To make smart hiring decisions, you
have to know what to look for.
Regardless of how strong a candidateís
professional background or track record is,
hiring decisions can be largely influenced on
how well he or she comes across during the
interview process. Whether youíre discussing
a manager, director, vice president, or
president-level opportunity.
Finding out about prior positions,
accomplishments, promotions and job
transitions in a typical first, in-person
interviewówhich on average lasts about one
houróis a challenge. There are obvious
limitations on how much can be conveyed.
Limitations aside, there are key things
that you should be looking for.
What is your organization looking
for?
Fit with position. Does he or she
have the experience and requisite skills base
to do this job?
Leadership. Will he/she grab hold
of the challenge, create a ìsuccessî plan and
motivate the organization to execute?
Identify and take advantage of meaningful
opportunities?
Intelligence. Understand the
complexities of the business? Is he or she
able to ìfigure it out?î Have the ability to
advance in your organization long-term?
Results. Will the candidate
accomplish what he or she is brought in to
do? Gain the support and cooperation of
others in the organization? Remain focused
on the objectives? Willing to go ìthe extra
mileî to make it happen?
Team Player. Will he/she be part
of the team or a lone ranger? Work well and
get along with others? Is this an individual
we can rely on? Be willing to give credit to
others?
Chemistry. Is this someone we
ìfeelî comfortable with? Would we enjoy
working with him or her on a day-to-day
basis? Communicate with easily and
effectively? Do we have, or share something
in common?
Cultural fit. Does he/she relate
to, and embrace, the style in which we do
business? Do we share many of the same
values that have helped make us successful?
Potential. Does the candidate have
the makeup to take on a larger, more
responsible role with the organization?
Interest and enthusiasm. Does this
person really want to work with us, or is he
or she just interviewing? Is the candidate
serious, asking particularly insightful
questions? Is there real enthusiasm?
Value. Based on what we know about
this candidate and others we have seen, do we
believe the compensation package we are
offering is appropriate?
Suggestions for the interviewer
Youíre responsible for creating a calm
and respectful atmosphere, one in which
the candidate never feels threatened. There
is a direct relationship between how
comfortable and secure a candidate feels and
how much sensitive information he or she is
willing to reveal.
Carefully re-read the candidateís
resume before the interview. Make
marginal notes where further amplification is
indicated. Do not read the resume during
the interview. Candidates may be
offended if they suspect this information has
not been reviewed earlier.
We suggest dividing the face-to-face
interview into three parts. First,
put the candidate at ease, i.e., ìmake
friendsî; second, evaluate by asking
questions and responding to candidateís
issues; and third, sell: your company,
people, and opportunityówhen appropriate.
Be sure to save at least 15 minutes of
your allocated time for the candidateís
questions. The type of questions
posed will tell you a lot about the
candidate. (You may want to tell the
candidate at the start of the interview that
he/she can feel free to raise questions as
they come to mind throughout the interview.
Then you can allow less time at the end of
the interview.)
Building rapport
Making the candidate comfortable is
very important. The best interviews take
place with the fewest possible inhibitors and
power symbols. For example:
- Encourage the use of first names.
- Take off your coat, and encourage the
candidate to do the same.
- Share something personal with the
candidate so that he/she will know you are a
real person; you may want to start the
interview with a brief (less than a minute)
personal introduction (name, background,
etc.).
- Use information from the resume to
identify areas of mutual interest; for
example, ìI noticed you are a runner. How
often do you ... ?î
If the candidate is not relaxed, every
reaction may be distorted. Putting the
candidate at ease facilitates
self-disclosure.
The interview
Interviewing has everything to do with
ìartful listening.î Most candidates
arrive with a set of facts they wish to
offer, and some they wish to hide. The less
talking the interviewer does, the more time
there is for the interviewee to get past the
ìprogrammed informationî and into who he/she
really is. Silence can be an extremely
effective crowbar.
Too many ìyesî or ìnoî answers may
indicate that questions are not being phrased
correctly. Starting questions with words
like ìWhyî, ìWhatî, or ìHowî should get the
candidate to open up.
25 Sample Questions (5 listed
here)
- Tell me about yourself. (Review past
positions, education, early influences, and
other strengths.)
- What do you know about (your company)?
- Why are you interested in becoming (your
company) next (title)? How do your
qualifications match the requirements of the
job? (Note candidateís desire to work for
the company.)
- What are the most significant
accomplishments in your career so far?
- Describe a situation in which your work
or you were criticized. How did you solve
the situation and how did you become a better
person because of it?
Executive Search International