Interviewing: Steps and Techniques

Interviews are often stressful for candidates - that's a fact. However, interviewing is also an art. Leaders planning such actions definitely need to know all the stages, features and methods.

The classic notions of how to conduct an interview correctly are a serious brake for many HR employees. Leading specialists in the field of management have noticed for a long time that "tricky questions" have ceased to have any serious effect. All the same, all such moments have long become public knowledge. And any the applicant can practice at home in front of a video camera or in front of a mirror, thereby providing himself with a pleasant impression... Therefore, a feature of a modern interview is the maximum orientation towards future work.

Preparing for such questions by rehearsal or by quickly inventing the wrong answers is nearly impossible. Much more likely to get an adequate candidate. When thinking through a list of questions, you need to avoid all those for which you can prepare in advance. It is worth probing thematic sites and communities in social networks that future applicants can easily find.

The following questions are categorically not suitable for characterizing the future employee:

• about strengths and weaknesses;
• on a personal assessment of their prospects;
• about the "dream job";
• about where a person sees himself ideally in 5-15 years.

The situation in the economy, professional environments and communities is changing very quickly. And the most brilliant result, obtained 3-5 years ago, already says little about the prospects. And the past failures in this sense, by the way, are not so important either.

In addition, the difference in corporate culture and the specifics of specific organizations cannot be ignored either.

Questions should be something like this:

• does the applicant have an idea of ​​what he will face immediately, how he will act and in what order;
• whether a person will be able to solve a specific problem (formulate in general terms one or several tasks for which they are usually hired for this position);
• will a person cope with the search for problems and shortcomings in the current work process (using the example of real-life violations);
• how the candidate presents his plan of professional development, consultations, necessary consultations, establishing communication within the team, how he will evaluate success or failure.

But all this does not mean that you can ignore the application form and resume of the applicant, other documents sent by them. On the contrary, all similar the materials must be carefully studied before the interview... And not just study, but take on it in order to immediately clarify certain points, adjust the course of the process. The interview script must be prepared in advance... And this rule must be borne in mind by even the most outstanding, most experienced managers and personnel officers.

This is the only way to eliminate mistakes. And omission of even one question or incorrect wording can be extremely dangerous. It's so easy to overlook a valuable employee or hire the wrong person. Moreover, acting according to a clear scenario, you can save a lot of time. No side issues should be discussed at the Candidate Reception... Subordinates are warned in advance to intervene only in real urgent cases.

It is unnecessary to talk about such subtleties as highlighting a quiet and calm office. For an interview, the manager should take a job description... Using such a "cheat sheet" is the easiest way to assess the experience, and the level of competence, and the quality of a person's motivation.

The interview plan should be drawn up as clearly as possible. When compiling it, one should not only study the resume in detail, but also establish how a particular applicant will be assessed. Almost every company has its own standard recommendations in this regard. The algorithm should be formed taking into account such recommendations. In any case, it is necessary to conduct the conversation from the very beginning in such a way as to develop an atmosphere of trusting equality and to support it in every possible way.

Because experienced recruiters and wise leaders ask primarily neutral questionsmake other efforts to overcome natural mistrust and suspicion. The transition to the main part of the interview occurs only after close contact has been established.

The second part of the interview is precisely the candidate's monologue. Especially often, self-presentation is checked when checking candidates for managerial positions and in the field of trade, marketing.Attention is paid not only to the essence of the stated facts, assessments, views and approaches of the applicant (although this is also important, of course). It is necessary to assess the sincerity and adequacy of a person, the ability to hold on and communicate with unfamiliar people.... Whoever fails to demonstrate this in an interview is unlikely to become a good leader.

It is worth emphasizing that, in general, the following is also assessed:

• the candidate's confidence (which, of course, should not translate into self-confidence or aplomb);
• the correctness of the construction of speech;
• the consistency of the monologue;
• tactfulness in speaking on sensitive and controversial issues (very important in negotiations);
• behavior in general;
• gestures, facial expressions and other non-verbal signs.

As significant as the monologue may be, the bulk of the interview should still be in the form of a monologue. It is the recruiter or the leader who plays a decisive role in such a moment of the conversation. He needs to control the overall course of the conversation. Wherein authoritarian style is strongly discouraged.

At such times, you need to ask "closed" questions, such as:

• “How long does it take to communicate with subordinates”;
• "How to evaluate the result of the task of such and such";
• “How much time should be given to an employee for such and such an operation”;
• "Do you agree that this and that should be done in an organization."

Once you've drawn up a list of interview questions, you should put it off for a while and then come back and reread it with a fresh eye. At this point, you need to give up everything that:

• invades personal space;
• trite;
• does not help to reveal the identity of the applicant and his professional qualities;
• too predictable and can be easily learned at home rehearsal;
• not relevant to the case;
• has a very vague wording that makes it easy to mislead;
• it is already clear from the resume, other sent documents and information obtained from open sources.

The end of the interview “physically” usually occurs at the allotted time. It is not worth delaying it, unless in the most extreme case. But sometimes a recruiter or manager is convinced that the decision can be made now. In this case, they need to make it clear to the applicant that the admission is over. This is done in different ways:

• expressive glances at the clock;
• preparation for leaving (an appropriate posture, as before getting up from a chair or from a chair, folding or sorting things);
• an offer to ask the last question;
• calling the secretary personally or by intercom with a question about the next visitor, event.

The recruiter or supervisor, following the usual rules of courtesy, thank the candidate or multiple candidates if the interview was in a group format. They are told how they will further consider the candidacy, keep in touch. But even after the applicant leaves, the work of the specialists does not end.

But here we must return to such a topic as a checklist.

