Too often throughout the interview process a manager will struggle to identify the true character of a candidate because he or she is too enamored with the hard skills shown on a resume they receive. Even during a structured interview many interviewers lack the interviewer skills or interviewer techniques necessary to identify these characteristics while interviewing a candidate. Here are some tips that will help during the hiring process:
- Most interviewers waste valuable time on face-to-face interviews with candidates who are well qualified for the position but who are not willing to take the position because of the unusual demands of the job, the salary, the benefits, the location of the job, the non-compete agreement that must be signed, or other reasons that may be deal-breakers.
RECOMMENDATION: Use an initial 30-minute phone interview to talk to the best candidates about the position and any of these potential deal-breakers. This is the first step to negotiating an offer (testing the offer) and a major time saver for the hiring manager.
- Most managers assess the motivation and energy of a candidate by the person’s display of extroverted qualities such as assertiveness and confidence, while assuming that a more introverted or quiet applicant has less initiative and energy.
RECOMMENDATION: Let the accomplishments of the candidate speak for the person’s motivation, energy, and work ethic and stop falling into the trap of being swayed by the social skills and exterior mannerisms of an applicant who may simply be a good actor.
By taking some time to understand the situation and character of a potential employee, you will learn one of the best interviewer skills and techniques that can be used. Hiring success will be much easier if preconceived opinions on a candidate do not weigh as heavily in a decision as before.
