By: Susan Boydell | sboydell@barlowmccarthy.com

In a previous blog we talked through some of the basics of creating a good interview process for hiring new talent. You can find that HERE. In today’s blog I want to take a look at how you assess your candidate during the interview process. As in what sort of things are we listening for as we ask questions and go through the interview process with candidates.

Step 1 in the successful assessment of candidates is creating good interview questions. Take your time building your questions and work to have questions that really dive deeper. Think about your specific role, what makes it unique and then build a set of questions off of that. You should be comfortable and confident in the interview, be a good listener and be prepared to ask follow-up questions based on the answers you receive.

Here are a few more ideas on what to listen for when conducting an interview:

• Does your candidate know how to speak succinctly and stay on track. They should be ready and willing to share openly but also have a concept of time to acknowledge they aren’t talking too much. In the interview setting you should be listening more than talking. If you find yourself talking too much it could be because your interviewee is struggling to maintain a flow of conversation.
• When working to match your candidate with your role, a good rule of thumb is 70% skills and 30% fit. Many hirings have failed when focused too much on culture and fit. It doesn’t matter if the candidate is going to be great to have in the office if they can’t effectively do the job. Asking a candidate to share specific examples is the best way to uncover their ability to do the job. Both skills and fit are important but make sure you are asking questions to identify if the candidate has the skills to do the job. And then assess the fit question.
• Here are a few other qualities you should work to discern with your questions and study of the candidate. Do they have the work ethic to do this job effectively? Are they adaptable to change? Do you get the sense that they are authentic, truthful and honest?

A big part of this process is how you are able to assess the candidate. The virtual interview is of course alive and well today, but to truly assess a candidate you need to be in a room with them. Body language can tell you many stories and looking someone in the eye is the only way to properly assess them. Hiring and creating a team is such a huge part of this world. Take the time to become a solid interviewer and watch your team and your leadership skills improve.

As you plan upcoming interviews, be prepared to ask good questions and really listen to your candidates’ answers. We can learn so much from what they say and the way they say things. If you have additional questions around this topic don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@barlowmccarthy.com we are happy to help!