1. Death by Interview
In January, the ADP National Employment Report reported that private sector employment
increased by 215,000 jobs between November and December 2012, including the addition
of 14,000 jobs in the financial sector. With so many jobs being added, chances are you’re
searching for someone to fill a spot on your team. If that’s the case, then you already know
this: hiring the right person is hard.
According to a recent survey by Right Management, proper hiring creates a good team.
Turnover has financial costs, but also has indirect costs, such as lost productivity that leads
to morale problems. The number one thing that creates team problems is the rush to hire a
replacement.
Therefore, managers are constantly searching for the secret to hiring the right employees.
They want a “killer question” that will reveal the true ability of the candidate during the
interview. They use quirky problems or puzzles they think will identify the creative and
enthusiastic candidates. They spend thousands of dollars on multiple interviews thinking
that surely, somewhere during the sixth interview, the candidate’s actual personality will
be divulged, if only inadvertently.
The problem with this approach is that it cannot provide accurate information for a couple
of reasons. First, the interviewer overestimates his or her ability to determine a candidate’s
skill set based on a resume and interviews. Second, few companies identify in advance the
factors they want to evaluate and measure in the interview.
The desire to get good information from interviews is understandable since most managers
have made at least one expensive hiring mistake that cost thousands of dollars to fix and
led to bad outcomes for the organization. And because managers in virtually every
organization use interviews to help make hiring decisions, it makes sense to explore the
challenges and benefits of the interview. The following are tips on how to demystify the
hiring process and make the best hire for your team.
Deconstructing the Interview
Like other hiring decision tools such as resume reviews, paper-and-pencil exams, writing
samples, and personality assessments, the interview is considered a test. Therefore, design
interviews carefully and use them consistently with candidates. Interviews come in many
shapes and sizes: one-to-one, panel interviews, multiple interviews, candidate
presentations, or a combination.
There are certain factors that make interviewing difficult.

2. First, you need to identify the specific characteristics to evaluate in an interview; these
could include communication style, technical skills, personal presentation and industry
knowledge. You should be able to articulate what a “good interview response” will look
like.
Second, the environment in which the interview is conducted, as well as the interview
process itself can affect the interviewer, the candidate, and the outcome of the interview.
You can subtly set the tone for the interview based on where you choose to hold it. While
the standard conference room might be a strong initial consideration, reflect on the values
you want brought to the job. If you are looking for a more casual, personable candidate you
might consider holding the interview in a less formal location. Also, consider that the
interviewer is a component of the environment. Studies show that similarities between a
candidate and an interviewer can alter the exchange significantly. Regardless of what you
choose, it is important to standardize the environment for all candidates to ensure
reasonably accurate comparisons.
There is no silver bullet, no killer question, and no trick or puzzle that will provide a look at
the “real” person. However, there are some proven steps that you can take to improve data
gathered from an interview.
Step One: Interview Structure
Begin by cleaning up the structure of the interview itself. The problem is that too many
managers conduct unstructured interviews even when their organizations have a formally
adopted process of structured, behavioral interviewing. Unstructured interviews lead to
discrepancies when attempting to compare the interview of one candidate with others or
with successful past hires.
Step Two: Metrics
Next, decide what metrics will be used to evaluate each candidate. The metrics will change
based on the job. A programmer will obviously face criteria different than a copywriter.
The point is to ensure that applicants applying for a specific job are measured using the
same constructs. It is helpful to conduct some analysis to determine precisely what the
updated description of a particular job will be. Companies that put protocols in place for
hiring a web developer in 2003 will almost certainly get an inaccurate view into a
candidate’s viability if those same protocols are used today.
Step Three: Equip the Interviewer
Once you have determined what skills to evaluate, train the people who will be involved in
the interviewing and doing the evaluating. Whether you rely on an individual interviewer

3. or a panel, training is needed in effective interview techniques and, more important,
instructions on sticking to the constructs you identified and put in place.
The goal is objective assessment of each candidate; and while there will always be an
element of subjectivity, it must be constrained to fit the criteria that best matches the
company’s hiring goals. While it may be the case that an interviewer got a good feeling from
a candidate following an off-topic conversation, it will be impossible to analyze those
results. Prepare your interviewer or interview panel to be both personable and precise.
Step Four: Set a Schedule
Next, consider the amount of time necessary to successfully complete the hiring “project.”
While it is true that in most companies hiring is an ongoing process without a distinct end,
people’s time does have a distinct value. If you find that the amount of time spent on the
hiring process is excessive relative to the value delivered, then it is time to streamline the
process. Tracking time to this task will give you insight into exactly which activities
employees are engaging in so that you can choose which are extraneous and costly.
Step Five: Effective Documentation
Finally, make sure that your documentation systems are sufficient and up to date. There is
nothing more frustrating than attempting to interpret hastily scrawled information on a
sticky note. Given the proliferation of mobile devices, there is no reason to skimp on
interview note taking. This may mean having one member of your interview panel (or a
separate employee) responsible for taking specific notes during an interview. If both
parties are comfortable, it might also be worthwhile to record the interview so responses
can be shared with 100 percent accuracy later on. Remember, the notes should reflect the
judgment criteria established for the job role.
While an entirely objective approach to hiring is impossible to achieve, you can structure
the interview so that all candidates are interviewed in a consistent and thoughtful way.
Moving away from “gut instinct” hiring and toward a more measurable and scientific
approach will yield positive results for your company.
Reference Link: http://businessedge.michcpa.org/issue/article.aspx?i=v10n3&a=622&s=MI