Mastering Interview Techniques: A Guide for Line Managers
Conducting an effective interview is not just about selecting the right candidate; it’s also a critical touchpoint that reflects your employer brand and can significantly impact a candidate’s perception of your company. As a line manager, your role in the interview process is crucial in engaging top talent and showcasing your organisation as a desirable place to work. This guide will provide you with practical steps to run a great interview, ensuring you leave a positive impression while making informed hiring decisions.
Common Challenges Line Managers Face When Interviewing
When we deliver interview training to our clients, we like to start by asking them about the challenges they face when conducting interviews. Some of the most common difficulties come from a lack of confidence in making the right choice of candidate. Recruitment is a big responsibility and getting it wrong can be costly, so the pressure to select the best candidate can be overwhelming. This fear of making the wrong choice can lead to hesitation or second-guessing, especially when Managers have had bad experiences with past hires. The other key challenge is a lack of interviewing experience. Not all line managers have extensive experience in interviewing, which can lead to uncertainty about the process. They may struggle with structuring the interview, asking the right questions, or reading between the lines of a candidate’s responses.
Understanding these challenges is the first step in overcoming them. With the right preparation and approach, line managers can gain the confidence needed to conduct successful interviews that result in strong hires.
Why a Well-Conducted Interview Matters
Candidate Experience: A well-structured and respectful interview process can engage top talent, making them more likely to accept an offer. Candidates appreciate interviews where their time is valued, and they feel genuinely considered for the role.
Employer Brand Impact: The way candidates are treated during the interview process speaks volumes about your company. Positive experiences can enhance your employer brand, while negative ones can harm it. Remember, candidates are evaluating you just as much as you are evaluating them and they will share their views with their network and even online!
Effective Talent Assessment: Structured interviews with well-prepared questions help in accurately assessing a candidate's skills, experience, and cultural fit, leading to better hiring decisions.
Steps to Running a Great Interview
1. Preparation is Key:
Review the Job Description: Ensure it is still up to date as responsibilities and skills required can evolve over time.
Review the candidate’s CV. Identify any ‘red flags’ or areas where you would like more information, such as gaps in employment or unusual career moves.
Plan the Interview Structure: A structured interview not only helps in assessing candidates consistently but also keeps the process efficient.
2. Creating a Positive First Impression:
Arranging the Interview: Give candidates plenty of notice (approx. 1 week) and provide clear details on the time, date, location, and format of the interview. This reduces anxiety and allows them to prepare adequately.
Meet and Greet: Start with a warm welcome. Small talk at the beginning of the interview helps to break the ice and make the candidate feel comfortable. Remember, the interview is also about selling your company to the candidate.
3. Structuring the Interview:
Beginning: Start by discussing the candidate’s motivations. Ask why they are interested in the role / your company and what they are looking for in their next position. This not only provides insights into their fit for the role but also engages them by focusing on their aspirations. You can then use these insights throughout the interview to ensure you sell the role to them in a way that will appeal to the individual.
Middle: Use a mix of competency-based and strength-based questions. Competency-based questions help you understand how they have handled situations in the past, while strength-based questions reveal what they naturally excel at and enjoy doing.
Example Competency-Based Questions
Competency-based questions are designed to assess how candidates have handled specific situations in the past. They provide insight into their problem-solving abilities, interpersonal skills, and how they might perform in similar situations in your organisation. Here are some examples:
Problem-Solving: "Can you describe a time when you were faced with a challenging problem at work? How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?"
Leadership: "Give an example of a time when you had to lead a team through a difficult project. How did you motivate your team and ensure the project was completed successfully?"
Communication: "Tell me about a situation where effective communication made a significant difference in the outcome of a project."
Adaptability: "Describe a time when you had to adjust to a major change at work. How did you handle the transition?"
Conflict Resolution: "Can you provide an example of how you managed a conflict between team members? What steps did you take to resolve the issue?"
Example Strength-Based Questions
Strength-based questions focus on what candidates enjoy doing and where they naturally excel. These questions help identify a candidate’s passions and where they might contribute most effectively in your organisation. Here are some examples:
Motivation: "What aspects of your current or previous job have you found most fulfilling?"
Self-Awareness: "What tasks do you feel most confident performing, and why?"
Personal Satisfaction: "Tell me about a project or task that made you feel particularly proud."Natural Talents: "What activities or tasks come easily to you, and how do you incorporate them into your work?"
Happiness at Work: "When do you feel most ‘in the zone’ at work? What are you doing at that time?"
Balancing Structure with Flexibility in Interviews
While it’s important to approach an interview with a clear structure and well-thought-out questions, striking the right balance between structure and flexibility is key to conducting a successful interview. I recommend using a mix of two competency-based questions and three or four strength-based questions. This approach gives you a structure to follow, making sure critical areas are covered, while also giving you insights into their personality and motivations by letting the conversation develop naturally.
Overly rigid interviews, where every question is planned and scored, can feel mechanical and impersonal. Flexibility in the interview allows you to explore areas that may not have been anticipated but are crucial for understanding the candidate’s true fit for the role. When candidates feel that they’re part of a genuine conversation rather than a question-and-answer session, they’re more likely to open up and provide honest, thoughtful responses that reveal their true personality, work style, and motivations.
4. The Psychology of Questioning: Uncovering True Motivations:
Using "Why" Questions can help get to the root of a candidate’s true motivations and values. This technique encourages candidates to reflect on their deeper reasons for their actions and decisions. For example, "Why did you choose this particular solution to a problem?" This helps you understand the candidate's thought process and priorities. If the response given is still a little superficial, you can follow-up with “Tell more about that”. Following up on initial answers with deeper "why" questions, enables you to probe further and helps you uncover underlying motivations, values, and attitudes that are critical for determining cultural fit. Some examples might be, "Why is that important to you?" or "Why did you take that approach?". The other benefit of these question is that it shows genuine interest in the candidate as a person, rather than formulaically moving on to the next pre-planned question.
5. Two-Way Dialogue:
Remember that interviews should be a conversation, not an interrogation. Encourage candidates to ask questions about the role, the team, and the company. This not only engages them but also provides them with the information they need to make an informed decision.
6. Maintaining Inclusivity:
Bias Awareness: Be aware of biases that may affect your judgment. Ensure your questions and evaluations are based on the candidate’s abilities and fit for the role, not on preconceived notions.
Inclusive Environment: Create an environment that is free from distractions and is conducive to a fair evaluation. Consider diverse perspectives by involving a panel of interviewers where possible, and ensure the interview format is flexible to accommodate different candidate needs. One suggestion for accommodating neuro-diverse individuals could be to provide the competency-based questions in advance, allowing them pre-prepare their examples.
7. Interview Conclusion and Post-Interview Process:
Finish by thanking the candidate for their time and clearly communicate with them the next steps in the process and when they can expect to hear from you.
Timely Feedback: Stick to the timeline you promised for feedback. Whether positive or negative, provide full and frank feedback to candidates. This transparency is valued and is essential for your employer brand.
Two-Way Feedback: After providing feedback, ask the candidate for theirs on the interview process. This shows that you value their experience and can provide insights to improve your future interviews.
Check out our video here:
So, there’s a lot to think about to ensure that interviews deliver on what the business needs while also reflecting well on the company by offering a great candidate experience. Hopefully this article has helped, and for more advice, please get in touch!
