Stuck on an interview committee? Here's how to make it work.

'Interview by committee' can be tough, especially if most of the panel members aren't experienced interviewers.

Part of our ROI of Happiness mandate involves using our specialized knowledge and experience to 'give back' to the community, and one of the ways we do this is by helping non-profit organizations recruit, interview and hire staff.

In many non-profits, candidates for senior roles must be interviewed by a committee (typically the Board of Directors). Panel-format interviews can be tricky even for experienced interviewers who conduct them on a regular basis; they can be particularly problematic when the committee is comprised of volunteers (most of whom come from other professions and don't do a lot of interviewing in their 'real' jobs) who only convene as an interview panel once every couple of years.

Establishing guidelines in advance can make a big difference

Here's how to make 'Interview by Committee' work better:

1. Agree on a detailed job description - before you even start looking for candidates

It's hard to conduct an interview if you don't know what skills and experience you're looking for. So before anyone on the panel starts calling potential candidates, make sure everyone on the panel knows exactly what the job will entail. And write it down! All panel members should sign off on a two-page, detailed summary of the job description, including a 'typical' day/week/month before the job is advertised or applications are solicited. (This will also ensure that the candidates aren't getting mixed messages at any point in the proess.)

2. Establish detailed KPIs

Part of the detailed job description in #1 should include KPIs (Key Performance Indicators): How will success be measured for the person in this job? (For non-profits, KPIs could involve fundraising goals, membership goals, program launches, volunteer management, etc. For for-profit organizations, KPIs can be anything from sales volume to cost reduction to production time.) Again, the key here is to articulate what success looks like, and then ensure that all members of the panel know, understand and agree - before anyone starts interviewing candidates.

3. Create a list of key interview questions

Experienced recruiters and hiring managers may be able to do off-the-cuff interviews and trust their 'gut', but in order to be effective, the interview by committee model needs to have more structure: With more people in the room, it's easy for the interview to get off track and stay there. And there's nothing worse than spending 2 hours with a candidate, only to discover that you haven't really drilled down into the specific skills and experience you needed to know about.

So it's important to create a list of key interview questions (10-20, depending on the role) in advance, and ensure that all the committee members are on the same page. It's especially helpful for the committee to determine what 'good' answers to these interview questions look like, too: If one of your KPIs is new business development, then you should include a question/series of questions around new business development ("In your current position, how much of your time is spent on new business development?") as well as the 'ideal' answer ("Currently I spend about 40% of my time on new business development, and have been a top performer for the past 24 months...").

3. (b) Do a little research

The good news is that the internet has all kinds of resources to help inexperienced interviewers. It's worthwhile for committee members to familiarize themselves with trends in successful interviewing and interview questions - and then share what they've learned with their fellow committee members.

4. Assign one or two questions to each panel member

The interview process is most efficient when each committee member is responsible for specific questions (the exact number of questions will depend on the size of the committee and the list you established in #3, above, but should not exceed 5). That committee member is responsible for asking his/her assigned question(s) and related follow-up. This ensures that each member of the panel has an opportunity to interact with the candidate, that panel members aren't all talking at once, and that no one panel member 'hijacks' the interview.

5. Avoid making it a 'contest'

It's human nature: The bigger the committee, the more competing personalities and personal preferences there'll be when it comes time to choose between the top 3 candidates. Remember, 'winning' means selecting the right candidate for the position (the one who stacks up best against the job description and KPIs that were established in advance), so it's particularly important to stay objective throughout the process.

Interview committees - whether they're in a non-profit or for-profit setting - are often challenging for everyone involved. Doing a little advance planning, and getting agreement at every stage before moving forward, will save you a lot of time, energy, and lost candidates in the long run.

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