how to interview for success

Interview for success

January 2014


It’s difficult to think of any decision that is more important to an organization than determining who it hires.


Why are you hiring?

What are you hiring for?

Are you hiring for the right reasons?

What is your motivation for hiring?

Will it free up your time to grow the business?


Do you have a defined & clear job description for the new position?

Does this job description have key deliverables and reporting functions defined?

What are the SKILLS needed and what are the TALENTS needed?


Define the TALENT. Interview for talent.

You can teach skills and adapt behaviour, you cant teach talent


What will this position pay?

What are the other costs that the company will incur by employing for this position?

How much new business will be needed to cover this total cost AND how long with it take to achieve?

Will this NEW position add value?


Where do you advertise this “notice of vacancy?”

What will this notice say?

Should I use an agency?

Should I use social media sites like LinkedIn?

Is it all legal?


Should I hire friends or Friends of friends?

Should I hire family?

Should I hire from within the business?

DON’T hire for charity


What should I look for in a applicants CV?

What are the absolute “No-No’s?”

Should I trust my instincts (gut feel) ?

How many people should I plan on interviewing?


Whittle down candidates to about 10.

Get a second opinion on the CV’s and halve the number to top 5 / 6

Check references before the interview is set up

Google the candidates and write down the results

Google their current employers to understand who they work for and the size of that business


Project work is often better than interviews

Portfolios and references are often better than interviews too.

Prepare questions for the reference calls.

Can you get references via email?


Create a telephone “interview” questionnaire when calling the candidates to set up the actual interview.

Ask simple questions about availability, where they live, transport etc.

If they are not able to conduct themselves over the phone DON’T interview them


Set aside 1 hour for interview.

Confirm date time and address via email and ask for response

Make sure the candidate brings all relevant info along to interview – ID, proof of residence, references, qualifications & CV copy


Where do you physically hold the interview?

The room should be quiet and private

Do not be disturbed.

Have water available for the candidate on the table before they arrive.

Do you interview alone?


Set up an interview questionnaire

Leave space after each question to write the answer as well as a percentage or ranking on the answer according to you – 1/5

Is this the first of two interviews? If you want to have a second interviewee – explain this at the start of the interview.


Don’t ask questions that you already know the answers to.

Don’t refer directly to the CV in the interview. You can delve deeper into what’s already there if need be

Focus on the candidate and not selling the position.


Outline the role that the candidate is applying for upfront.

Ask the candidate what their plan for that role would be

Ask questions that will help determine what the motivations are for the candidate wanting to work for you


Simulate work experiences through role play. Use examples that have actually happened in your business

Don’t assume you know everything about the position you interviewing for


Ask: “What is your greatest weakness?”

Take the time and make notes

Is the candidate serious about getting THIS work or just getting a job? Is the Candidate “shopping?” for work


“What don’t you want to be doing in 5 years from now?”

“What would you say is the biggest misconception people have about you?”

“What is the right attitude for a role like this?”

Does the candidate have the right culture for your company?


Ask questions that reveal INTEGRITY, ETHICS and EXCELLENCE

Find out what their weaknesses are and make sure you can live with those in your Company.

Could this candidate be your MD / CEO in the future?

Make sure you are hiring your next MD every time.


HIRE SLOW – FIRE FAST

Place candidates on short term contracts. Explain this in the interviews

Reviews every month for the first 3-5 months are essential.

DON’T be scared to fire and mention this in the interview.


Do I use psychometric testing?

This helps see if the candidate can solve problems easily

It also shows the seriousness of the position to the candidate

For key roles its worth using the Myers Briggs personality profile test.


Is the candidate passionate about the industry?

What are the reasons they have left prior jobs? Is there risk of this happening within your Co.?

If you are replacing an employee – what traits of theirs which worked / didn’t work does the candidate also display?


Questions to be repeated in cycles as follows:

1. Fact based / general questions “How long were you at prior work?”

2. Situational questions “what would you do if you knew X was stealing money?”

3. Stress questions “why should we hire you?

4. Behavioral questions “How did you feel when you found out that a co employee earned more than you?”


Ask questions in tandem:

get response and then go back to the question a little later to get more information and understand the depth of the candidates knowledge on the subject


Does the candidate have positive vocabulary or negative?

DON’T fall in “like” with candidates

Allow the candidate to ask questions through out the interview or only at the end. Stipulate this at the beginning.


Study the CV 5 minutes before the interview. Be prepared.

Be nice. Allow the candidate some “chit chat” to settle them before the actual interview starts.

Don’t talk too much. Let the candidate do the talking. Don’t overshare


Ask some curve-ball questions to see how the candidate thinks?

“How would you weigh an airplane without a scale / how do they get the chocolate inside the Smarties?”

This tests problem solving skills. Questions don’t have to have the correct answer


At the top of your interview questionnaire ask: WOULD YOU EMPLOY THIS PERSON?:

NO

50%

80%

YES

As soon as the interview is over circle one of these answers


At the bottom of the page rank these out of 10 and add up the totals:

Interview for successIS HE / SHE:PUNCTUAL (ATTENDED ON TIME / EARLY)WELL SPOKENPERSISTENTPATIENTOUTGOINGMETICULOUSA LITTLE PUSHYCONFIDENTGOAL ORIENTEDSTABLEPROBLEM SOLVERHONEST FRIENDLYINTELLIGENT (QUESTIONS)RESPONSIBLESTRONG WORK ETHICSWELL PRESENTED


Great candidates should naturally follow-up on an interview with a call or e-mail, making it easy for you to invite them back for a second meeting

Always contact the candidates after you have decided who is getting the position – either way.


Top 50 questions to ask a candidate in an interview?

Have you created an environment where people want to work for YOU this much?



Would they give “an arm & a leg” to work for you?


Example of an actual interview questionnaire?

Questions?

how to interview for success

Business

actual interview

success dont

success whittle

success project work

success hire slow

candidate passionate

candidate serious

candidate shopping