Beginning: 7 Tips on Conducting Interviews

I read a lot of career blogs. Managing a career, changing jobs with grace, and interviewing tips are all common topics. Most of the career advice I read is personal advice for how people can manage their own careers. This post is different – it isn’t necessarily for job seekers. This post is for people who have openings on their teams and are conducting interviews. If you fit that description, I have some advice based upon an experience I had in the not-so-distant past that ruined my opinion of a brand I really loved.

I went to an interview for a new role that really intrigued me. Though the opportunity seemed perfect on paper, I made sure to wear my skeptical spectacles so that I could be objective. I had a wonderful conversation with the recruiter (who is a top-notch professional) and met the hiring manager and his VP a few days later. 30 seconds into my interview with the VP I knew this role was not for me. But all was not lost. I learned so much about interviewing based upon the VP’s example of what not to do and I wanted to share it with you.

1.) Please read the candidate’s resume. I don’t care how busy an interviewer is. Talent is a company’s greatest resource and talent, perspective and current, needs to be treated with respect. Rest assured, the candidate did her homework and prepared for the interview. The interviewer needs to reciprocate.

2.) Frantic is a bad vibe. Again, I don’t care how busy an interviewer is. If the hiring manager can’t hold it together with grace under pressure, chances are his or her team won’t feel comfortable asking for guidance and support. And that’s a leader’s job – to support and counsel a team. Be there for them before they ever sign on the dotted line.

3.) You need to have solid answers to these 4 questions: a) what keeps you up at night?, b) what you do better than the competition?, c) what does the competition do better than you?, and d) if there was a recent turnover in management, why? If an interviewer can’t answer those questions, I would recommend that the candidates interviewing head for the door. Run, don’t walk. Guy Kawasaki thinks so, too.

4.) “I’m new” is a really poor excuse for not knowing your business and the market. And if it’s March, and a leader was hired in November, I’m afraid the “I’m new” excuse doesn’t fly for any question a candidate asks. In this ever-changing economy, 4 months is more than enough ramp up time.

5.) Practice what you preach. For example, if the company’s mission is health and wellness, then the employees of the company need to be healthy and well. If a hiring manager is working herself to death in the health and wellness field makes, that person is a poor role model, for the team and customers. It also ruins the company’s credibility in the field. And by the way, it’s not sustainable. Abuse the body and mind long enough, and eventually they will give out.

6.) Don’t assume you know someone’s MO solely based upon the company they work in. Someone may be part of a large corporation without being a corporate drone. It is possible to be outspoken and innovative even in a large company with a lot of politics. Don’t assume that someone’s corporate experience means they can’t add value in a start-up or nonprofit. Everyone has something unique to offer, and the hiring manager’s job in interviewing is to find out what each candidate offers (by asking them!) and if what they have to offer matches what the company needs.

7.) To get more information about a candidate’s background, please don’t say anything like, “Tell me something that will make me feel better about hiring you.” I wish this didn’t need to be said, but that’s the exactly what the hiring manager said to me at the end of my interview. That’s poor form, and it’s just plain rude. My former boss and mentor, Bob G., had a great line that I use all the time that is so much more effective and polite. Whenever he didn’t understand something or if he was unsure about what someone meant, he didn’t put them on the spot in an uncomfortable way. He simply asked, “Can you tell me more about that?” It works like a charm every time. It gets candidates to open up and share without feeling like they need to defend themselves.

What other tips do you have for conducting successful interviews? Let’s put an end to really bad interviews!