Business Sphere

      One tried and tested method that managers use to select and hire a job applicant is the interview technique.

     However, it has been found out time and again that the qualifications and qualities of an applicant or candidate for the job vis-à-vis the position that he/she is applying for can only be revealed through effective interviewing.

     Yesterday I’ve found in my library a book on interviewing technique, titled “How to interview and Hire Productive People” and authored by Jack, Peter and Don McQuaig. In their book, they share nine techniques for effective interviewing, as follows:

     1. Establish rapport early. Make the candidate feel at home and at ease. Begin the conversation with small talk. In a few minutes, both the candidate and you will be ready to begin.

     2. Let the candidate do the talking. The interview is a listening situation. The candidate should do at least 80% of the talking. The interviewer’s role is to draw out and guide the candidate’s conversation. Remember this: when you are talking, you are learning nothing about the candidate.

     3. Start off positively. Make the candidate feel that the interview is a real opportunity to tell his or her story. A positive note will encourage him or her to open up and reveal information which otherwise might be concealed.

     4. Follow this sequence. To begin the interview, you should ask the candidate for a brief summary of work experience. It is important that you start with work history. This is the area about which the candidate will expect to be questioned, and he or she is likely to talk more freely in this area than in any other. Simply avoid plunging into anything personal too early.

     5. Separate the interview and job discussion. When you interview an applicant you are trying to do two things: first, to get all the information you can from the candidate; and second, to give out information about the job.

     6. Use open-ended, non-directive questions. The interview must not deteriorate into a question-and-answer session. If it does, the interviewer will fail to get significant information. The most useful information comes not in response to direct questioning, but voluntarily from the candidate.

     7. Question tactfully. At times you will want to ask personal questions. Be diplomatic, sensitive, and tactful.

     8. Account for all time. In reviewing the candidate’s history, you should account for all time. Get precise dates. Most people know there are certain events of their past that are best not revealed to a prospective employer. This is the very type of information you want and need to make a realistic appraisal.

     9. Judge only the history. While you collect information it is important that you be objective. Try not to let your likes and dislikes, or your biases and prejudices, influence your appraisal. Do not judge candidates by your personal reaction.

     To be a successful interviewer you must be able to gain the candidate’s confidence, establish immediate rapport, and get the candidate to talk freely. Your only hope of doing an adequate job is to be objective and probe for all the facts. This way, you will be able to hire the best candidate or applicant for the job based on his or her qualifications and attitudes as a result of your interview.