The Art of Interviewing

Thanks to Bill Barker, Leadership Development and Talent Optimization Expert, and a member of our Food for Thought community, for recommending Bradford D. Smart's book, The Smart Interviewer.

I have learned many valuable lessons about interviewing people from books like this and from my experience as a Coach.?

My 5 Top Tips for Interviewing are:

Consider the Formatting of the Interview

Remember the Aim of the Interview

Ask the Right Questions

Listen to the Answers

Allow the Candidate to Express Themself

I hope these tips will help you the next time you are looking for the right person to join your team.

????1. ? Formatting the Interview

??Timing??

Interviews are most definitely a question of Pay? Now or Pay Later. Invest your time and energy at the interview stage to save you from having to spend more time, money, and energy later down the line.?

The interview time should be about two hours or more. You should expect to interview for four hours for positions that have the potential for a more significant impact.

Number of Interviewers??

Bradford Smart and Bill Barker recommend a two-, three-, or four-on-one interviewing approach for the following reasons:

A series of one-on-one interviews with different interviewers are tedious for the candidate and enable them to provide canned responses.?

With multiple one-to-one interviews, there is a risk that each interviewer will ask the same questions, resulting in several short interviews that lack depth in understanding the candidate's true motives for seeking a new position.

Group interviews provide an excellent opportunity for the employer to relax more during the interview process as the responsibility of asking the next question and maintaining the flow of conversation does not fall on one person. It becomes an open group conversation, especially when the candidate is engaged and has nothing to hide.

One interviewer's question can inspire another interviewer to ask a clarifying or follow-up question.

There is a greater opportunity to observe the candidate, take notes and compare observations following the interview. It's best to designate one of the interviewers as the primary note-taker.

????2. ? Remember the Aim of the Interview

You are there because you want to hire someone to join your team and assist in your business. The candidate is there because they want to work for your business.

The aim of the interview is to get to know the person, their ability to perform, and their suitability for the role. They should want to get to know you and what you expect of them in the position available.

Establish mutual respect by reminding the candidate that you want to make a good decision for the business and that you want them to make a good decision for themselves, too.

??3. ? Ask the Right Questions

When you ask questions – Probe,? probe, probe!

Never accept general answers to questions. Every answer provided by a candidate should be followed by additional questions.

We want to know the who, what, when, where, why, and how much for every topic.

Everybody has a story to tell, regardless of age or experience. These stories reveal a lot about what a person can do in their work and how they will do it. The more detail they give, the better your understanding.

The stories also reveal a lot about intelligence, problem-solving techniques, interpersonal skills, and their ability to work well with others.

Ask detailed questions to get detailed answers.

For example, with the question "Why are you seeking a new position?", candidates often reply that they are seeking career advancement.?

Get more information by following up with questions such as:

What does "career advancement" mean to you?

How will this position advance your career?

Why is career advancement not available at your current job?

If your boss knew you were looking for a new position, would they try to find a way to keep you?

??4. ? Listen to the Answers

To be a good interviewer, you MUST hone the skill of listening.

The average rate of speech is about 125 words per minute. Our brains can process 800 words per minute. That means there is a lot of room for distraction when we are engaging with others.

Our listening challenges include:

Thinking about our next question

Thinking you already know the answer

Failing to clarify and understand

Not taking notes

Additionally, about 70-93% of communication is non-verbal. While it's essential to listen to what the candidate is saying, it is equally (if not more) important to observe their body language.? Interpreting the meaning behind how someone is moving their body can provide great insights into their motives and intentions.

5. ? Allow the Candidate to Express Themself

The candidate should speak at least two-thirds to three-fourths of the time. Nothing is learned about the candidate while the interviewer is speaking.

If a candidate struggles to find an answer, allow them the time to think. If you are too eager to help end the silence, you might miss an opportunity to discover the truth.

Never assume you understand what someone thinks or why they took specific actions or made particular career decisions. Just because you are familiar with the work environment in which the candidate resides, don't conclude that you know why the candidate wants to get out or why they aren't happy there.

Lastly, before promoting your company as a great place to work, learn as much as possible about the candidate. When you provide the data upfront, the candidate is better clued into saying what you want to hear. Instead, tell the candidate that you will discuss the job requirements and the company later, "But first, tell me about you!"

Please consider the ideas above the next time you interview a prospective employee. You will be amazed at what you will learn and how much more likely you will be to choose the right candidate for all the right reasons.

"Your human talent is your most important talent."

-Carla Harris

If you want to receive Rich’s invaluable lessons daily sign up for his newsletter HERE.

?Get a copy of Rich’s Amazon Best Seller book People Time & Money Vol 2 HERE.

?www.coachtothebest.com