Interviewing

A Framework for Managers

What are the objectives of an interview ?

• Gather relevant information about the candidate

- What they have to offer; skills, abilities and knowledge
- Who they are; their personality, character, interests
- Why hire them; they have what the job role requires
• Describe the job, role, responsibilities and expectations to the
candidate
• Assess the fit of the candidate
• Educate the candidate about the organization and it’s
corporate culture
• Answer any questions the candidate may have
Interview Preparation Checklist for Hiring Managers

• Do I know what the Job description involves ?

• Can I explain the role & responsibilities to the candidate?
• Have I read the candidates’ resumes thoroughly ?
• Do I have a list of interview questions pertaining to the role
being interviewed for ?
• Have I taken relevant inputs from all stakeholders ?
• Can I answer questions about perks and benefits ?
• Can I confidently talk about the company’s mission & vision,
strategy and structure ?
Before the
interview
1. Schedule the interviews and inform candidates by phone and/or email.
2. Make bookings for meeting rooms etc., as applicable. Choose a quiet and
private space free of distractions so you can speak without losing focus
on the conversation.
3. Study the job description, the role and responsibilities and all other
relevant details and establish what you are looking for in a candidate.
4. Read resumes thoroughly and make notes
5. Review the job description, discuss and get inputs from all stakeholders
to ensure everyone is on the same page regarding the ideal candidate
6. Prepare a list of standard questions, focusing on the candidate’s skills
and past work experience.
7. Determine measurable criteria for assessing technical/process skills
8. Have a response evaluation strategy. You must ask yourself and other
team members what constitutes a good response.
9. Select the best interview style/technique for the role being interviewed
for
10. Prepare & practice
11. Arrange for a member of staff (or yourself) to meet the candidates on the
In the Interview
Introduction
Greet the candidate pleasantly, shake their hand and be courteous. Be polite, friendly and sincere.
Offer a drink. It helps the candidate calm their nerves and relax.
Opening the conversation
Open the conversation on a professional yet friendly note. Make neutral small talk to break the ice.
Outline the interview structure for the candidate. Providing this structure early on sets up the
parameters of the interview, keeps you both focused, and gives the candidate an idea of what to
expect.
State what made the candidate’s profile interesting to your company. Provide an introduction to the
company and the role.
Start with a straightforward, simple question that will help the candidate to ease into the conversation.
Choose your questions wisely. As you go along, change your tactics based on how the candidate
answers your questions.
-Ask open ended questions with alternatives that allow the candidate to answer thoroughly.
-Ask follow-up questions that push past prepared answers and force your candidate to think
decisively on demand.
-Ask behavioral questions; they are a great way to tap into a candidate’s potential.
Listen intently and carefully. Take notes but also maintain focus on the conversation as you do.
Do not interrupt when the candidate is speaking. If you have a question or need clarification on
something, wait for them to finish speaking.
Don’t talk too much during the interview process. Let the candidate do most of the talking. The
rule of thumb is to not be the next person to speak after you ask a question. While the silence
may be deafening, you give the interviewee a real chance of answering it, without robbing the
question of its power.
Pay attention to your candidate’s body language. It can tell a lot about them.

