Summer 2014
Are Your Managers Great Interviewers? Carmen Hudson, Principal Consultant, Recruiting Toolbox
Last year, I trained over 500 hiring managers and interviewers on the art and science of behavioral and situational interviewing. While each 6-hour workshop was delivered to managers from different organizations, different disciplines, even different companies, I noticed similar patterns and questions emerged from every group. I started each session by asking if there were any expert interviewers in the room. Not one manager claimed to be an expert interviewer. Despite tenure, experience or team size, the managers said that interviewing was an area in which they knew needed improvement. A well-respected technology director admitted that for him, hiring was a “roll of the dice.” As the rest of the room nodded their heads, he shared that he was pretty good at assessing technical abilities, but was “clueless” when it came to determining company fit, work ethic, communication or other “soft skills.” As I concluded each workshop, I began to make a short list of steps that recruiters and HR organizations could take to improve managers’ confidence in their ability to interview and assess candidates. Indeed, when applied, these steps will improve the overall interview process and even the candidate experience.
“Loosely” Structure the Interview Process We are big advocates of asking behavioral (experiencedbased, past-oriented) interview questions combined with situational (hypothetical, future-oriented) to get a well-rounded view of candidates’ experience and decisionmaking approach. For most professional positions, I am not a big fan of asking every candidate the same set of questions (structured interviewing), as proper behavioral interviewing is specific and takes each candidates’ unique experience (as well as the job requirements) into account. Even worse, I despise an interview process that leaves the question-asking to chance, and risks candidates having to answer the same questions over and over. A better approach involves a bit of pre-work, in which the manager thoughtfully selects the interview team and assigns interview focus areas to each interviewer. This approach results in richer feedback and a broader, deeper basis upon which to make decisions about candidates.
My answer? First, I always say, they should relax and listen. Few candidates set out to intentionally deceive interviewers. If the managers employ behavioral interviewing techniques properly, they will surely root out lies, fibs and overstated accomplishments. Getting specific is the key to successful interviewing. Carefully reading a candidate’s resume and asking questions based on the candidate’s experience forces the candidate to pull fresh examples from memory and to supply details that ring true. Consider this typical behavioral question vs. a custom-designed behavioral question.
What was the most difficult problem you solved at your last job? When you worked for Acme, you led the software migration project. At what point did the migration become challenging? The first question might elicit some useful information and after 20 minutes of follow-up questions, an interviewer should have a general idea of the candidates’ problem solving abilities and the scope of his or her responsibilities. Is it enough information to confidently make a decision about the candidate’s abilities in this area? The second question forces the candidate to speak about specific experience. Follow-up questions will yield even more specific examples and facts and are much more difficult to fake.
Coach Managers to “Live in the Moment”
During the workshops, I get managers to practice their follow-up questioning, another key element of successful behavioral interviewing. I can almost see their confidence growing as they hurl follow-up questions at me: How long did the migration take? What were the initial expectations? Who else was involved with managing the project? Were you the only leader? Who was on the project team? Why was that part challenging? How did you resolve the problem? What would you do to prevent that problem from happening again? Was the migration successful? How did you measure ROI?
In almost every workshop, managers asked, “how do I know if a candidate is telling the truth?” Managers were extremely afraid of being bamboozled by interviewers who were “good talkers” or who intentionally misrepresented their abilities.
Getting the hang of it, they slip into situational questions: We’re expecting to launch a similar migration project, how long will It take you to create a project plan? What would the project plan include?
NAHCR • P.O. Box 14365 • Lenexa, KS 66285-4365 • Phone: 913.895.4627 • Fax: 913.895.4652 • Email: nahcr@goAMP.com
Summer 2014 Do you have any exposure to our technology? What would you need to learn about it? Did you enjoy managing a project of this scale? Do you object to working with legacy technologies? Great probing, or follow-up questioning, takes practice. In every workshop, there are a few awkward moments where managers flounder and ask throwaway questions before finding their follow-up groove. Expert follow-up questioning compels interviewers to employ active listening, to live in the moment and to concentrate on the candidate’s particular experience.
Eliminate “Culture Fit” and “Gut Feel” from Your Vocabulary I have learned that many managers are either extremely uncomfortable evaluating interpersonal skills or competencies or are overly reliant on concepts like “gut feel,” “likeability” or the dreaded “beer test” (would I enjoy having a beer with this candidate?) The problem is that managers do not have precise language for the attributes necessary to succeed in a particular culture or position. For example, in a company that moves quickly to respond to technology and market changes, it is critical that employees operate comfortably amidst change. While most managers recognize the necessity of hiring people who easily adapt to change in such an environment, many managers don’t know how to interview for this trait. Helping the managers clearly articulate the behaviors associated with adaptability, and getting them to define the acceptable standards of adaptability, must occur before they can develop effective behavioral and situational interview questions.
Insist on Preparation and Interview Debrief Meetings Tacking on additional time to the interview process is a tough sell. Many managers view interviewing as a necessary evil, not a critical skill core to effective leadership. Yet, time spent prepping interviewers (assigning focus areas, ensuring that everyone is aligned on the job description, getting clear on logistics and schedules) is time well spent. Getting interview teams together to discuss the outcome (positive or negative) of an interview is a great way for managers to observe the interviewing and assessment skills of the team, demonstrate leadership, calibrate and align candidate assessment and ensure that the hiring process leads to bringing top talent in the door. HR or Recruiting can use these opportunities to offer coaching, learn about the growth needs of the organization and identify leaders passionate about recruiting. The ability to interview and assess candidates is critical to most organizations today. Yet, many managers admit that they do not feel they have sufficient skills to make hiring decisions confidently. As HR professionals, it is our job to ensure that leaders, managers and interviewers develop their interviewing muscles. In today’s competitive landscape, most companies cannot afford to allow managers who are “clueless” to make important hiring decisions. Carmen Hudson is currently Principal Consultant and Trainer at Recruiting Toolbox. Prior to joining Recruiting Toolbox, she was a recruiting leader at Yahoo, Starbucks, Microsoft and Amazon. com. She currently consults with companies on recruiting and sourcing strategy, employer branding and social media. She can be reached at carmen@recruitingtoolbox.com, or connect via LinkedIn or Twitter.
NAHCR • P.O. Box 14365 • Lenexa, KS 66285-4365 • Phone: 913.895.4627 • Fax: 913.895.4652 • Email: nahcr@goAMP.com