Interviewing 101 - Part II

Interviewing 101 - Part II
Copyright 2007 - Jennifer Britton, Potentials Realized

Today I am picking up from my recent post on interviewing do's and don'ts from the interviewer's standpoint. You can read the first part of this post here. In addition to the tips I provided two weeks ago consider the following pointers when developing your next interviewing process:

1. What really are the KSAs (the Knowledge, Skills and Ablities) you need to hire for? In HR we talk a lot about job specifications for good reason. How many times have you attended an interview when the questions and the interviewing process really didn't look at what was required for the position? In addition to legal issues, it is important to really hone in on the KSAs required for any post. The KSAs will play an important role in your recruitment, selection, compensation, training and development and performance management (appraisal) processes.

2. Avoid closed questions - Wherever possible, avoid the use of closed questions, as well as leading questions. Closed questions are those questions when used would elicit a yes/no response. For example, "Have you had supervisory experience before?". Look to rephrase this to "Please describe your previous supervisory experience" or better yet "What are the lessons you have learned from your previous supervisory experience?". Notice how the second question gets even deeper than the first?

3. Be clear on next steps -- A common pitfall with interviewing is a lack of clarity with respect to next steps. Will there be a second interview? When can the candidate expect to hear from the panel? Be as specific as possible regarding when the candidate can expect to hear back from the company.

4. Interviews are a two way process - Remember that interviews are the chance for you to check out the candidate and the candidate to check out your company. Often strong candidates may leave an interview realizing that they do not want to work for the company they have just interviewed with. What is the image of the company you are portraying through the interview process? Does this match your corporate values, culture and ways of working? If not, what changes do you need to make?

Interviewing is often referred to as an art. There are also many practical tips and tools you can use to enhance your interviewing process, ensuring that you get the right fit for the position. I hope that you have enjoyed some of these pointers regarding the interview process, which is just scratching the surface.

If you have any questions on how your interviewing process could be enhanced, please feel free to contact me to see how my services could benefit your interviewing process.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

Jennifer Britton is a Certified Human Resource Professional and Certified Professional Coach. As the founder of Potentials Realized, she provides consulting, training and coaching services to governmental, not-for-profit and for-profit organizations in the areas of teamwork, leadership, HR and other employee engagement issues. Jennifer has worked with organizations and small businesses across North America, the Caribbean and Europe on developing systems to enhance their personnel management, performance and business results.