I was recently promoted to a management position at my organization, after six years. I now have to interview candidates to fill my old position, and who will report to me. The online ad has resulted in more than 75 resumés, and now I have to sort through them and hire someone. I have never conducted an interview, although I have been interviewed myself several times in the past, with good and bad results. I’m not sure what should be covered in the interview, and specifically how I decide on the best candidate.
An employment interview is just another type of business meeting, designed to allow an exchange of information between two parties. Your goal as interviewer is to find out specific details about the candidate and their suitability for the job. The candidate’s goal is to find out more about you and your organization. You are not alone in your trepidation about making an effective hiring decision – most hiring managers are not trained on effective interviewing techniques, and the cost of a poor hiring decision can be staggering. There is a real fear of making a poor hiring decision, particularly for new managers. Don’t let this fear get the better of you.
Consider the following points when hiring a new employee:
Review and sort the resumés
Sort through all the resumés you’ve received into three piles: “Yes”; “Maybe”; and “No”. Use the Job Description for the position as a guide to understanding your requirements, and measure the skills, experience, and abilities of the applicants against these requirements. Review the qualifications of each candidate in your “Yes” pile and highlight areas you wish to explore further in an interview situation. Since in this particular case you have done the job yourself, resist the urge to look for your twin. Take the opportunity to reevaluate the skills required to perform the job, and make any adjustments that might be needed.
Call the individuals in the “Yes” pile and arrange for initial interviews. Your target should be to interview between four and eight people maximum.
Preparation and planning are the keys
Many hiring managers feel that since they are the ones in control of the interview process, they do not need to do much preparation for the meeting, and will go with their intuition or “Gut Feel” about the candidates – be warned that this is a VERY unreliable predictor of subsequent effectiveness on the job. Your intuition is important, but you can make more effective hiring decisions by using a formal interview plan that incorporates effective data gathering techniques. In your plan, define your interview objectives, set goals for each interview, and outline several general questions to be asked of all candidates for comparative purposes, as well as targeted questions you may have about specific aspects of a candidate’s experience or skillset. Later you can add other questions that may come up during the interview itself.
Choose an interview style
Your plan should include the identification of an effective interview style, either:
- Traditional (you and the candidate only – the most popular method);
- Panel (a group of interviewers in one meeting) or
- Sequential (candidates move from interviewer to interviewer).
Whichever style you choose to use, don’t ever lose control of the process. You are the manager who will be responsible for this potential new employee, so ultimately you need to show your leadership role during the selection process.
Determine the agenda
A typical interview agenda usually includes:
- Greeting (You are playing the role of the Host, the candidates are your Guests)
- Establishment of Rapport (Engage in general chit-chat to clear the air)
- Set Agenda (Let the interviewee know what the Agenda is)
- Collect Information about Candidate (Ask your prepared questions and any other questions that come to mind)
- Discuss the job and the organization
- Answer any questions that the candidate may have
- Conclude the interview and state the next steps
Use a mix of questions
Include several behavioural questions, such as “Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with a co-worker and how you handled it”, and some purely technical questions, such as “How would you create a fundraising plan from scratch?” to see how each candidate would act in these situations. Your goal is to get as thorough an understanding as possible of the strengths, weaknesses, skills, working style, and personality of each candidate being evaluated. Of course, avoid any illegal questions, such as “Are you married?” or “How old are you?”
During the interview, let the candidate talk while you LISTEN – candidates can often talk their way out of a job simply by saying too much – let these candidates do so! Stay focused and friendly, but continue to probe for any uncertainties or inconsistencies until you are satisfied.
Don’t forget that you are selling the organization as well. Know your facts about the organization’s objectives, and be able to describe what you do, sources of funds, major initiatives, number of offices, staff levels, etc.
Consider using a “score card” to rank how each candidate performs in each of the key responsibility areas. Based on these scores, develop a short list of candidates for second interviews.
Narrow down the field for second interviews
Based on the evaluation of candidates from the first round of interviews, narrow down the field to two or three finalists and ask them in for a second interview. Usually less formal than first interviews, this provides you with another opportunity to determine the suitability of each candidate, and resolve any issues not already addressed. Some organizations value teamwork very highly and will set up second interviews with the incumbent’s potential co-workers. The rules for these interviews should be understood by the other interviewers and reporting relationships clearly understood to avoid confusion.
Next steps
Narrow down further and select the finalist to begin negotiations and formulate an offer of employment. If you have a strong #2 candidate, it is usually best to wait until your first choice accepts your offer before letting them know that they were not chosen.
If your interviewing skills are rusty, practice with someone you know and do a couple of mock interviews to increase your confidence.
Happy Hiring!
Michael Mayne, M.B.A., CMA, is Managing Partner and a Certified Professional Career Counsellor at Catalyst Careers, a Career Transition, Counselling, and Outplacement firm. Michael has been involved in the not-for-profit sector for many years, and is currently President of ALS Canada. To contact Michael, visit: www.catalystcareers.com.
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Disclaimer: Advice and recommendations are based on limited information provided and should be used as a guideline only. Neither the author nor CharityVillage.com make any warranty, express or implied, or assume any legal liability for accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information provided in whole or in part within this article.
