The Dos and Don’ts of Hiring – Part 2

Hiring the right people is one of the most important responsibilities of a manager. Who we decide to bring into our team dramatically impacts how successful the company will be. Given the importance of hiring, how much effort are you putting into ensuring your organization has a well-oiled hiring process?

In this two-part series, I’ll reveal some tips and tricks that I’ve learned over many years of hiring experience.

Part 1

Part 2 <--- You are here

Let the candidate do most of the talking

Interviewing is a skill that with practice over time you get better and better at. One pitfall of interviewing is for the interviewer to fill up time by talking. In certain situations you may want to do most the talking (i.e. you're trying to sell a candidate on the role/company), but this an exception. The more time the interviewer is talking, the less you’re learning about the candidate.

Do…

• Start the interview with a very brief introduction, and quickly transition to asking questions.
• Come to the interview prepared with more interview questions than you can possibly cover.
• Encourage the candidate to respond to questions using the STAR format.

Don’t…

• Let a candidate get away with short, terse answers; press for deeper answers that include specific examples.
• Wait until the last few minutes to ask the candidate if they have questions. Try this: half way through your interview, pause for questions. Time box this Q&A and then get back to interviewing.

Tip: I keep a running list of interview questions that has grown over time to dozens of questions. With every new interview, I add new questions. I love asking other interviewers what kind of questions they ask, and then adding their questions to my “database”.

Trust your instincts

Confession time: I’ve made a few bad hiring mistakes in my career. In each instance, I ignored someone's gut feeling.

Do…

• Ask yourself “did I enjoy talking to the candidate? Would I look forward to one-on one meetings with this person?”
• Ask yourself “did the conversation naturally flow? Was it difficult to fill the interview time, or did it quickly fly by?”
• Ask other interviewers the above questions.
• Ask other interviewers if they picked up on any red flags.

Don’t…

• Feel pressured to move forward with a sub-par candidate because you’ve been searching for a long time. It’s better to hire no one than to hire a bad egg!
• Ignore red flags or "funny feelings" (e.g. "something's a little off, but I can’t put my finger on it").
• Hire jerks, no matter how smart and accomplished they are.

Be transparent with the candidate

One of the most frustrating parts of the interviewing process is not knowing where you stand and/or what’s next in the process. The only thing more frustrating is not getting the job, and never learning why.

Do…

• Inform the candidate of what the full interview process usually entails.
• At the end of each phase of the interview process, communicate the next step and timing to the candidate.
• Train your interview team on a protocol for ending an interview prematurely, if it's clear the candidate is not a fit. Don't waste the candidate's time, don't waste the team's time.
• Provide feedback to candidates who don’t make the cut.

Don’t…

• Have the recruiter call candidates on your behalf.
• Send for form email rejection letters.

Tip: If a candidate had been through a lengthy interview process and aren’t a fit, as the hiring manager I will call them and provide them feedback on why we did not select them. This approach impresses candidates; they are not used to a personal touch. While the individual will still be disappointed, the candidate will have great respect for you and your company. It’s a small world out there and the goodwill you’ve earned could be useful in the future!

What say you?

What are some of your tips for hiring?