Source: American Management Association

Looking for some quick-and-dirty training suggestions to help supervisors get more information from hiring interviews? Try these.

1. Apply Kipling's "Six Good Serving Men" when talking about previous positions: WHAT skills did this former job, employer, or training help you develop or improve? WHO was responsible for most of your previous growth and development? WHERE will you look for ways to apply these skills in the future? WHEN AND WHY did you decide to look for a new career opportunity? HOW would you apply them to benefit our company? WHY do you believe you'll succeed?

2. Evaluate the quality of an applicant's answers. Are the replies thoughtful, straightforward, and coherent, or overly glib, disjointed, and evasive? Do they make sense?

3. Is the applicant blatantly attempting to cash in on the "halo effect" by using flattery, peppering the conversation with trendy business buzz words, or employing props (such as walking into your office with a copy of The Wall Street Journal in hand).

4. Discuss former responsibilities, achievements, and areas of satisfaction that relate to your position's bona-fide occupational qualifications (BFOQ's). What do they reveal about the applicant's work ethic? Are they compatible with the job he or she is applying for in your company?

5. Encourage the applicant to ask questions about the position, your company, and your department. Do these questions reveal a sincere effort to research your organization thoroughly before the interview? Do they show that the candidate has gathered information about your product line, growth trends, industry position, mergers or similar major developments, and other facts that may not be reported in the general news media?

6. Use the reflective summary technique to confirm or clarify your understanding of the applicant's remarks and solicit details on key points. ("So you believe that your work on this cross-functional team improved your ability to work with people from several different areas of the company?")

7. Employ "strategic silence" where appropriate. Allowing the conversation to lapse may compel an interviewee to provide meaningful details, opinions, or feelings that can help you make a better hiring decision.

8. Do some informal cost/benefit analysis. Ask yourself (and perhaps the candidate) what he or she might contribute to your company or team (and how soon) that members of your present staff cannot?

9. Evaluate non-verbal indicators (handshake, eye contact, gestures, facial expressions, and other body language) that may confirm or contradict what the candidate is telling you orally or on the resume.

10. Did the applicant ask for the job? (This can be the real acid test, especially for sales applicants. Those who don't ask for the job may not ask for the order either!)

This article content is Copyright 1997, American Management Association. All rights reserved.

The American Management Association International is a leading membership-based management development and training organization.

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