An experienced recruiter will add the following points there:

• call in 30-60 minutes (to make sure if the candidate has not suddenly changed his mind, whether he will be able to arrive on time);
• putting things in perfect order in the meeting room or in the office;
• transfer of all interfering cases, meetings and so on;
• exchange of business cards;
• presenting the plan of the conversation to the applicant (so that he knows what he can count on), and optionally, defining a time frame for each stage;
• what the candidate should tellthat he himself must learn about the forthcoming work and activities of the organization;
• additional tests required (tests, general and professional cases);
• which employee in the same field to inviteto assess deeper professional competence.

This interview option implies a clear and uniform procedure for evaluating all candidates. Special studies have shown that this approach is effective even when looking for people for creative positions with a poorly formalized nature of the activity.

The difficulty is that you have to:

• develop clear lists of questions;
• check their effectiveness;
• achieve strict observance of the established procedure by all recruiters.

It is directed to a greater extent not at assessing the competence of people in general, but at establishing whether they will be able to behave correctly in a very tense situation. Under the influence of an emotional shake-up, all superficial layers of the psyche go away, and the opportunity to apply "homework" is lost.

There are 3 main options for creating stress:

• exhausting expectation;
• deliberately uncomfortable environment (low light, loud and unpleasant sounds, filling out questionnaires while standing, the presence of strangers going about their business, cold or heat);
• deliberate ignorance (including calls, visits of other employees, working with documents, processing incoming correspondence) - that is, checking composure in such an environment.

A stress interview is recommended for assessing qualities:

• teachers;
• nannies;
• detectives;
• journalists;
• security guards;
• air traffic controllers;
• sales managers;
• operators of critical and hazardous industries.

This type of job interview is becoming more common these days. The bottom line is that people are asked to describe their actions when resolving a certain situation. The more difficult this situation, the more skills it requires, the more valuable such a case. Often this method is practiced for those employed in advertising, sales, marketing, and for managers of all levels.

Another name is competency interviews. It is assumed that hypothetical situations will not be resolved (as in the previous example), but the experience of the applicant will be maximized. Recruiters and managers will need to draw up models of competencies, build schemes for their assessment. For example, under the general definition of "leadership" there are such moments as a clear assessment of the situation, the ability to convey it to other people. But the leader also sometimes has to take unpopular or simply incomprehensible measures, precisely because he “looks further than other employees”.

Similarly, the following competencies are decomposed into their component parts:

• analytical approach;
• the ability to solve several problems at the same time;
• communication skills;
• the ability to maintain discipline in the team.

It is most logical to use this format when hiring for remote work. But it will be useful both for evaluating applicants from other cities, and for the initial selection of people living in the same locality. Total the procedure takes no more than 25 minutes. Of these, 10-15 minutes fall on the main part, and 5-7 minutes to summarize, plus initial communication setup.

This approach works effectively when you need to check the previous activities of candidates and carefully evaluate them. The manager or recruiter learns what tasks the candidate for a position in the organization solved, how he got out of the difficulties that arose.

An alternative name is the modeling method. The difference from a prospective interview is that exactly one or two situations are simulated. All other content of the conversation is quite common. The auditees are expected to provide adequate answers to the proposed challenges. People who know the specifics of the organization from the inside should write the task and evaluate the results.

This method presupposes active business games. The model is used anyway. But it should be initially close to real practice: no need to be afraid of even disclosing certain difficulties that your organization is facing. A common variant: a recruiter or manager plays the role of a buyer, a client. In this case, the applicant must properly serve him.

We are talking about the individual elements of the interview, allowing you to check the resistance to stress of applicants.

Attention:

• the method is not suitable for all positions;
• the implementation should be as tactful as possible;
• it must be remembered that the wrong application of the method threatens the reputation of the company.

For a job seeker for a job in a large organization, it is imperative to ask questions regarding the ability to interact with people. At the same time, one should try to reveal the ability for normal communication even in a critical situation (or lack of such ability).

So, when talking with programmers, it is advisable to be interested in:

• knowledge of programming languages, loops, procedures;
• knowledge of the methodology of programming work;
• knowledge of data sorting methods;
• the ability to use algorithms, create systems for processing large amounts of digital data.

It is more appropriate to ask candidates for the position of a salesperson in such a way as to evaluate:

• possession of sales techniques;
• speed of thinking;
• skills of negotiations with a client;
• persuasive speech;
• professional literacy.

Regardless of who is employed in the organization and in what position, a systematic assessment based on the results of the interview is very important. Recruiters need to get rid of the "good job seeker" myth. It is best to simply draw up a list of criteria and sequentially, according to the list, evaluate the compliance or non-compliance of the candidate... No likes and dislikes: just like you would choose a car, apartment or other object for yourself - pure composure and iron rationality.

Other common mistakes:

• evaluating applicants for the position, first of all, according to their manners;
• forming final judgments at the very beginning of the interview;
• exaggerated attention to appearance;
• attempts to find confirmation of the initial impression in interview materials.

Keep in mind that even during a stressful interview, politeness and tact are very important. From the outset, it's best to tune in to a moderately favorable attitude towards applicants. The interviewer, be it a boss or a recruiter, should allow the other person to talk more.... He himself mostly listens attentively. For the sake of a more complete disclosure of personality and professional qualities, it is sometimes worth abandoning individual questions, swapping them, adding new ones, or even adding a little time over and above the plan.

You must carefully control yourself so that neither gestures, nor facial expressions, nor intonation give the interlocutor a preliminary verdict and the impression that has developed. It is necessary to observe as closely as possible for similar manifestations in a candidate. It is highly recommended to keep free-form notes during the conversation.... Regardless of the preliminary decision, it is worth spending a few minutes to inform applicants about their job responsibilities and the nuances of the upcoming work.