EFFECTIVE INTERVIEWING

(Phase I)

THE RECRUITMENT LANDSCAPE

Some Global Trends….• It’s the age of Employer Branding!

• Best in class employers prioritize internal hiring and support employees who want to move within.

• The highest-performing companies are now pushing more and more responsibility onto the shoulders of hiring managers (training them how to interview) and letting recruiters focus on high-powered sourcing and initial screening. The more “assessment” we push to hiring managers the better.

83% people believe that Employer Brand has a significant impact on ability to hire great talent!• Proactive Sourcing• Pipelining talent

proactively• Structured internal

hiring process and supporting culture

• Investment in employer branding strategy

• Workforce planningRecruiters need to manage the candidate experience!

LinkedIn, Fortune Magazine

(Phase I)

TRAINING AGENDA & OBJECTIVES

What are we going to do?• Day 1• What is an interview and what

can it help us achieve• Different types of interviews

and which one is better• How to prepare for interviews• Analyzing JDs, CVs• Using the right questions• Understanding non verbal signs• How to conduct interviews• Rapport building• Observation skills• Active listening• Dealing with Deception

• Day 2• How to make interviews more

effective• Using the STAR approach• Working with competencies and

behaviorally anchored scales• Handling biases

(Phase II)

INTERVIEWING LANDSCAPE

Interviewing Process

Interview Phase

Pre-Interview Phase

Post-Interview Phase

Interviewer gathers knowledge about the job, CV of applicant

Interviewer establishes pre-interview evaluation of the applicant (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities)

Interviewer identifies areas for further probing

Interviewer conducts the interview Applicant’s

BehaviorInterviewer processes the data from the interview

Interviewer post interview analysis of candidates Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Interviewer final evaluation of candidates Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Definition & Characteristics of an ‘Interview’

“A professional conversation conducted with a specific purpose or goal in mind.”

• It is one of the tools for assessment (and selection for a job)

• It is a fact gathering exercise; collecting evidence• It is neither coaching nor mentoring, and nor an

interrogation• A job interview is a process that allows an

interviewer to assess (and to some extent predict) the future potential for success of a candidate (in a given organization at a given role)

Types of Job Interviews• Traditional• Asking questions like: ‘tell me about yourself?’; ‘What would you do in a

XYZ situation?’• The candidate can get away easily as there is no criteria to assess against

•Unstructured• Interviewer goes with the flow of the candidate, a casual conversation• There is no criteria to judge, no reliability but a lot of personal bias

• Behavioral• Asking questions that elicit specific behaviors that are important for the

job at hand• Past behavior is the best predictor of the future behavior: One can identify

how the candidate will act in a future scenario• Structured• Each candidate goes through the same sequence and questions, less

interviewer discretion• One can easily compare objectively one candidate with another or one

interviewer’s assessment with another

Conducting Interviews

Assuming that the main interview will last for 1 hour, the approximate times for each step of the interview could be:

• Introduction; Job Preview; Rapport building (20 minutes)

•Main Interview (60 minutes)

•Closing/Summarizing; Candidate Questions; Way forward (10 minutes)

Making Interviews Effective

• Focus on objectively defined success behaviors (i.e., competencies)

• Focus on ‘hard-to-learn’ attributes and ‘Hit-The-Ground-Running’ management/technical skills

• Use the 80/20 principle (focus on a few competencies demonstrated consistently over time)

• Ask open-ended questions, listen, encourage & probe (instead of talking & telling)

• Gather evidence about performance from real success stories (not hearsay or opinions)

• Determine what an applicant actually did to succeed (vs. what they think should be done!)

Code of Conduct

• Schedule Interviews in advance (give ample time for candidates and yourself)

• Communicate to the candidates (if there are changes, communicate accordingly)

• Stick to the schedule, be there on time• Set a minimum time, communicate accordingly• Refrain from asking personal questions• Ask questions that the candidate would know (don’t waste

time)• Exhibit objectivity, professionalism and fairness at all

times• Discourage use of cell phones• Choose an appropriate place for the interview (with

minimum interruptions)

(Phase III)

BUILDING INTERVIEWING COMPETENCIES

Building Interviewing Competencies

• Rapport Building• Asking the right questions• Active Listening• Observation Skills• Note Taking

Techniques for Active Listening

• Attacking• Being distracted or using

other body language that is non-attentive• Dismissing or making light of

someone’s statements• Interrupting while the other

person is talking• Lecturing, moralizing• Using ‘Yes….But’ statements

• Asking for more information• Making eye contact, leaning

toward the other person, giving full attention• Showing empathy, validating

the other person’s feelings• Staying silent until the other

person is finished speaking• Withholding judgment• Using ‘Yes….And’ statements

Communication Blockers Communication Enhancers

(Phase IV)

PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW

Position & Role Analysis

• An interviewer needs to spend time understanding the ‘Job’ (JD analysis)• Duties of the position• Compensation range• Location• Work schedules• Benefits

• Interviewer also needs to understand the ‘Success Criteria’ on the job (Competency Analysis)

Structured Interviews-Advantages• Bias is reduced because job relevant questions

are asked• Everyone is asked the same questions so

everyone gets the same opportunity to display their knowledge, skills and attitudes

• Pre-determined anchored rating scales are used to evaluate answers to interview questions. This reduces disagreements among interviewers and increases accuracy of judgments

• Structured interviews allow managers to take part in the selection process in a role with which they are familiar.

The STAR Approach

Situation

Present a recent

challenge and situation in which you

found yourself.

TaskWhat did you

have to achieve?

ActionWhat did you

do?

ResultsWhat was

the outcome of your actions?

What did you achieve

through your actions

The STAR Approach- Sample TemplateCustomer Focus:Responds to internal/external customer needs in a manner that provides added value and generates customer satisfaction

Overall Rating: (1-5)

Planned Behavioral Questions: Tell me about a situation when you had to

prioritize the needs of a particular person or group?

How did you assess the needs of this customer? Describe a situation when you were involved

when a product or service did not match someone’s needs?

Describe a situation when your knowledge and expertise of a product or service was key to helping someone?

Have you been involved in a situation that made a customer feel very satisfied?

Behaviors:• Demonstrates a

sense of urgency when responding to market/customer needs

• Ensures that customer requirements are incorporated into day to day tasks and activities

• Develops tactics and strategies to anticipate and respond to customer’s key needs

Situation Task(enter description of the

situation/task below)

Actions Observed(enter specific observable

behaviors/actions related to situation)

Results/Impact(outline key impacts related to situation

below)

Thank you!