tasks.
   • Never ask a question that is not job-related. Asking anything other than job-related questions could be illegal and might get you into trouble. For example, do not ask about family, race, home, children or citizenship. Most important, do not write notes about those types of comments even if the candidate volunteers the information. Notes can be subpoenaed if a lawsuit is filed.
   • Close the interview by thanking the candidate and making it clear that you have others to interview and will be in contact if you are interested. Do not promise to get back to the person in a day or a week. This only gives the candidate an excuse to call you.
4. After the interview, analyze your notes. Look for warning signs by asking yourself questions, such as: Was the candidate on time for the interview? Did he or she quit jobs with no notice? Was the candidate open with answers to questions? Did he or she seem interested in the company? Did the candidate talk about qualifications and potential or only about money and benefits?
5. After you review your notes and check references, you're ready to make a decision to either ask the candidate back for a final interview or to make an offer.
6. Wait! You're not done yet. What about the candidates you didn't select as a fit? Proper company protocol requires you to notify these individuals by phone, letter or e-mail of your decision to hire someone else. You don't want to run the risk of hurting your organization's reputation as a good place to work.

   Congratulations! You did your homework, analyzed resumes, prepared good interview questions, did not ask illegal questions, analyzed the candidates and made an informed decision. You have just hired your first candidate based on past behavior rather than a gut feeling. For more information, contact Cheryl A. Jones, Manager of Corporate Placement Services for Alpern Rosenthal. She can reached at 412.281.7692, ext. 319 or at caj@alpern.com
   
   Back