talent talk webinar interview strategies for hiring top performers

Cytiva Software, Inc.

“Interview Strategies for Hiring Top Performers”

Hosted By: David FreemanTalent Management Solutions ConsultantCytiva Software Inc.

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Interview preparation: the key to hiring the best person for your job

Conducting an effective interview Post interview summary/review meetings


4 steps: Starting your interview process off on the right foot• Analyze the position to be filled• Identify additional job related information required to select the

best candidate• Build an interview team• Build a well thought-out interview guide

Interview Preparation


• Analyze the position to be filled: what will the candidate need in order to be successful in this position? • Skills/Knowledge• Experience• Core Competencies

• Customer Responsiveness• Decision Making• Problem Solving

• Attitude: Interpersonal skills, cultural fit



• Analyze the position to be filled• Review the job – what would I observe a person

in this job doing on a daily basis• Review the qualities of others presently

performing this job• Review performance evaluations of top

performers in this role



• Analyze the position to be filled (cont’d)• Think about the dynamics of your team. What

personality types make up the team? What types of personalities would benefit the team? (profiles a huge plus)

• Get input from members of the team: What do they believe it will take for this new person to be successful?



• Identify additional job related information required to select the best candidate• Proof of certifications• Records of education• List of references



• Build an interview team• Hiring manager• Recruiter and/or HR representative• Members of the team that will have regular

interaction with the new hire (provide valuable insight, help sell the organization to the prospective employee)



• Build an interview team (cont’d)• Define a role for each person involved in the

hiring process. Will they be; • the technical advisor?• focused on cultural fit?• keyed in on customer responsiveness?



• Build a well thought out interview guide(s)• Compliance: help keep the team from asking

illegal questions• Allows the interview team to provide feedback in

a structured format• Enhanced applicant experience: applicant

doesn’t have to answer the same questions over and over again.

• Attitude: Interpersonal skills, cultural fit



• Build a well thought out interview guide(s)• Traditional/Situational questions

- What are your greatest strengths?- Why do you think you would be a good

fit…?

• Cultural fit questions- What motivates you?- What made you decide to pursue … as a

career?



• Build a well thought out interview guide(s)• Behavioral/Competency based questions

Past behavior/performance is still the best indicator of future behavior/performance.



• Sample Guide

Based on the interview, please evaluate the candidate's qualifications for theposition listed above. In each section, space is provided to write additional jobspecific comments. If one of the questions does not apply to the position, pleasewrite N/A in the comment section.

Customer Responsiveness{Insert suggested interview questions here}

The candidate has the necessary customer service skills required by the position.• _____ Exceeds requirements• _____ Meets requirements• _____ Needs a little more training• _____ Doesn't meet requirements

Comments:



Building competency based interview questions• Three parts to a good competency based interview question

• The lead phrase• The question• The expression of the desired behavior• Follow up’s

Effective Interviewing


Building competency based interview questions• The lead phrase

• Often neglected by interviewers • One of the most important parts of the question – lets

the candidate know what will be expected of them in this role.




• Often neglected by interviewers • One of the most important parts of the question – lets

the candidate know what will be expected of them in this role.

“In the customer service department we often receive calls from customers who are unhappy with their dining experience…..”




“In the customer service department we often receive calls from customers who are unhappy with their dining experience…..”

• Gives the candidate additional insight into the role of this position

• Sets them up to provide their answer in a “story telling” format

• Lead phrases generally include the terms; often, regularly, sometimes, routinely, frequently, etc.



Building competency based interview questions• The question

• Asks the candidate to provide specific information about a real situation vs. a hypothetical scenario

• Includes phrases such as: - Tell me about a time…- Describe a situation when you had to…- Share with me an example of…- Give an example to illustrate how you…



Building competency based interview questions• The question

“Tell me about a time when you had to…”



Building competency based interview questions• The lead phrase and question

“In the customer service department we often receive calls from customers who are unhappy with their dining experience. Tell me about a time when you had to…”



Building competency based interview questions• The expression of the desired behavior

• Restating the lead phrase• Re-iterates to the candidate what behavior you want

them to provide an example of. • Sets up additional follow up questions



Building competency based interview questions• The expression of the desired behavior

“when you had to deal with an unhappy customer at work”



Building competency based interview questions• The completed competency based interview

question

“In the customer service department we often receive calls from customers who are unhappy with their dining experience. Tell me about a time when you had to deal with an unhappy customer at work ”



Building competency based interview questions• Add follow up’s.

