I usually talk about the interviewing process from the perspective of the job candidate. But today I'd like to address it from the other side of the desk. That's because career success can be as much a function of interviewing others seeking jobs as interviewing for a job yourself.

Why You Need to Be Good at Interviewing People

Safety managers need to excel at interviewing. Hiring the wrong people can have severe repercussions-on both your team and your organization. It can diminish performance and reflect negatively on you and other persons involved in the hiring process. In short, interviewing is the first step to making the right hiring decisions.

But interviewing is not a skill we're born with. Too many managers learn this lesson the hard way. "One of the biggest mistakes you can make is trying to 'wing' an interview - no matter which side of the desk you're on," says Massachusetts career consultant Louise Kursmark. "Just as top-notch candidates prepare for job interviews, hiring managers need to engage in thoughtful preparation to ensure that the interview is a productive business meeting for all involved."

Make sure the relationship is going to work before getting engaged, advises consultant Roberta Chinsky Matuson. Remember, that you'll be spending more time with this person than with your spouse. And, based on our ExecuNet data showing that 59% of executives are hired from outside the company, this is a person you probably aren't going to know until the interviewing begins.

Preparing for the Interviewing Process

Preparation starts before a job is ever posted or listed with a recruiter. You need to form a clear picture of the ideal candidate. "Establish specific performance expectations," says Kursmark. "Then identify the qualifications, experience, personality traits and culture-fit factors that represent an ideal candidate." Be prepared to discuss and defend your criteria based on the specific performance goals you've established.

Get internal buy-in on what you're seeking in a candidate. "Identify all stakeholders and reporting structures beforehand," says Don McNamara, head of a sales management consulting, training and coaching company. All job candidates want to know what their role, responsibilities, authorities and reporting structures will be. "Nothing kills an interview quicker than to give candidates the feeling that they're being led on a fishing expedition."

Interviewing Strategies

Use the interview to gain information about the candidate. A good interviewer should devise ways to get candidates off their scripted responses. One approach is behavior-based interviewing, which elicits specific examples of experiences from candidates rather than just generalizations.

Another good method is to ask candidates to demonstrate how they'd perform a specific aspect of the job. For example, you could set up a white board exercise, give the candidates a real problem and ask them to walk you through the steps they'd take to tackle it. Don't be afraid to press candidates for clarification or more details if you're not satisfied with the answers they provide. If candidates can't respond to such a direct challenge, it should raise a red flag.

Some advisers recommend interviews of two to four hours if the position is critical enough. This enables you to determine how the candidate deals with the pressure of being in a prolonged stressful situation. The process:

• Step 1: Begin with an icebreaker to explain the interview process;
• Step 2: Do a 30 to 60 minute review of the candidate's work history;
• Step 3: Ask candidates to relate their skills and experience to processes they were involved in; and
• Step 4: Follow up with behavior-based interview questions.

Be sure to let the candidates do most of the talking. "We commonly hear from candidates who complain that the interviewer did about 80% of the talking," says Chinsky Matuson. "The domineering approach to interviewing invariably leaves candidates shaking their heads and wondering why they'd ever want to work with a person who has such poor listening skills."

Conclusion

This point about not talking too much seems like an appropriate place to call it a day. I'll pick up next week with more strategies to help you do a better job of interviewing people for your teams.

Wishing you career success and a happy Halloween,
Lauryn Franzoni
ExecuNet, www.execunet.com

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