Interviewing is one of the more difficult skills to learn and use properly during your recruitment process. It used to be that you would sit down in an interview, ask the person any questions that you wanted, and then you would make a decision based largely on your “gut feeling.” And while that instinctual feeling is probably something that you will always utilize to some degree, the interview has become a considerably more complex situation than it used to be. Human Rights Laws and other legislation now protect job seekers from an interviewer asking questions that are deemed to infringe on their personal rights. Many mid to large-sized companies will have HR departments who can determine the process and questions used to protect the company from Human Rights claims. Smaller companies usually do not have these resources and must be very careful that they are not opening themselves up to potential legal issues. The easiest way to protect your business while conducting interviews is to have a set of interview questions prepared and checked in advance. You’ll also want to ensure that you ask the same questions of each applicant. Let’s look at the two most common types of interview questions:
Situation-based:
This is a highly structured method of interviewing in which hypothetical situations are described and the goal is to get the job seeker to describe how he or she would handle that situation. You should have a scoring guide for each question that allows you to determine who the best candidate is for the position, based on their answers.
Behaviour-based:
This is another structured interview type where the job seeker is asked to describe what he or she did in specific situations in the past. The key to behaviour-based interviewing is to ask probing questions. Make sure that you completely understand the situation, the actions taken to resolve the issue, and what the desired / actual outcome was.
There are thousands of books to be found in libraries, bookstores, and even online, which have a myriad of interview questions to choose from. Most books will break down each individual question, explaining what skills, qualities, or attitudes that you may want answers to.
When conducting the interview, make sure that you are in a quiet room with no distractions. Emails popping up and/or phone calls coming through will not ease the job seeker's nerves. We expect the applicants to give us their undivided attention during the interview, and they deserve the same respect in return. Determine how much time will be required to complete the interview and have your set interview questions ready to go. Spend a few minutes at the beginning of the meeting to put the potential candidate at ease. Start by giving them an overview of how the interview will work and explain that you will be taking notes. Be careful not to ask personal questions, as this is where most people will get into trouble with human rights legislation. Also, remember that it is not just you interviewing the job seeker; they are also interviewing you. Allow them to ask questions and do your best to answer as many of them as you can, as completely as you can. They will need to determine if the company will be a fit for their career just as you will decide if they fit with your company.
Interviewing is a process that needs attention and time to ensure that you are in compliance with the laws and legislation that affect this recruitment activity. Remember that you should ask the same interview questions of all applicants to ensure impartiality. And don’t forget to document all answers. In doing, this you will protect yourself from possible complaints and provide equal opportunity to everyone you are interviewing.
How do you prepare for the interview process? Do you want to learn more about interviewing? Check out our Interview Workshops.
