Conducting Interviews

Topics covered in this section:

• Key Objectives of the Interview

1. How to Conduct an  Interview
2. The Behavioural Based Interview
3. An Assessment Tool (PDF)
4. Subjective Side to Interviewing
5. Do's and Don'ts for Questions Related to Human Rights Issues

Key Objectives of the Interview

• To establish whether the candidate is suitable for employment and what are his or her particular talents
• Obtain information about the candidate that will assist in the prediction of future performance and in the overall selection decision
• Inform the candidate of all pertinent details regarding the position, ensuring a fair hearing and providing an accurate picture of the position and the organization
• Determine whether there is a personal chemistry between the candidate and his or her co-workers

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How to Conduct and Interview

Over the years, recruiters have established  a technique that is proven and works well when applied in the order described below.   It is the Standard Six Point Technique:

1. Establish Rapport
2. Set the Agenda 
3. Gather Predictive Information 
4. Describe the Job and the Organization 
5. Answer Questions and Allow Input
6. Conclude the Interview

A noteworthy comment here is that the principles behind these six steps are transportable and can be used for guidance, coaching and conducting performance reviews as well.

How do we establish rapport? 

By removing barriers between people and leveling the playing field. Psychologists describe an imbalance in group dynamics as situational power. A person in a group who perceives that one has more power than the other, cannot partake in an honest exchange of information. Only when there is a semblance of equality between peers can an honest exchange of information occur. The role of the interviewer is to eliminate all symbols of power. The first step is to use first names and avoid titles. Titles are intimidating and mean nothing to someone outside the organization. Smile and shake hands. Use an introduction like: "Hi, I'm John, I would like you to meet Bill, and Bob, the other members of the group". Offer coffee or water. Hang up the coat, invite the candidate to sit. Remember that the applicant is nervous, doesn't know you or the organization, and wants to make a good impression. Once seated, engage the applicant in about 5 or 6 minutes of small talk to relax him or her. Small talk should center on the applicants hobbies, sports, or interests that may be listed on the resume. It is the interviewer's role to flush out areas of small talk. You will find in small talk, that one question flows to another, and before long the applicant is talking enthusiastically about a favorite hobby or sport.

Set the Agenda & Describe the Organization and the Job

At this point, the interviewer should explain that the interview is confidential, explain the agenda, indicate how long the interview will take, and mention that from time to time you may take notes to ensure you remember important information. One example might be: "Jack, I want you to know that this interview is confidential.  What we're going to do is ask you some questions to find out more about you and your experience,  tell you a bit about the organization and the job, and then answer any questions you may have. So if everyone is ready, why don't we get started." 

Gathering predictive information

Gathering predictive information involves asking questions, about whether an applicant can do the job, that are based on the person's education, experience and aptitude. Direct questions can best elicit this kind of information; eg. "What research experience have you had?" Questions about whether the applicant will do the job deal with the person's motivation to do this job. Questions about what motivated the person in the past can elicit this type of information; eg. "What did you particularly like or dislike about your last job?"

The areas of assessment that will be most useful in predicting future job performance are:

1. Early years of development
2. Education
3. Experience
4. Current life

Education: 

Questions should focus on opportunities and achievements, both academic and social. The following influences can bring out the major experiences  of this period of life:  school, teachers, subjects, activities, classmates, special achievements. By asking questions about the above the following can be assessed:

• opportunities which were available
• use of the available opportunities
• self-motivation
• achievement levels
• academic and social stability

Experience: 

Questions should focus on effects of jobs chosen, responsibilities and duties at work, satisfiers and dissatisfiers in previous jobs, relationships with superiors, peers and subordinates, and special achievements. By asking questions about these, the following can be assessed:

• Positive and negative feelings the applicant has about past jobs
• The types of responsibilities he/she most enjoys
• Relationships with others at work

Current Life: 

Current life is a result of past opportunities and experiences, and the directions a person has chosen.  Questions about current life should be concerned with the effects of the following, if related to the selection criteria:

• Off-the-job activities
• Health situations which may prevent an employee from performing essential components of the job
• Long and short-term goals and aspirations

Questioning

 Questions are of two types: directive and non-directive.

Directive questions limit the response to a choice or to a yes or no answer. Generally, directive questions should be avoided except when the applicant is not giving adequate information, or when the non-directive questions fail. An example of a directive question is: "Do you prefer to supervise or to do research?"

The non-directive question allows the applicant to answer freely without being forced to make a choice or respond with a yes or no answer.  An example of a non-directive question is: "What aspects of your current job do you prefer? and Why?"

Questions can be asked in a number of ways.  Three ways that are particularly effective in gaining useful information are:

1. Comparison /Contrast: How would you compare your job satisfaction between working as a supervisor and working as a research technician?
2. Situation / Problem: Suppose that you made a commitment to a project leader that, upon trying to meet, you found would require your staff to work overtime and would therefore exceed the budget for your department, what would you do?
3. Self-Evaluation: What special qualities do you see in yourself that relate to this job?

