General Manager, Ryan Clutterbuck shares advice on the corporate hiring process.
“Effective Interviewing is a skill and most hiring managers are never trained on how to do it”
Did you know most hiring managers are never trained to conduct effective interviews? I recently had the opportunity to visit several clients who were looking for our services on how to conduct a proper interview. Most people in the training had interviewed less than 20 people in their career, where most recruiters have interviewed thousands. It prompted me to write this blog post.
Here are a few quick tips for hiring managers on effective interviewing.
Be Prepared:
Prior to meeting with the candidate make sure you read their resume, and develop several questions based on the candidate’s background. This will help eliminate awkward moments of silence and keep the interview moving. This will allow you to get to deeper questions you need to ask to truly understand the candidate.
Set up the hiring process with your internal hiring team:
It is very important that all internal parties are on the same page when starting the hiring process. Set up a list of criteria you would like the potential candidate to have such as skills, drive, career history, aspirations, and values that fit the team. Set a list of questions for each area that the interviewers can ask, it’s not a script but a point of reference to keep the conversation progressing.
Debrief:
Most hiring teams skip this crucial step; it’s typically done on the fly when everyone is back to work. Set a time to debrief and roundtable the interview to see if everything aligns and the candidate is a good fit for the organization. By doing this, you can ensure nothing is missed and reaffirm that the hiring team is on the same page. Furthermore, debriefing allows your team to learn from one another and share the types of questions each member was asking.
Bonus Tip: If you are hiring a lot of people and crunched for time, have a panel interview with 2 or 3 hiring managers present. This not only saves time but allows the more junior interviewers to learn from experienced folks (make sure to mix the group with experienced and less experienced interviewers).
Hiring the right person is the first step in building a solid team that will help a company achieve its goals. While a bad-hire can cost a company between two and seven times the employee’s annual salary, it is avoidable if the interview process is done correctly. I’ve been working for DAVIS for over eight years, and the rigorous screening process we follow has increased my chances of finding the right person and taught me the importance of effective interviewing.
What is your interview process?