- Further guide the candidate to provide the type of response you are looking for.

- Okay to prep the candidate at the beginning of the interview

“In the customer service department we often receive calls from customers who are unhappy with their dining experience. Tell me about a time when you had to deal with an unhappy customer at work. What was the specific situation? How did you handled it? What was the outcome? ”



Building competency based interview questions• The response

• Specific Situations• Based on real life experience• Outlining specific actions• Resulting in a desired outcome that aligns with the

skill/knowledge/core competency that you have identified



Post interview summary/review meetings• Establishes a formal process for finalizing the interview process.• Gives each interviewer the opportunity to share his/her feedback

about the candidate and make a recommendation• Brings the interview process to a close – allows quick

communication with the candidate(s). Candidate experience.

Review Meeting


Post interview summary/review meetings• Should be scheduled prior to interviews being conducted

• Best if all interviewers are present at the meeting.

• Best if held the day of or day after the final interview• Each interviewer should be asked to prepare an interview report

prior to the review meeting• Okay to discuss multiple candidates in one session

Review Meeting


Post interview summary/review meetings• Each interviewer presents their report

• Presents report in a simple, structured format• 5 minutes• No open discussion during the reports• Primary decision maker/hiring manager gives report last

Review Meeting


Post interview summary/review meetings• Format of interviewer’s report

• YES or NO – would you recommend hiring this person. • Interpersonal Skills – How do you feel the person interacted with

you during the interview? Why do you feel that way? • Cultural Fit – How well do you see them fitting in with the team and

the company as a whole? Why?• Skills/Knowledge/Core Competencies – What did you learn from

the competency based questions and answers?• Technical Knowledge – Did the candidate have the technical

knowledge and skills required to meet the demands of the position?

Review Meeting


Post interview summary/review meetings• Sample ReportRecommendation: I recommend that we hire this candidateInterpersonal Skills: She presented herself very well during the

interview. She was extremely confident in her answers, maintained eye contact while giving her answers and it was obvious that she was providing her answers from real life scenarios.

Cultural Fit: Based on her previous experience I believe she thrives in a team environment. She made several references to team goals and got extremely excited when I described our team concept.

Review Meeting


Post interview summary/review meetings• Sample Report (cont’d)Skills/Knowledge/Core Competencies: She definitely has the

skills needed to be successful in this role. She provided several excellent examples confirming her customer responsiveness. She is very well organized. She came into the interview with her planner that I could tell she used regularly. ….

Technical Knowledge: She also has the technical skills to perform the job. In fact, I’d say she has advanced knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite. She has completed several courses on the Microsoft products as part of her college coursework. Additionally, she has several years of experience working with our phone system.

Review Meeting


Post interview summary/review meetings• Each interviewer presents their report

• Presents report in a simple, structured format• 5 minutes• No open discussion during the reports• Primary decision maker/hiring manager gives report last

• Open discussion about the applicant after all reports are given.

Review Meeting

Cytiva’s Free Webinar series

Previous Webcasts• Sourcing Talent in a Time of Scarcity • Getting the Most Out of Your Recruiting Investment • Six Steps To Implementing Performance Management

Software • Interview Techniques and Strategies for Hiring top

Performers

Upcoming Webcasts• Retention: The Key to a Successful Recruiting Plan

- 11/20/08 10-11 AM PT

Register at: www.sonicrecruit.com/company/events.htm

http://www.sonicrecruit.com/company/events.htm

“Building an Effective Referral Program to Source Quality Hires”

Cytiva Software Inc. offers a wide variety of products and services to help you get the most out of your recruiting efforts.

Talent Acquisition System• Custom career sites• Employee referral management• Career agents• Ad posting and tracking • Manager self-service• Contact management/Outlook integration• EEO/OFCCP compliance• Vendor Management Module• Onboarding Module• Hourly Recruiting System

Consulting SonicPerform Performance Management SystemTo learn more contact: David FreemanTalent Management Solutions Consultant877-775-0888www.sonicrecruit.com

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