How to make the most of your interview

Tina Wagener

Welcome to Interview Training 101

http://www.stumbleupon.com/demo/?review=1#url=http://www.youtube.com/watch

What not to do in an interview..

Purpose of an Interview

Finding Talent Culture Fit

Succession Planning

Company Awareness

New Ideas

What is an interview?

• Special conversation• Research project• Knowledge gathering• Relationship building

Planning for the interview

Review resume Review interview summary notes Review job description Create / review interview questions

Establishing Rapport

Introduction Review process Tour / dept introduction Remember: make the candidate feel at ease

Direct vs. Open Ended Questions

• More details and information• Insight to motivations

• Discover behavioral traits• Understand resourcefulness

Example:

"What experience do you have working with personal computers, specifically with spreadsheet, word processing, and data base software and what packages are you most familiar with?"

Multiple Questions

Reflective Questions

? Gain additional information? Clarify issues? Avoids misjudgment? Ask for more information

Leading Questions

X Giving away the answer in a questionX Ask them the question firstX Will tell you what you want to hear

Behavior Based Interviewing

Past behavior is the best predictor of future performance.

Forget the “dating behavior” – chemistry

Allowing Time to Answer

Require an answer Lack of important information Side stepping Silence is your friend

Making Promises

• Bonus promises• Promises of promotion• Job guarantee• False expectations

Failure to Listen

• Ringing phone• Email ding• Tapping of pen or pencil• Looking at work on desk

Conference roomMaintain eye contact

Show interest

Lack of Documentation

• Prevents legal liability• Improves decision making

• Use scorecard• Good for multiple candidates

Interviewing Situations

Must I ask each person the same interview questions?

If I know right away that this is not the candidate for me, must I continue with the entire interview?

What do I do if the candidate tells me something that is inappropriate or personal?

How long should an interview last?

Some candidates talk in paragraphs instead of sentences. How can I regain control of the interview if this happens?

What do I do if an applicant won’t talk to me? Sometimes the person appears to be very nervous and answers with just "yes" or "no" or brief responses.

Illegal Topics

• Age

• Arrest record

• Association with present employer

• Bankruptcy and credit affairs

• Disability

• Driver’s license

• Emergency contact info

• English language skills

• Height and weight

• Marital status, children

• Organization

• Protected class

• Veteran status

• Weekend work

Closing of Interviews

• Ask if they have any questions• State next steps

– Recruiter to follow up• Do not promise another interview• Do not give them false hopes in regards to

an offer

Hiring Manager Costly Mistakes

• The opening: Hearing that their time is valued

• Differentiating between things candidates can learn on the job (i.e. specific skills) and qualities that aren’t likely to change

• Not asking for clarification• Not drilling down enough

Key Questions for Managers• Could you explain the company’s organizational structure?

• What’s the company's plan for the near future, and how does your department fit into it.

• Will you be expanding or bringing on new products or new services?

• What are your worst problems?

• What major skills and abilities will I need to succeed in this job?

• What attracted you to working for this organization?

• How will my responsibilities and performance be measured?

• What are the day-to-day responsibilities I’ll be assigned?

Scoring of Candidates

Fun Stuff – CareerBuilder Top 10

• Candidate answered cell phone and asked the interviewer to leave her own office because it was a "private" conversation.

• Candidate told the interviewer he wouldn't be able to stay with the job long because he thought he might get an inheritance if his uncle died - and his uncle "wasn't looking too good."

• Candidate asked the interviewer for a ride home after the interview. • Candidate smelled his armpits on the way to the interview room. • Candidate said she could not provide a writing sample because all of her writing had

been for the CIA and it was "classified." • Candidate told the interviewer he was fired for beating up his last boss. • When applicant was offered food before the interview he declined, saying that he

didn't want to line his stomach with grease before going out drinking. • A candidate for an accounting position said she was a "people person," not a

"numbers person." • Candidate flushed the toilet while talking to the interviewer during a phone interview. • Candidate took out a hair brush and brushed her hair mid-interview.

   I had a job interview at an insurance company once and the lady said, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” and I said, “Celebrating the fifth year anniversary of you asking me this question”

Fun Stuff

Questions?