?These three simple tips will greatly improve your ability to understand and assess candidates.??
- In advance of the interview,?provide candidates an outline of topics to be discussed.?This might seem counterintuitive, but keep in mind your goals is to learn as much about the candidate in a short period of time– not put them through a pop quiz exercise.?Giving candidates advance notice goes a long way to accomplishing that and reduces anxiety and nervousness.??Once the interview starts, you’ll have ample opportunity to drill down on specifics surrounding their answers by asking “who, what, why, where, when and how” follow-up questions– and getting past any rehearsed answers.
- Context is king meaning the circumstances surrounding the candidate's current situation which impact their ability to perform their job.?That means understanding the resources and support available– corporate support, staff, structure– or lack thereof. Two candidates might have similar accomplishments but faced very different circumstances to get there. Apples are not oranges, yet both are good.?The goal is to know which you’re interviewing.????
- Start with an organizational chart.?One way to quickly understand context is to ask candidates to describe the basic organizational structures of their most recent employers– a general outline of the structure surrounding and supporting their role. Above, lateral and below. This simple step will help you better understand what they do and don't do, and usually generates additional questions.