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As Published in Business
2 Business, March 2007
Motor Mouth Managers Miss The Mark On Interviews
By Ira S Wolfe
A few weeks ago a client asked me to be an observer in a series of candidate interviews.
The first interview began promptly at 9 AM. Michael was the hiring manager. After everyone exchanged handshakes and the customary introductions, Michael started talking. At 9:25 AM, Michael was still talking. With the exception of a few words at the beginning of the interview, the candidate hadn’t spoken another word.
It’s not that she didn’t want to; she wasn’t given the chance. From his very first words, Michael took over the interview. I was amazed how long he could talk without taking a breath.
Both the candidate and I listened to his telling us about the complete history of the company, Michael’s role in the company, Michael’s role in the project, and what Michael was looking for in the candidate he was about to hire.
I couldn’t help but see the dazed look in the candidate’s eyes. Finally she made eye contact with me and silently pleaded: “Don’t just sit there, rescue me!”
After another ten minutes lapsed, I couldn’t take it anymore. I interrupted Michael and asked the candidate: why she was pursuing this position? Before she had a chance to utter a word, Michael interrupted and answered my question! He told her how thrilled he was to be working for this company and what a fantastic opportunity this was for the right person. Unfortunately I had no clue at this point if the candidate was qualified or interested…..and neither did Michael.
Finally, the clock struck 9:50 AM. Only ten minutes to go and Michael finally got around to asking his first question: “Does this job seem like something you’d be interested in?” Hopefully he didn’t see my dumbfounded look. How could he ask the question: how could he know if she was qualified? He didn’t ask her a single job related question.
But hope still loomed as he started to ask his next question: are there any questions you have about the job? The candidate smiled and said no. “You did a great job explaining the job,” she said, “and I’m really interested.”
With that, Michael stood up, shook the candidate’s hand, and escorted her to the front door.
End of interview..
When I returned to the room, Michael had a big smile and asked what I thought. Before I had a chance to answer, Michael told me “she’s the one.” I asked him what he liked about her. “I learn a lot by just observing how they listen to me,” he shared. “When you’ve been around as long as I have, you get a sixth sense about people.”
Unfortunately this interview process was repeated another seven times during the day in this business as it likely was thousands of times in businesses everywhere.
That’s not how interviews are supposed to work.
Interviews remain the most commonly used job screening tool. Even if you can get beyond the hiring manager asking illegal questions, the reliability of the interview just does not cut it as a predictor of job success, regardless of how many years you’ve been interviewing or how many people you’ve hired. The job market has changed, the jobs are more complex and the candidates are more savvy and sophisticated.
Reliability is closely aligned to the competence of the interviewer. By most people’s standard, Michael’s meeting with the candidate could hardly be called an interview. That however doesn’t stop managers from using Michael’s interview technique as the method of choice: the manager talks and the candidate listens.
Even more challenging these days is the reliability of the candidate. Fibs, fables and outright lies are sprinkled throughout resumes and repeated in interviews like never before. Job candidates are mentored by career counselors and outplacement services on how to put their best foot forward. Candidates are often better prepared for the interview than hiring managers are trained to do the interviewing.
Where does this leave us? By using the following five guidelines, you will put the odds in your favor at getting what you need to know about a candidate at the interview.
- Ask only interview questions that are job related. Identify a maximum of three to five non-negotiable competencies or skills the candidate must have to perform the job.
- For each competency or skill, write three or four behavioral interview questions for each skill or competency. Additional competencies may be added and asked only if the candidate satisfactorily responds to these “non-negotiable skill” questions.
- Use open-ended questions whenever possible. Examples
- Describe for me…..
- How would you….
- Why did…….
- Offer another example…..
- If you had to …..
- During the interview, limit your talking to no more than 20 percent of the interview time. Eighty percent of the time should be spent observing and listening. The purpose of the interview is to explore the fit of the candidate to the job, team and company culture. Selling the candidate on your company (assuming you want him/her) comes at follow-up interviews or after the job offer.
- Allow time for candidates to ask questions. Listen to the questions that are asked. Do they indicate the candidate has researched the company and understands the job or is the candidate focused on salary and benefits and vacation days? Observe if the candidate appears confident or reluctant in asking the question. Having no questions to ask can also be a red-flag indicating lack of interest, low curiosity, or lack of preparedness.
Sidebar
1943 Guide to Hiring Women
The following is an excerpt from the July 1943 issue of Transportation Magazine. This was written for male supervisors of women in the work force during World War II.
"Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees”
1. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they're less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it, they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently.
2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.
3. General experience indicates that "husky" girls - those who are just a little on the heavy side - are more even tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.
4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job.
5. Stress at the outset the importance of time the fact that a minute or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely to be slowed up.
6. Give the female employee a definite day-long schedule of duties so that they'll keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves.
7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change.
8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.
9. Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency.
10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she'll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.
11. Get enough size variety in operator's uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too much in keeping women happy. |
