Tribe's people, culture & capability lead, Sandy Gibbs, breaks down the interviewing process in a three-part series.
Part Two – The Interviewing Process
When managing large volumes of applications:
- Dedicate set time away from your desk and BAU, giving each resume the time it warrants
- Revisit the role ‘must-haves’ and be familiar with the needs within your team, including skill gaps. Then…
- Pre-screen!
Why pre-screening and what are you seeking to find out?
- It’s used to find out information that a resume does not always tell you. I
- It helps to ensure you’re progressing the best possible candidates to shortlist interview stage, making efficient use of your time
- Why they are looking
- What interested them about the role or organisation
- Why is this the career for them?
- They adequately have one or two mandatory requirements for the role (evidence-based answers need to be sought)
- Is the salary/wage expectation aligned
- What is their availability?
- What other positions are they currently active against?
Before telephone screening, familiarise yourself again with the resume - don’t ask questions that you can already determine easily from the CV. First impressions count, both ways!
Prepare with:
- Your telephone pre-screen guide relevant to the recruiting line area
- Application details (formal responses, if applicable)
- Resume copy, highlighted with additional questions you need answered
- Position description
Interviewing is an art, often undervalued and more often than not, ineffectively managed.
Why behavioural interviews are highly valuable
- Technical skills generally account for approximately 12% of any job!
- Whilst technical know-how is a prerequisite for a position, it’s often not one of the key competencies for success in that position
- Past behaviour to predict future behaviour
- Using behaviour eliminates misunderstandings about the candidate’s past experience
- Using behaviour prevents personal impressions affecting evaluations
- Using behaviour reduces candidate’s faking the response
- Planned behavioural interview questions ensure that you don’t lead the candidate to the “right” answer
- Planned behavioural questions will discourage theoretical responses
- Being clear on the behaviour you need evidence of helps you diagnose the need to probe
Respect internal protocol and your obligation to people.
What not to do:
- Don’t pay lip service to a process, you need to test the market properly to know you have the best possible employee
- Don’t proceed with recruitment of a new position without approval
- Don’t offer a job to a candidate until you are 100% sure, e.g. don’t lead a candidate astray or raise expectations
- Don’t change your mind after a formal offer is made
- Never start a candidate on site without a contract being signed
- Don’t leave candidates wondering! Once your preferred candidate has been offered and accepted a contract, make sure all interviewed, unsuccessful candidates are communicated with in person
- Don’t let great potential candidates fall into an abyss! Keep them warm, let your colleagues know about candidates you have met who could be utilised elsewhere
- Induct new employees properly
- Continue engagement with new staff, after all your work, you want them to stay!
- And remember your obligation under human rights…
This leads us to part three – unconscious bias
