The Interview and Selection Process- The Interview

YOU BETTER KNOW THE LAW
I have always been a strong supporter of supervisors being allowed to either conduct or participate in the interviews being done for openings in their department. This requires the manager to ensure that the supervisor receives proper training on acceptable and illegal questions for an interview.

Many companies now provide interview guides for their leaders to follow. This minimizes the risk of the interviewer asking an illegal question during the interview. Unfortunately, illegal questions can inadvertently be asked during the casual conversation that occurs before and after the interview. Some examples include:

• I went to Smith College too, when did you graduate?
• I have two kids, a boy and a girl. Do you have any children? Do you plan on having kids?
• I just came back from a trip to New York with my husband. Are you married?
• How long have you lived in Smithville? Where were you born?
• I happened to notice your address and you live right down the street from my church. Do you go to XYZ church?
• I love your accent, where were you born?

If your company provides interview outlines, you need to follow them. Make sure any casual conversations that occur with the candidate do not touch on subjects relating to the following as any of these topics:

• Race
• Color
• Sex
• Religion
• National origin
• Birthplace
• Age
• Disability
• Marital or family status

Failure to hire a candidate based on any of these characteristics is considered discriminatory and is illegal. Even if your casual line of questioning, or idle chit chat was not used to discriminate against the candidate, you will have to prove it in the event a candidate pursues legal action. And trust me, the last thing you want is to have all of your interview practices, notes and general information scrutinized by human resources, an outside agency or an attorney.

Many human resource departments have training classes or materials prepared for training new leaders on effective (and legal) interview techniques. I would also suggest you check out the many resources on the internet. There are a number of quality sites which provide specific information about illegal interview questions. Several sites also provide you with an alternative manner for asking the question.

PUT YOURSELF IN THE CANDIDATE’S SHOES

We have all experienced an interview from the opposite side of the desk, when we were in the role of interviewee. It can be incredibly nerve racking, with many questions are running through a candidate’s mind. Candidates are sweating everything from doubting their choice of interview clothing to wondering if they have coffee breath. They will be trying to picture themselves working in the environment and reporting to someone like you. The whole sensory experience is pretty incredible when you think about it.

GET YOURSELF IN THE RIGHT MINDSET

Your job is to prepare for this interview as if it was the most important meeting you had to attend that day. You may think that is a bit silly, but you must remember that if this candidate ends up being a perfect fit for your open position, you are going to want them to have an interest in joining your team. Going into the interview late or unprepared, sends a terrible message and leads the candidate to assume that this is your typical mode of operation. After all, what else do they have to draw on? This is actually a perfect illustration of how we lead by example.

IT’S INTERVIEW TIME

Most experienced interviewers have many war stories about crazy things that have happened to them during the interview process. Whether a candidate acts out inappropriately, or says the most outrageous things, your job as a leader is to remain calm and maintain a high level of professionalism. Remember, no matter what happens, you are representing your organization.

Also keep in mind that candidates that do not make the cut could very well become a customer, contractor or vendor for your company. Being respectful at all times enhances your reputation as a leader and strengthens your relationships with everyone you come in contact with.

Introductions, please

As you initially address the candidate, be sure to introduce yourself and shake their hand. Express your appreciation for the fact that they took the time to come and meet with you. Inform the candidate of where the interview will be taking place. If there will be someone else present in the room during the interview, make sure you introduce them as well.

Once in the interview location, show the candidate to their seat. Begin by providing the candidate with a brief overview of your role and the position you are currently interviewing for. DO NOT give away too many details about the job, as professional interviewees can easily take your description and craft their answers around the description you gave. Also be sure to tell the candidate that you want them to take as much time as they need to answer your questions, and let the candidate know that you will actively be taking notes.

Question Phase

During the question phase of the interview, it is not uncommon for candidates to be extremely nervous. It is your job to make them feel as comfortable as possible. This is critical for getting the details you need regarding their skills, talents and overall personality. The more the candidate opens up, the better assessment you can make as to the fit of the candidate with the job, department and organization.

