Interviewing: What’s
IN and
What’s
OUT
According to the Chally Group, a Human Resources consulting firm, research at the University of Michigan found that, “The typical interview increases the likelihood of choosing the best candidate by less than 2%. In other words, if you just ‘flipped’ a coin you would be correct 50% of the time. If you added an interview you would only be right 52% of the time.”
So
what’s the point?
With preparation and some research you greatly increase your odds of finding the right candidate and you may even get a true picture of the person behind the fancy résumé and the canned interview responses.
What's IN:
Planning to have a great interview
Plan ahead
-
Identify the knowledge, attributes and skills the candidate will need to possess in order to perform the required tasks of the job, make a list of these.
- Standardize and prepare the questions you will ask each applicant.
- Spend some time familiarizing yourself with the candidate’s resume. Jot down any questions you have about issues arising from the resume or highlight areas of interest that you would like to learn more about.
Get comfortable but not too chatty
- The 80/20 rule applies here – aim to spend around 80 per cent of your time listening and 20 per cent talking. The more you talk, the less you learn about the candidate.
- Give candidates ample time to respond to questions. Don’t be afraid of silence!
Don’t rely on personality
Just because you like someone doesn’t necessarily mean they will be a good worker and intuition will not ensure the proper candidate! Candidates may be nervous and not showing their true potential or they could be less than great employees but excellent actors. Having a set of questions prepared in advance with objective criteria for assessing their responses will help to assure that each candidate is evaluated without personality bias.
What's IN:
Questions that will get results
If you are looking for accountability
- Tell me about a time that
you had too much work to complete and too little time to meet your deadline.
- Give me an example of a
time when you were unable to meet your goals. What did you do?
- When given what you
believe is an unreasonable assignment — whether due to tight deadlines,
limited resources or other factors — what do you do?
If you are looking for creativity
- What inspires you?
- Tell us about a time when
you were challenged to be creative with an otherwise routine or even mundane
assignment. How did you put your stamp on it?
If you are looking for problem-solving skills
- Describe a recent problem
you encountered on the job and tell me how you went about solving the
problem.
- Give me a specific example
of a time when you used good judgment and logic to solve a problem.
- Tell me about a time when
you did not have the necessary resources to accomplish a task. What did you
do?
- How do you deal with
people who are “time wasters?”
If you are looking for leadership skills
- Have you ever needed to
motivate a co-worker or subordinate? How did you approach the situation?
- Please share a time you
were faced with a problem or stress at work that tested your coping skills.
If you are looking for dependability
- Tell me about a time when
you set a good example for your team, even when it might have been easier
not to go to the trouble.
- Describe a work decision
you made that you wish you could make over.
- Imagine a situation or
assignment in which you’re given little direction — but must nonetheless use
your own judgment. What personal guidelines do you follow to get through it?
If you are looking for teamwork skills
- Tell me about a high
stress situation when you were required to keep a positive attitude.
- Give an example of
something you did that helped build enthusiasm in others.
- Sometimes we have to work
with or for people whose work style differs dramatically from our own.
Please tell us about a time when you needed to adapt to the work style of a
supervisor or colleague.
- Give an example of a time
when you had to deal with a conflict within your team or department. What
did you do to help resolve the situation?
Some more questions to
consider
- Tell me about the time you
reached out for additional responsibility.
- What qualities do you
value in others?
- Sooner or later we all
deal with criticism in relation to our work. If it has happened to you, how
did you respond to such criticism; describe the context in which it arose.
- Describe a situation in
which you had to draw a conclusion quickly and take speedy action.
- Describe a situation in
which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to
see things your way.
- Describe a time when you
had many projects due at the same time. What steps did you take to get them
all done?
- How do you keep yourself
motivated when working alone?
- Give me an example of a
time when you had to conform to a policy or rule that you did not agree
with.
- We all do things we later
look back on and wonder, “What was I thinking?” Describe a decision you
made or an action you took that you might do differently if given the
chance. What did you do at the time? What would you do differently today?
- Tell me about a time you
broke the rules.
- Give me an example of a
situation in your previous job where you did not follow procedure/policy.
- Tell me about a situation
where your communication skills made a difference.
- What is the greatest
strength you would bring to this position?
- In what area/areas of
__________ are you still growing?
- Why should I hire you over
other candidates?
- What adjectives would you
use to describe your employment here at St. Petersburg College? (For
internal candidates)
Ask these “follow-up” questions to gain additional
information
- Tell me more about ______
- What made ______ an
important issue?
- How prepared were you to
______?
- What were some concerns
about ______?
- How did you feel about
______?
- That’s very impressive.
Was there ever an occasion when things didn’t work out so well?
- Now can you give me an
example of something in this area you are not so proud of?
What's
OUT!
Listed below are some types of questions you should not ask because they could get you and the college into some legal hot water. Asking these types of questions is also not a
professional or effective way to run an interview.
- How old are you?
- Are you married?
- What political party do you belong to?
- Do you have children/are you planning to have children?
- What church do you go to?
- Are you an American citizen?
- Do you have a disability?
- What’s your maiden name?
- What social clubs or organizations do you belong to?
- Have you ever been arrested?
- Were you honorably discharged?
Resources
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