Why Your Interviews Might be Terrible

Most people hate going to interviews, regardless of which side of the table they're on. For job seekers, it usually means hours of running a gauntlet of meaningless questions asked by tired people. For interviewers, it means a long slog working against a script as candidates blur together and higher priorities go unattended. I wanted to share some of the worst things I've seen, and some ideas on how to do things better.

• Your Job Description was garbage: This role is on the Innovative Agility Challenge team. Candidates should have knowledge of our archaic internal systems and I guess MS Office. Sound familiar? Most of the job descriptions I read are completely meaningless. Your cute internal titles and acronyms are keeping away qualified candidates, and drawing in confused people that technically meet the minimum requirements. STOP IT. Your job descriptions should be in plain english, describe the work and be clear on expectations.
• Your screeners aren't prepped: Have you talked with the recruiters about this job? Do they know what your team does? A screener interview should give the candidate a solid understanding of the role, and give the hiring manager a great stack of talent. Instead it is usually an arbitrary run through a pointless obstacle course. Get your recruiters educated and ready, and give them some markers of the kind of talent to look for.
• You're reading from an old script: Stop asking stupid 80s questions. If it's a question so common and so cliche that your candidate practiced for it, the question has no value. If you're asking; "What's your greatest weakness?", "Why do you want to work here?" or "Where do you see yourself in five years?" all you're doing is wasting time. Work with your HR department and your team to develop better and more measurable questions that will let your candidates give you meaningful answers.
• You're trying to put your candidate on edge: You're candidate has already snuck out of work, put on a suit in their car and sat in your waiting room. They are already at their worst. If you think that asking a "gut punch" third question is going to help you know if they are qualified, you're wrong and you're pushing away smart people who didn't come ready for emotional combat. Make your candidates comfortable and confident, not fearful and defensive.
• You're worried about "Team Fit": "Team Fit" is a term that really means intentional or unconscious discrimination. If you're selecting (or rejecting) candidates based on shared hobbies, interests or aesthetics you're alienating qualified people and turning your work place into a homogenous echo chamber. It's time to redefine the traits you're looking for and focus on skill, leadership, honesty and communication instead of favorite baseball team.
• You're not getting technical: Hiring for roles that require expertise means asking questions that evaluate expertise. I've frequently been on interviews for a Business Analyst or Program Manager role where the interviewer does not have a background in the skill set, and does not have a way to evaluate my answers. You should be using your technical talent and standard evaluations to let your candidates shine on what they've trained for.
• You're late: Don't do this. I get it... campus is big and you had a meeting. Practice these words; "I'm sorry I need to jump out early, I've got an interview after this."

Interviewing is hard work and it's absolutely an acquired skill, but remember that you're choosing the people who you will be working with you for years. Take some time and evaluate your bad habits - then start working on getting better.