Effective interviewing takes careful planning and execution so that your hiring decisions are based on relevant and sound information – not on superficial cues or first impressions.
Here are five things that you should do to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your interviewing process:
- Develop a structure for the interview. Start by defining the key requirements of the position, then create interview questions based on these requirements. Use the same questions for all candidates. If there is more than one interviewer, the questions should still be consistent and target the same job requirements. Often interviewers have their own favorite questions they always like to ask. In order to ensure objectivity, either eliminate these questions or review them to see if they should be included in the standard interview.
- Establish standards for non-verbal cues. It’s inevitable that body language, mannerisms and appearance cause us to perceive people either more positively or negatively depending on our interpretation. Although these can provide useful information, they can also create biases. So your standards for non-verbal cues should be based on what’s acceptable – or not acceptable – in your business culture.
- Manage interviewer consistency. Let’s face it – not all interviewers are effective. Most of them have never been trained, and some acquire information better than others. To improve consistency, interviewers should cite specific statements and examples from the candidates. Use these, not hunches, to support evaluations.
- Provide candidates with information about your company. They leave the interview with their own impressions and judgments. While you’re making a choice about them, they also making choices about the job and your company. It’s helpful to supplement the interview with more information and to allow for follow-up questions to be answered.
Improving the efficiency and consistency of your interview process not only increases the likelihood of selecting the best person for the job, but it also increases your ability to attract candidates to your company.