August 2010 Newsletter

This month we are offering some useful tips about how to find the best new employees for your company.

The Art of Interviewing

Introduction

Do you think that you can tell if a candidate is right for the position in the first five minutes? If so think again.

A recent CIPD study has shown that hiring the wrong person costs the company a minimum of three times their salary. When coupled with the HRZone finding, that 22% of candidates believe that their interview performance suffered due to the interviewer’s lack of skills, it is clear that the interviewer needs to be on the top of their game to ensure that the interview process is successful.

The art of interviewing is about far more than the interview itself, the process has many stages from advertising to making the final decision. We will look at a general guide to the interview process to help you hire the right person for the job.

 

So Why Interview?

Interviews are subjective, and because candidates often rehearse the ‘perfect’ answer it can be difficult to truly assess their capabilities. However despite this and the rise in online testing, assessment centres and telephone interviews the traditional face to face interview remains the most effective recruitment method because, when done properly, it is the perfect opportunity for both sides to get to explore the qualities of the position and the person to see if they are well-suited.

 

Before the Interview

The stages that occur before the interview, creating and publicising a successful job advertisement, selecting the right candidates from the sea of applications received and preparing for the actual interviews, are crucial. If they are done well a better quality of candidate will be invited to interview. In this section we will be focusing on how to establish selection criteria, find suitable candidates and how to prepare for interviews.

Although many companies source candidates from agencies the most effective way to find candidates is to self source. It is usually cheaper than using agencies and it takes less effort that you might think. A good model for self sourcing is to build a small microsite for the role being advertised, with examples of staff currently in similar positions and information about current vacancies. Candidates self filter, and because those who apply get to see more about your company than an advert alone can convey the result tends to be higher quality of potential candidates. Use a good filtering and behavioural competency based interviewing approach and watch the quality of your staff, and results, steadily rise.

Establishing the criteria against which candidates will be selected is vital for the advertising, short-listing and interviewing stage. The criteria will form the competencies that all candidates are judged against, and so when you advertise the ideal competencies should be highlighted, and these are often listed as must-have and desirable skills and behaviours. Desirable skills are the learnt competencies such as organisation skills that candidates need. Behavioural competencies are their personal attributes, and it is important to ensure that any potential candidate has the necessary personal attributes to fit in with their new team. For example, if the role is a client facing position then communication and presentation skills, as well as confidence will be essential, whereas the ability to take initiative may be a desirable characteristic.

It may sound surprising, but it is just important for the interviewer to prepare as it is for the interviewee. Not only is it a chance to impress the candidate, but preparation will help you get more from the interview. The HRZone found that over 40% of people who've had a bad interview experience have subsequently turned down a job offer from the company, which shows that this stage plays an important role in the process. The best way to prepare is to read through their application and the job description, so that you are aware of their skill set. Note down a few questions for each of the main competencies being looked for so that you can ensure you cover all the important skills, and ask valid and open questions.

 

The interview itself

The actual interview is a chance for you to see if the candidate lives up to their application and it is also a time to impress potential employees.

Good interviews are measurable, based on competency frameworks, but not afraid to veer away from the set questions to explore the strengths of different candidates. In order to make interviews measurable and structured competency questions and note taking are vital.

The standard way to cover competency questions in an interview, is to base the interview around 4 – 6 competencies. It is advisable to prepare a few opening questions for each, and then allow the candidates answers to direct the rest of the conversation for the skill set under discussion.

Note taking makes the review stage much easier, and so it is strongly advised. However it is important to get the balance right, as an interviewer you should engage with the candidate whilst also recording their main points.

 

After the Interview

If the other stages have gone well you will now be making the difficult decision of which promising candidate to choose.

Again this is where the competency framework comes in. By assessing your interview notes and impressions against your competency framework you can work out who would fit into the role and team dynamic best, rather than having to rely on memory alone. Interview notes and a competency framework can also offer you legal protection, in the case of a claim of an unfair interview process, as they can be used to show that you decision was made on objective grounds.

Last but not least, it is worth mentioning giving feedback to unsuccessful candidates. Put yourself in their shoes and spare five minutes to thank them for their time and give them a couple of pointers, or recognition of their strengths. You never know, but your advice could prove invaluable to them in the future.

 

And finally…

For more information on how to structure an interview, and tips on questioning styles take a look at our interview fact sheet by clicking here.

If you are interested in finding out how we can help you enhance your interview skills give us a ring on 020 7407 0044 or mail edward@you-unltd.co.uk 

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