Wrapping up the interview

Thank the candidate for their time.
As an employment branding best practice, as you wrap up the interview, be clear on how and
when you will follow up with the candidate to notify him or her of a job offer.
Even if you can’t give an exact date, try to give an estimated range for when you plan to make
a decision.
If you don’t intend to hire the candidate, still inform them.
How to evaluate a potential employee
 Trust your first impressions – although not imperative, your first impressions are still valid
 Ask smart questions that will get the candidate thinking. It’s a great technique to rely on, but not a magical
solution
 Look beneath the surface. A candidate’s body language, choice of words, the level of stress that comes
through, all give you insight into what kind of person they are, how they’re feeling, and how interested they
are in your opportunity.
 Give them a project, or problem to solve.
 Focus on specific experiences and accomplishments – You could look for answers that give insight about past
experiences and important accomplishments. (Answers that follow the STAR method)
 Evaluate their work ethic and attitude – Look out for language that indicates the candidate has had
difficulties working with colleagues or management in the past. Ask questions about how they handle heavy
workloads, shifting priorities, and organization.
 Find out if they are a life-long learner – Question their curiosity
 Get feedback from people who weren’t in the interview, who interacted with the candidate outside of the
interview
 Ask them about something they are passionate about – You are likely to make valuable observations about
them and find what makes them tick
 Pay attention to the questions they ask - You can gain meaningful information about their level of interest,
the way they diagnose problems, how they process data, and more.
 Interview Techniques
• Have the conversation in a quiet and private space, so you can speak without losing focus on the
conversation. This will help the candidate not feel stressed as well.
• Outline the interview structure for the candidate. Providing this structure early on sets up the
parameters of the interview, keeps you both focused, and gives the candidate an idea of what to
expect.
• Remember interviews are a two-way street. Make the right impression about the job and the company
so the right candidate will want to choose you, as much you want to choose them. Give them honest
and exciting reasons why they should work for your company.
• Create a list of questions that directly relate to the role’s responsibilities.
• Choose your questions wisely. Ask open ended questions with alternatives that allow the candidate to
answer thoroughly. Ask follow-up questions that push past prepared answers and force your candidate
to think decisively on demand.
• Ask behavioral questions; they are a great way to tap into a candidate’s potential.
• Don’t talk too much during the interview process. Let the candidate do most of the talking.
• Go easy on taking notes. It’s hampers concentration, and productive conversation.
• Pay attention to your candidate’s body language. It can tell a lot about them.
• Silence can be an effortless means to solicit important information and make valuable observations of
the candidate’s personality during an interview. The rule of thumb is to not be the next person to speak
after you ask a question. While the silence may be deafening, you give the interviewee a real chance of
answering it, without robbing the question of its power.
Interviewing Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s Don’ts
Do make a list of important questions & aspects you Don't be too quick to judge. Give the candidate the time
want to ask the candidate, and cross-check with all to ease into the conversation and arrive at a steady pace.
stakeholders for inputs

Do ask to substantiate with examples or explanations Don’t be vague with questions. Provide clarification if the
when the candidate’s response is vague candidate seems confused.

Don’t ask leading questions; that’s when the answer Don’t be aggressive. Help the candidate feel comfortable
you expect is implicit in the question. if they seem nervous.
Do keep a tight rein on the flow of the conversation. Don’t make rude interruptions like yawning or
Letting it veer too off track will waste time for interrupting while the candidate is speaking.
everyone.

Don’t vary your core interview questions from candidate

Do prepare thoroughly for the candidate’s questions. to candidate for the same role. Ensure the playing field is
the same, and fair to everyone.
Do maintain eye contact, good posture and a positive Don’t ask personal questions that are irrelevant or
attitude. discriminatory.
Don’t engage in inappropriate small-talk.
Interview Etiquettes
• Make the candidate feel welcome
• If the candidate has not been hired or progressed to the next round of
selection, still inform them and don’t leave them guessing.
• Preparation is key. Nothing derails an interview process more than a
manager who isn’t prepared
• Exhibit gracious professionalism. Be responsive, honest and thankful for
the candidate’s time.
• Treat a candidate like a customer. It just takes a little courtesy,
preparation, care and punctuality to create a good candidate experience.
• Remember interviews are a two-way street. Make the right impression
about the job and the company so the right candidate will want to choose
you, as much you want to choose them.
• Be clear by communicating with job candidates that they are still in the
running for the position, or if you have decided to move forward with other
candidates.
 Common Interviewing Mistakes

• Not knowing what you are looking for - Before you even start looking for candidates, you must develop a road map
to define the exact qualifications and competencies you are looking for. This will help you define the questions you
want to ask, or better yet, the answers you want to hear.
• Not asking good, powerful and purposeful questions.
• Being too judgmental and narrow-minded - Being overly confident of your ability to accurately “size someone up”
can lead to meaningless assumptions. Instead, be a strong listener, show your interest in the candidate and be
open-minded
• Being obsessed with an ‘interviewing style’ - Your aim should be to deliver a professional interview that will bring in
candidates with potential.
• Making biased decisions - Don’t let personal prejudices and stereotypes affect your judgement.
• Looking for negatives – Do not approach the interview as an opportunity to find that one mistake or poor response
to eliminate a candidate. Even when candidates make mistakes, you must look at their entire profile before making
a decision.
• Lack of structure, content and process - A structured interview process will help you deliver detailed candidate
feedback and make the right decision.
• Comparing candidates to each other rather than the standards for the ideal candidate for the job
Interview Bias
Type of Bias Definition Example
Contrast Bias Occurs when an interviewer inappropriately If one candidate is particularly weak, others may
compares candidates to a single candidate appear to be more qualified that they really are

