In our experience, most interviewers interview infrequently, aren't aware of the best approach and don't feel fully comfortable in the interview themselves. So it's no surprise that many mistakes are made in the interview process which could, ultimately, be avoided.
Our article points out some of the major ones being made.
1. Being unprepared
As the old adage goes... 'Failing to prepare is preparing to fail' and this is very true with the interview process, for both interviewers and interviewees
As an interviewer, thinking you can just turn up unprepared, late, or whilst wishing you were somewhere else, is a fatal error. The applicants will read these signals of uninterest and may view it as disorganisation of the company.
It is all too common for interviewers to not spend the needed 10 minutes reading CV's in advance of the meeting, meaning they don't know which areas to probe or specific questions to ask.
Failing to acknowledge and show respect for qualifications and achievements to date is both disrespectful and will ultimately lead to you asking irrelevant questions and wont create a good impression.
2. Talking, not listening
We are aware of interviewers who simply talk at applicants, and ask at the end of their pitch whether the candidate has any questions. This is hardly conducive to a good interview.
Candidates should talk for 80% of the interview time. Ask them open questions, avoid interrupting them, don’t finish their answers for them and give them time to ask questions and probe their own concerns as to whether this opportunity is the right one for them.
3. Asking questions about the future rather than the past
Focusing questions on the future rather than the past is a common interviewing error.
Don’t ask the applicant if they would be prepared to do something in the role if successful, they're going to say yes after all because they want the job! Instead, ask them to demonstrate occasions with examples which show they have done something.
Remember at this stage, past experience and history of achievement is your best indicator of future performance.
4. Failing to dig deep
Don't take answers at face value. If an applicant tells you they implemented a new system don't just accept this, dig deep! Find out why a new system was needed, what the problem was, whether they led the project, who else was involved, how they implemented it, setbacks encountered and resolutions to these.
Asking open ended, accomplishment-orientated questions allows the candidate to prove their expertise whilst helping to uncover inconsistencies or incorrect statements on their CV's.
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5. Overselling the position or the Company
Although your employer branding, if done correctly, will have assisted you in the talent attraction process of getting the applicants in front of you, many can now get caught up in making false promises and overselling either the role or the company. Yes, sell the company in the best possible light but this should be done carefully.
Give an accurate reflection of the role in question. Hopefully the job description will be accurate and you will have highlighted the 6-8 key achievements which show the candidate how they will be successful, but don’t tell them the position is something it isn’t. This will become all too readily apparent when they start and lead to post employment and staff retention issues down the line.
6. Allow themselves to be influenced by the Halo effect
This is where you allow your unconscious bias to be swayed by a particular trait or experience of the applicant.
Confidence, warmth, good communication skills and similar hobbies may impress, but they won't tell if you if that candidate has the capability to produce the desired results, so don't let them influence your decision.
7. Not having a standardised interview approach
Your interviews should predominantly include scripted questions which are asked to all candidates, with a few additional asked dependent on any skills or behavioural testing which you incorporate into the hiring process. Everyone in the process needs to know the critical screening criteria.
This is best done by an interview scorecard ,which requires all interviewers to grade and score the candidates based on set factors, with the scoring closely guiding by what each level means. This then provides a total comparative score for each candidate, hopefully eliminating bias.
8. Poor Communication
This can occur in two ways. Firstly, by failing to advise applicants of the process and timescales for future interviews, and secondly, communication between interviewers within the organisation.
If the interviewers are unclear on the criteria for the successful candidate and the process is unstructured, the chances of an applicant either being wrongly pointed or their suitability for the role missed, increases significantly.
9. Going on 'Gut feel'
We've all heard of the interviewer who always goes on gut feels and says they just knows if someone is right without the need for detailed or considered processes. Statistics say you don’t, and this at best only works 50% of the time.
Clearly this intuitive stance may help some individuals but not to the exclusion of an effective screening process.
10. Not showing rapport
We are aware that many interviewers don't interview frequently, and don't feel qualified or comfortable to do it. This tension can inevitably lead to interviewer doing nothing to establish rapport or make the candidate feel at ease because of their own discomfort.
Failing to show a genuine interest in the applicants, respecting their qualifications or creating a welcoming environment is extremely short sighted. After all you want the person to want to work with you, your team and your company don't you?
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Can we help? We have placed and filled over 100,000 temp and permanent assignments over the last 30 years so have a range of techniques, ideas and platforms which could help you. Why not call us on 0113 367 2880 to have a conversation with one of our team. Alternatively drop us an email here or check out our Testimonials and Case Studies.