Concluding the interview

Close the interview by summarizing some of the applicant's strengths, asking for names of references and indicating what will happen next and when.  DO NOT promise, or even insinuate any job offer.  Let the applicant know that you are intervieing other candidates, and that a job offer will only be made once all candidates have been interviewed and their qualifications matched against the selection criteria for the job.  Then, and only then, an offer will be made to the most qualified applicant.  This process may take some time, but let them know that he or she will be notified one way or the other as to the outcome of the process.

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The Behavioural Based Interview

Even Though People Learn and Grow, Their Past Behaviour is Still the Best Predictor of Future Behavior!

THE INTERVIEW remains the key ingredient in almost all selection decisions. The traditional approach attempts to determine the match of a candidate's traits required to perform. For example, if "assertiveness" is a job requirement, the interviewer would assess this characteristic in a candidate and then predict the candidate's ability to be assertive on the job.

Behavioral-based interviewing differs from the trait approach primarily in its emphasis on gaining "behavioral examples." It is based on the premise that the only way to reliably predict performance is to assess past performance. The interviewer asks specific questions about the candidate's past actions that relate to the skills required for the job, then rates the candidate's skills based on these actions. Interviewing is a process. A behavioral approach to interviewing is a planned series of steps that begins with a skills analysis and continues through the rating of a candidate's skills. It reflects the idea that the interview is part of a process, rather than a single event.

The process for a behavioral interview includes steps to complete both before and after the actual interview.

1. Complete a skills analysis for each job
   Construct a job profile showing which skills need to be assessed in the interview. Identifying the skills required to do the job is the initial step toward showing the job-relatedness of the interview - the basis for its legal defensibility.
   
   
2. Develop skill definitions
   Using the job profile, you can then define the job-related skills to reflect essential job requirements. Skill definitions fall into two categories: Technical skills (the "hands-on" skills required by the positions), and Performance skills, (or soft skills - the work habits which reflect the way in which a person does the job). Thoroughly defining these skills is the key to reliable and valid selection decisions, rather than leaving them open to individual interpretation.
   
   
3. Develop interview questions
   After the important skills for the job are defined, a list of questions are developed to be used for the interview to help assess each candidate. Good questions are those which help the candidate provide specific information about skills. Each question should make sense to the typical candidate for a position and be obviously related to the job. Try to avoid question that require a simple yes or no answer. Focus on questions that make the candidate elaborate, or give you a detailed response that you can evaluate. Example: Rather than ask: Are you money motivated? Try: Can you describe what your motivating factors are that drive you to get the job done?
   
   
4. Conduct the interview and gain behavioural examples
   The questions developed are used during the interview to gain information about specific life/work experiences related to the skills for the job. During the interview, encourage the candidate to be specific about life and work experiences. Responses such as "I'm dependable," should lead into more specific life history events. Behavioural examples should contain references to names, dates, numbers, times and locations. Example: You say that you are dependable - will you give us some examples of times when you demonstrated your dependability on the job?
   
   
5. Rate The Skills and Make Decisions
   Each interviewer should rate the candidate's skills for the job following the interview. "The Applicants Assessment Tool" is one example of formulating a rating system. The rating involves a comparison of the candidate's responses/ability with the job-related skill requirements. The selection decision can then be made based on a full understanding of how a candidate’s job-related skills match the job requirements.

The connection between past and future behaviour helps managers feel comfortable with the mission of the interview. Behaviour predicts. Past achievement suggest future creativity, past creativity predicts future stubbornness. Even though people learn and grow, their past behaviour is still the best predictor of future behaviour.

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The Subjective Side of the Interview

On the more subjective side of the interview, you should look for demonstrations of energy, enthusiasm and drive, emotional maturity, desire for the position, loyalty and compatibility, and team-playing capabilities.  As an interviewer, it is also important to remember that one tends to decide on a candidate in the first few minutes of the interview.  It is therefore desirable to be as open-minded as possible and allow the candidate to accurately present his or her accomplishments or abilities.

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Do's and Dont's of Interview Questionning

If an interviewer asks questions that are not directly related to the occupational requirements, and relate to the prohibited grounds listed in the Human Rights Code, then the employer is open to complaints of discrimination by unsuccessful candidates.  A distinction can be drawn between pre-employment and post-employment questions.  Questions that could be considered discriminatory before hiring may be asked afterwards if there is a need for such information.  For example, a candidate's marital status should not be asked before hiring, but may be asked afterwards for taxation purposes or employee benefits. 

The following guidelines lay out the questions that are appropriate and those that are not appropriate during employment interviews:

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