Hiring Hazards that Jeopardize a Job Interview
In my career at 15dots, I’ve had countless opportunities to serve on interview boards. As I welcome job candidates into an interview setting, I explain to them what to expect. Oftentimes, I tell them that everyone has a story to tell, and in this interview, you’ll have an opportunity to tell yours. I usually get a chuckle out of them when I say that I’ve done thousands of interviews, and nobody’s ever died during one of them!
Storytelling as an interview technique
A structured board interview designed by 15dots uses storytelling to determine a job candidate’s adaptation and motivation and how these behaviors match up with the targeted jobs. Serving on an interview panel is a huge responsibility, with specific Dos and Don’ts to keep in mind.
The Dos and Don’ts of Job Interviewing
Don’t ask a lot of questions
Instead of asking job applicants a bunch of questions, reframe the questions as gentle commands, which I call interview prompts. Start your command with words like, “Describe for me,” “Tell me about,” or “Give me a story about.” People often refer to this interview method as a behavioral interview. At 15dots, we developed a highly effective and repeatable interview protocol that includes more commands than questions.
Do probe deeper with CARE®
As a follow-up to an interview prompt, you want to probe deeper into the candidate’s story by using the CARE® technique. CARE® is an acronym for Circumstance or Assignment, Response, and Effect. An example would be, “Tell me about a problem you had with a supervisor. What was the circumstance? What, if anything, did you do about it? What was the effect of your behavior?”
Don’t ask illegal or in appropriate questions
Steer clear of asking illegal or inappropriate interview questions. Link to 5 Questions You Should Never Ask in a Job Interview Examples are, “Do you own a home?” “Do you go to church?” “Are you married?” “Do you have children?” In all likelihood, none of these questions are tied to the job itself. During interviewer training sessions, 15dots gives interviewers a quick-reference card that clearly spells out pertinent legal guidelines. By sticking to a prepared script of interview prompts, interviewers easily avoid any inappropriate or illegal interview questions.
Do get personal – to a point
Some interviewers think that probing into a job candidate’s work life is too invasive. Sure, interviewers need to protect the privacy and integrity of an applicant. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t ask questions about attendance, physical capabilities related to the job, and safety. These factors are a prerequisite to performance. Examples of these types of prompts are: “Tell me about your safety record,” or “On any given day, how much are you required to push, pull, or lift?” or “Describe your attendance record over the past year.”
Do give neutral feedback
While applicants are telling their story, the interview board should provide neutral feedback. Avoid responding with positive words like “Good,” “Fantastic,” or “Excellent.” Also avoid negative phrases like “That’s unfortunate” or “Why did you do that?” Instead, give neutral feedback like “Thank you” and “That’s helpful.” Neutral feedback does not give a candidate the impression of how he or she is doing during the interview. It prohibits the candidate from thinking, “They liked that story, so I’ll tell more like that,” or the opposite, “They disliked that story, so I better not refer to that again.”
Structured Board Interview Training
In the most fruitful job interview situations, applicants tell their story in a conversational manner, based on a series of prompts supported by the CARE Technique. By following these interview Dos and Don’ts, interviewers can determine if a job candidate is the right match for the targeted jobs. 15dots offers expert-led virtual structured board interview training sessions in which participants gain the confidence and learn the techniques to be effective interviewers. Contact us to register or to learn more.