If the candidate stumbles on any of your questions or cannot give an answer, feel free to repeat the question and allow them additional time to answer. Also remind them to take as much time as they need to think of an answer. This may help to jog their memory. If the candidate completely misunderstands what you are asking, be respectful and gently redirect them back to the original question.

BEHAVIORAL BASED INTERVIEWING

Behavioral based interviewing requires candidates to provide concrete examples of when, where, why and how they have applied the skills they claim to possess. There are many ‘professional interviewees’ out there who can effectively use their personalities to dazzle even the most experienced interviewer. If you stick to behavioral based interview questions, you can quickly separate the amateurs from the experts.

When using behavioral based interview questions, your use of active listening skills will be critical. Once the question is asked, you will want to listen for an answer that includes the following: 

• A situation the candidate has been directly involved in- If the candidate can easily relate the question to an experience they have had in the workplace, you can be relatively assured that they have experience with that element of questioning
• The tasks or activities involved in the situation- If the candidate can easily go into detail about how they dealt with the situation, you have insight into how they utilize their problem solving skills in the workplace.
• The outcome of the situation- This allows you to gain an understanding of the results that were achieved through the efforts of the candidate.

Although you can never really know whether a candidate is being completely honest and forthright with you about their experience, utilizing behavioral based interviewing techniques can get you as close to the truth as possible.

NOTES OR NO NOTES….THAT IS THE QUESTION

Companies differ in their expectations on note taking during an interview. Whether your company expects you to take thorough notes, or prefers minimal note taking, the key is understanding that anything you write on a piece of paper regarding an interview is legally discoverable. Notes of any kind will either help or hurt your company’s case when it comes to an employment charge or legal action. Here are several key things to remember when it comes to documentation for interviews:

• Notes must be legible- An employment charge or legal action could occur long after you have left the position or the company. Make sure your notes can be read by others.
• Notes must be related to the question being asked of the candidate- I have seen random notes that have nothing to do with the question at hand. It is hard to know whether the candidate gave that as an answer, or whether the note was some type of a reminder for the interviewer. This can muddy the waters down the road.
• Never make side notes or comments that could be construed as discriminatory- I have seen little notes on the side of interview guides that were used to remind the interviewer of which candidate they were talking to. Things like ‘skinny blond’, ‘heavy set guy’, ‘Asian dude’, etc. are completely inappropriate on any type of employment or company document. 
• Be consistent with your note taking - If you are taking notes, then consistently take notes. Do not take a random note on one question and nothing on any other questions. Also, do not take notes on one candidate and elect not to take any notes on another.

The key to note taking is always thinking about how you could defend your selection when comparing the interview notes for all candidates that were considered for the position. Let’s face it, you are not going to hire ALL of the people you interview, and if one of them feels like they were not hired for a discriminatory reason – regardless of the truth - then you may very well be sitting in a deposition where you will have a lot of explaining to do.

CONCLUDING THE INTERVIEW
At the conclusion of the interview, make sure you ask the candidate if they have any questions. Answer as honestly as possible without getting into too much detail, especially when it comes to salary. At a supervisory level, your hands are often tied when it comes to salary negotiations anyway. I would also be careful to show too much emotion regarding how the interview went. Don’t make any promises for a follow-up interview, because things can change at a moment’s notice in every work environment. The candidate can just be pleasantly surprised when they get a call for a follow-up interview or a job offer.

SUMMARY

It has been a long road just to get to the point of facilitating the interview. The thing to remember is that you need to be as interested in the candidate as you expect the candidate to be interested in you. Being respectful of the candidate’s time, and treating them with dignity and respect are minimum expectations of all leaders. Keep in mind, the candidate that is ultimately selected for the position will incorporate their interview experience into their overall impression of you and the organization. The more pleasant the experience, the more likely the candidate is to be successful if they end up with the position.