Make Sure Your Interviewing Process is Fair

Cartoon of a businessman saying to a lion at the Roman Colosseums, "I just came for a first interview, not to be fed to the lions."

Interviewing can be very stressful for the job candidate. It may not be quite as risky a process as this cartoon suggests, but a lot rides on the outcome for the job seeker. 

Candidates need to impress the interviewer—be confident and articulate, ensure their qualifications are expressed clearly without appearing to brag, indicate their sincere interest in the position and their respect for the company, and so on. They are understandably nervous. It is your job as an interviewer to make them feel comfortable, assess their readiness and fit, ask the behavior-based interviewing questions that can predict their on-the-job behavior and ensure that the selection process is fair.

We recommend that all interviewers be well versed in what can be learned in a quality behavior-based interviewing training workshop aligned with your specific employee brand and organizational culture. Effective behavioral interviewing training teaches a competency-based process that depends upon the proven principle that past and present behavior is the best predictor of future employee performance and retention.  It typically includes:

  1. The Job Description.  The first step is to define each job in terms of the critical few behavioral competencies needed for success. 

  2. The Behavior-Based Methodology.  Then you must learn how to ask behavior-based questions (without telegraphing what you are looking for) that effectively probe beneath the surface of a candidate’s resume and rehearsed answers to uncover their true capabilities, attitudes and motivators.

  3. The Legal Boundaries.  You learn what questions are legal and compliant and what questions are not.

  4. The Hiring Decision.  Finally you make the hiring decision according to a standard and agreed-upon process that weighs candidates fairly against the parameters for success.  

Some companies rely upon candidate assessments to help with employee selection. If you use one of these tools, be wary. You need to be sure that the assessment is:

  • Legally compliant
  • Aligned with your employee brand promise, organizational culture and values
  • A proven prediction of job performance
  • Designed to provide relevant, work-based exercises
  • Creating a positive candidate experience
  • Scientifically valid and reliable

Otherwise, you are depending upon an assessment that measures the wrong things, sifts out the wrong people and may lead to accusations of an unfair process.

As anxious as the job candidate may be, job interviewers should be anxious too. They are the ones making important hiring decisions that can dramatically affect their team. Selecting top talent is a challenge. As a company leader, be sure your interviewers have the behavior-based interviewing tools and skills to do their job well.

Learn more at: http://www.lsaglobal.com/behavior-based-interviewing-training/

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