Good interviews are structured in the sense that the questions are planned in advance, including follow up probing questions, and there are guidelines to help interviewers consistently evaluate candidates’ responses. A behaviorally based question is one which elicits data on behaviors and skills versus the candidate’s opinions about something.

There are two main types of questions that are effective: past experience questions, and situational questions.

• A past experience question is one where the candidate is asked to give an example where he/she used a particular skill, or dealt with a particular situation, in the past (e.g., “Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a customer who was very upset. What was the situation and how did you handle it?”). In general, past experience questions are better since the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.
• A situational question is one where the candidate is asked how he/she would handle a situation (e.g., “Suppose you were a supervisor in this department and one of your best employees said she was going to quit. What would you do?”). Situational questions are appropriate when the candidate may not have past experience in the competency area for which information is being collected.

In almost all cases, yes, even for lower level positions. Getting at least two views on a candidate’s capabilities will increase the accuracy of the process. Interviewers should meet after the interviews and reach consensus on strengths and weaknesses observed. A two-on-one interview can also be very effective, again, with a debriefing occurring afterwards.

A related issue is who should conduct the interviews. Usually both HR/Staffing and line managers are involved. The manager or supervisor to whom the candidate will report should always be one of the interviewers. All interviewers should be thoroughly familiar with the job being filled, and with the competencies and personal characteristics important to success and retention.

By having structured interview guides prepared in advance that are non-redundant. For competencies that are very important, more than one interviewer could probe on them, but they would ask different questions. Censeo normally provides separate guides for HR, the hiring manager, and the next level manager.

A rating scale is useful because it helps interviewers process the data collected during the interview and evaluate competencies in a consistent fashion. The rating scale should have at least three levels, but not more than five or six. The levels should be defined in terms of competencies required for success in the job.

A legal question is one which is job related, and which you would ask any candidate regardless of gender, race, age, etc.

Assuming the job analysis or competency model is already done, developing an interview guide normally takes about 3-4 weeks.

Yes, and it’s customized to the structure and design of the interview guides and the selection process. We normally produce participant materials and a detailed facilitator’s guide so the client can conduct the training without having to rely on consulting support.