Interview Guidelines
30 Years | Lessons Learned
Interview Guidelines covers preparing for, conducting effective interviews, and hiring the right candidate.
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Prepare for candidate interviews. Clear your schedule, develop a plan, know what you are looking for, prep your interview team, assign specific questions, and remember the interview is a two-way street. A structured and professional interview process with prepared and engaged managers along with timely feedback will go a long way in attracting candidates to your company. Many candidates will assume that your interview process including feedback and decisions are a direct reflection of how you conduct business.
If you interview a rockstar candidate, they will get a counteroffer. If your offer and opportunity is not considerably better than they currently have, then you will most likely lose them to a counteroffer.
Never forget that you are asking candidates to take a leap of faith and disrupt their lives to interview and potentially, join your company. Show them you understand and respect this. Go the extra mile and show some love. Make the candidates feel like they are a priority. Make them feel welcome during the interview process.
Tell me why and tell me more are the two most important interview questions there are.
Before talking with a candidate spend five minutes doing an online search.
Do not make hiring decisions based on a Zoom call. You need to personally meet people to properly determine their potential.
Be aware of the possibility of a candidate receiving multiple offers. Ask them if they are considering other opportunities repeatedly during the interview process.
She eats peas with her fork. Do not be overly critical during a first interview. Take the time to get to know a candidate before you decide what you don’t like about them.
Always be on the lookout for a search to go sideways. Warning signs include-but are not limited to-candidate hesitancy, no follow up, lack of questions from candidate, no good reason why they are interested, no in-depth salary discussion, lack of flow, no discussion of counter or if they are considering multiple offers. My first boss told me: “The best deals happen when the candidate takes over and makes it happen”. Best advice I ever received.
Formal interviews are necessary, however the only way to know you are hiring the right person is to take your time and get to really know them. Spend a Saturday with them. Learn about their hobbies. Visit project sites, go golfing, or fishing-what is their interest? Get to know their partner or spouse and learn about their family.
If candidates do not ask questions, they are not candidates.
Discuss monetary expectations with prospective candidates early on. There will be a show me yours first showdown but work through it. Candidate compensation expectations are rarely in-line with what you thought you would need to offer.
Psychometric testing is a very useful tool
Candidate provided references are worthless. Dig deeper. Every industry has two degrees of separation.
I have found the top traits of all good leaders are curiosity, empathy, charisma and a good mix of hubris and humility. A sense of humor helps too.
Dig deeper to determine why a candidate is looking and why they are interested in leaving their company to join your company. There is the reason they give and then there is the real reason.
Lateral moves. If someone is willing to quit their job and join your company to do the exact same thing you need to seriously question their true motives. Dig deep to find an acceptable reason for why they are interested.
If the first candidate you interview is a star, do not wait for someone a little better to come along. You will lose the first candidate due to timing or another opportunity. The reality is one good candidate is what you were looking for. A back up is nice but not always possible.
During the interview process find out what the spouse does and what their role is in the decision-making process.
Ask the candidate about their feelings regarding counteroffers. They will tell you they will not consider a counter. Ask them to tell you why? Ask them again why they are interviewing.
At various times during the interview process ask the candidate if you’re missing anything, did we discuss everything or ask them directly, what can kill this deal?
If legally possible find out if the candidate or a family member has any preexisting health conditions. Find out about divorces, childcare, and custody issues if possible.
Trust but verify.
11th hour changes, on both sides, kill deals.
The devil is in the details when making an offer. In addition to making a monetary offer that says “We value you and want you!” Employment contracts, non-competes, 401k comparison, out of pocket insurance costs, preexisting conditions, vacations, car allowance, gas card, car insurance, bonus program, long term compensation, sick time, tuition and industry dues, flexible work arrangements, laptop and phone, expense account, ownership opportunities, family issues that affect work, relocation packages. Everything needs to be addressed.
If one of these tips helps one client hire a rockstar, avoid a bad hire, or save a promising employee, then my life’s work will not have been in vain.
To discuss a current search need or any of these tips in greater detail please call me directly 312-505-9543 or email jerry@adamspartners.com