Don’t Roll the Dice with Talent – Improve Your Interview Process!

Interviews are the most ubiquitous selection tool in use today. They are also the selection method with the poorest execution. Many interviews are more of a “personal chemistry” check than a reliable and accurate evaluation of qualifications. Interview practices can be sorted into two basic categories:

Structured Behavioral Interviews

There is a considerable body of research that supports the power of the interview when it is a structured process. When interviews are structured, they have considerable reliability and predictive value and are a powerful selection tool.

Structured interviews:

• Use competencies as the framework for structuring the interview.  Competencies are based on a job analysis which is a systematic review of what it takes to be successful in a particular job.
• Use pre-planned interview questions that are linked to competency requirements. This ensures that the interview questions are job related.  Pre-planned questions also ensure that the same questions are asked of each candidate to ensure consistency and “apple to apple” comparisons. Every candidate has the same opportunity to demonstrate they have the knowledge, skills and background to perform the job.
• Use trained interviewers. Interviewers are trained in how to evaluate responses to prepared questions. Training helps take the bias and subjectivity out of the evaluation process and gives interviewers a common frame of reference for evaluating candidates.
• Ratings are integrated in a common way to arrive at an overall score as well as a profile of strengths and weaknesses.

Unstructured Interviews

Research suggests that when interviews are unstructured, they are little better than flipping a coin. Unstructured interviews are characterized by:

• Each interviewer decides where they would like to focus their information gathering.
• Each interviewer comes up with their own questions.
• Each interviewer uses their own evaluation framework for evaluating responses.
• Each interviewer integrates the interviewee responses in their own way to reach conclusions.

Current Trends and Best Practices for Interviews

Web-based interviewing solutions are now available in the market to help drive consistency, accuracy and to reduce legal exposure. These interviewing platforms also make it easier to deploy and bring value to competency modeling efforts. Combine online interviewer training with an online interviewing management system to create structured interviews, manage the entire interview process, and equip interviewers with the HR tools and skills to conduct accurate interviews.