How to make the most of your interview
Tina Wagener
Welcome to Interview Training 101
http://www.stumbleupon.com/demo/?review=1#url=http://www.youtube.com/watch
What not to do in an interview..
Purpose of an Interview
Finding Talent Culture Fit
Succession Planning
Company Awareness
New Ideas
What is an interview?
• Special conversation• Research project• Knowledge gathering• Relationship building
Planning for the interview
Review resume Review interview summary notes Review job description Create / review interview questions
Establishing Rapport
Introduction Review process Tour / dept introduction Remember: make the candidate feel at ease
Direct vs. Open Ended Questions
• More details and information• Insight to motivations
• Discover behavioral traits• Understand resourcefulness
Example:
"What experience do you have working with personal computers, specifically with spreadsheet, word processing, and data base software and what packages are you most familiar with?"
Multiple Questions
Reflective Questions
? Gain additional information? Clarify issues? Avoids misjudgment? Ask for more information
Leading Questions
X Giving away the answer in a questionX Ask them the question firstX Will tell you what you want to hear
Behavior Based Interviewing
Past behavior is the best predictor of future performance.
Forget the “dating behavior” – chemistry
Allowing Time to Answer
Require an answer Lack of important information Side stepping Silence is your friend
Making Promises
• Bonus promises• Promises of promotion• Job guarantee• False expectations
Failure to Listen
• Ringing phone• Email ding• Tapping of pen or pencil• Looking at work on desk
Conference roomMaintain eye contact
Show interest
Lack of Documentation
• Prevents legal liability• Improves decision making
• Use scorecard• Good for multiple candidates
Interviewing Situations
Must I ask each person the same interview questions?
If I know right away that this is not the candidate for me, must I continue with the entire interview?
What do I do if the candidate tells me something that is inappropriate or personal?
How long should an interview last?
Some candidates talk in paragraphs instead of sentences. How can I regain control of the interview if this happens?
What do I do if an applicant won’t talk to me? Sometimes the person appears to be very nervous and answers with just "yes" or "no" or brief responses.
Illegal Topics
• Age
• Arrest record
• Association with present employer
• Bankruptcy and credit affairs
• Disability
• Driver’s license
• Emergency contact info
• English language skills
• Height and weight
• Marital status, children
• Organization
• Protected class
• Veteran status
• Weekend work
Closing of Interviews
• Ask if they have any questions• State next steps
– Recruiter to follow up• Do not promise another interview• Do not give them false hopes in regards to
an offer
Hiring Manager Costly Mistakes
• The opening: Hearing that their time is valued
• Differentiating between things candidates can learn on the job (i.e. specific skills) and qualities that aren’t likely to change
• Not asking for clarification• Not drilling down enough
Key Questions for Managers• Could you explain the company’s organizational structure?
• What’s the company's plan for the near future, and how does your department fit into it.
• Will you be expanding or bringing on new products or new services?
• What are your worst problems?
• What major skills and abilities will I need to succeed in this job?
• What attracted you to working for this organization?
• How will my responsibilities and performance be measured?
• What are the day-to-day responsibilities I’ll be assigned?
Scoring of Candidates
Fun Stuff – CareerBuilder Top 10
• Candidate answered cell phone and asked the interviewer to leave her own office because it was a "private" conversation.
• Candidate told the interviewer he wouldn't be able to stay with the job long because he thought he might get an inheritance if his uncle died - and his uncle "wasn't looking too good."
• Candidate asked the interviewer for a ride home after the interview. • Candidate smelled his armpits on the way to the interview room. • Candidate said she could not provide a writing sample because all of her writing had
been for the CIA and it was "classified." • Candidate told the interviewer he was fired for beating up his last boss. • When applicant was offered food before the interview he declined, saying that he
didn't want to line his stomach with grease before going out drinking. • A candidate for an accounting position said she was a "people person," not a
"numbers person." • Candidate flushed the toilet while talking to the interviewer during a phone interview. • Candidate took out a hair brush and brushed her hair mid-interview.
I had a job interview at an insurance company once and the lady said, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” and I said, “Celebrating the fifth year anniversary of you asking me this question”
Fun Stuff
Questions?