First Impression Bias Occurs when candidates are judged based on A candidate who is very nervous and stutters
what happens during the first few minutes of during the first few minutes of the interview
the interview may be viewed as less qualified even if during
the remainder of the interview, they were
poised and well spoken

Stereotyping Bias Occurs when the interviewer assumes a An interviewer may assume that a woman
candidate has specific traits because they are a would not be able to successfully perform in a
member of a group job that requires frequent lifting of
packages weighing 50 pounds

Halo Effect Bias Occurs when the interviewer evaluates a A candidate’s self-confident attitude may
candidate positively based on a single overshadow a lack of experience in a particular
characteristic requirement

Gut Feeling Bias: Occurs when the interviewer relies A candidate seems perfect for the job, but
on an intuitive feeling alone your intuition tells you otherwise
Leniency Bias: Occurs when the interviewer tends
to go easy on a candidate and gives a
higher rating than is warranted,
justifying this with an explanation

Negative Emphasis Bias: Occurs when the interviewer allows Negative emphasis often happens when
a small amount of negative subjective factors taint the interviewer's
information to outweigh positive judgment.
Making an offer
• Decide fast whether you want to offer a candidate the job, or which candidate you want to offer
the job to, in the case of multiple candidates. When you delay the hiring decision, chances are that
your ideal candidate may accept another offer. If possible, contact the candidate you want to offer
the job to shortly after the final interview.
• Review the job requisition and double check that it has been approved.
• Before you contact the chosen candidate, be sure to know all the details of the offer and whether
there is room for negotiation.
• Make an informal offer over the phone first. Discuss what the offer entails, and answer any
questions they may have. Before ending the call, let the candidate know when they can expect to
receive the formal offer letter. Also, giving an informal offer give the candidate the opportunity to
reject the offer, thereby saving time and effort.
• Once you have let them know that you are going to offer them the job and they have verbally
stated that they are happy with the terms, you should get on with sending the formal job offer
letter.
• Use a well-formulated template which will help you make sure you hit all the important points of
the role and welcome all new hires with the right tone.
• The offer letter should include all information like job title, compensation, benefits and expected
start date. All details except the start date can be agreed upon beforehand. This will ensure you
can send the offer as quickly as possible.
• If your offer is rejected, be cordial. Find out information which you can use to improve future offers.
Salary Negotiation

• Establish salary ranges based on industry standard, market value of the

position, years of experience and the candidate’s skill sets
• Be as generous as your budget allows. Convincing a stellar candidate to
join the team can have a lasting impact, even if it costs slightly more.
• If a candidate asks for a higher figure than what you’ve offered,
consider both the value they bring to your business and if there are
other candidates available with a similar skill set
• Consider revisiting parts of the package such as vacation, health
benefits, flexible working etc
• Know your ceiling, and consider the existing pay levels for similar
positions in your company. Paying a higher salary to a new hire may
pose the risk of lowered morale among existing staff or even losing
them.
• https://www.betterteam.com/how-to-be-a-good-interviewer
• https://hiring.monster.com/employer-resources/recruiting-strategies/compensation/making-job-offer/
• https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/how-to-make-the-perfect-job-offer-9-tips.html
• https://recruiterbox.com/business-guides/recruiting-and-hiring/negotiating-salary-with-new-hires
• https://www.roberthalf.com/blog/how-to-interview-candidates/interviewing-tips-for-managers (interview
structure)
• https://www.resourcefulmanager.com/guides/hiring-interview/ Do’s and Don’t’s
• https://www.maguiretraining.co.uk/blog/essential-dos-and-donts-for-managers-conducting-interviews/ Do’s
and Don’ts
• https://www.talentlyft.com/en/blog/article/229/20-mistakes-to-avoid-when-interviewing-a-job-candidate
(mistakes)
• https://www.tpp.co.uk/employers/recruitment-advice/interviewing/6-common-interview-mistakes-employe
rs-make
(mistakes)
• https://theomniview.com/pov/blog/are-your-interviewers-equipped-to-succeedor-are-they-making-these-10
-common-mistakes/
(mistakes)
• https://blog.talview.com/what-is-interview-bias-how-to-avoid-it-while-hiring (bias)
• https://resources.workable.com/stories-and-insights/interview-body-language (body language)
• https://www.digitalhrtech.com/interviewer-bias/
Participant Content
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVp9Z5k0dEE (Understanding unconscious bias)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-_Mh1QhMc (Your body language may shape who you are
TED talk)