Strategic Interviewing And Selection: Getting The Right Talent On Your Team In This Tight Labor Market

The effectiveness of the Recruiting, Interviewing and Selection process can be no greater than the quality of the interviews themselves. Interviewers need to know how to follow a proven methodology for obtaining relevant information from applicants and properly assessing it. Interviewers need to know what to look for and how to gain that information. The objective of an interview is to identify candidates who can and will effectively perform the job - while fitting into the organization.

Some experts say that "the typical interview - conducted by an untrained interviewer-is often no better than chance at predicting how an applicant will perform on the job. Too frequently interviewers follow one of the following interviewing approaches;

• Eyeball Interview:  'I knew the minute I saw her she couldn’t handle the job'
• Friendly Chat:  'A pleasant experience talking about sports, the weather, mutual acquaintances, etc.'
• Random Interview:  'Asking a random series of questions with no job specifications in mind'
• Since a human tendency is to like applicants who are like us, a very important step for interviewers is having a thorough understanding of the position’s specifications. As obvious as this seems, some interviewers fail to take the time to identify the specific job criteria needed to be successful in the vacancy. But if we don’t know where we are going, any road will get us there.  

Defining an Employment Interview

• Five key components of an interview
• Common errors made by interviewers
• A three-step interviewing process

Pre-Interview Preparation

• Five types of job criteria
• Questions to answer in identifying your job criteria
• Reasons for reviewing the application & resume in advance of an interview
• Seven areas to review applications & resumes
• Planning questions before the interview
• Typical job criteria for service-providing positions
• How to use job criteria 'kick out' factors during phone interviews

Creating the Proper Atmosphere

• Characteristics of the proper interview atmosphere
• A checklist to determine if an interviewer is ready for an interview

Structuring Effective Questions

• Characteristics of the proper interview format
• The differences between productive vs. destructive interviewer interruptions
• The objective of any interview
• Five types of useful interview questions - with examples
• Tips for conducting a team or panel interview

The Behavioral Interview

• The definition of a behavioral-based interview question
• An overview of a behavioral interview
• Sample behavior-based questions
• How to seek candidate behaviors vs. traits
• A typical behavioral interview sequence
• Tips for taking interview notes
• Closing the interview with candidates that you want to reject, possibly pursue or pursue; respectively
• How to handle three types of difficult interview situations

The Total Interview Format

• Using ice breaker/rapport building statements & questions
• Using transition questions to begin the formal interview
• Utilizing an overview/benefit statement
• Questions to use in exploring work experience
• Questions to use in exploring education
• Questions to gain an applicant's self-assessment
• Closing the interview

Strategic Recruiting

• Research showing that many employees will be changing jobs in 2018
• The types of candidate questions for which employers should be prepared to answer in 2018
• What candidates will expect of companies during the recruiting, interviewing & selection process
• The issues on which candidates are making their decisions
• What candidates are looking for in a job - other than a paycheck
• Examples of what some brand companies are doing to improve their recruiting, interviewing & selection processes

Few managers would disagree with the idea that their Recruiting, Interviewing and Selection process significantly impacts all aspects of their organization’s performance - including its profitability. Organizations need quality candidates and managers need to know how to identify those candidates who have the competencies that meet the job requirements.

This webinar will provide the participants with the skills and a practical, proven a step-by-step approach to the interviewing process that participants can utilize themselves and/or introduce to their organizations.

Just as an organization’s success is significantly influenced by the people it employs, a manager's success is largely dependent on the performance of his/her team. Being able to effectively interview and select team members is a critical skill for any manager. And the further a manager's career progresses the greater the need for this skill. So, lacking effective interviewing skills can severely limit a manager's career advancement.

There is an assumption that because of a a person has the title of the manager he/she knows how to conduct effective interviews and make appropriate hiring decisions. However, many managers learn to interview by trial and error - they have not been afforded the opportunity to learn a proven, step-by-step interviewing and selection process.

Additionally, the cost of making a poor the hiring decision is significant in terms of lost productivity, quality, customer satisfaction - not to mention the costs associated with termination, possible legal ramifications and then having to recruit and train a replacement. Making a poor hiring decision results in the loss of a significant investment both in time and money.

To fully appreciate the value of interview training it's helpful to consider the 'performance differential.' This is the fact that a good hire will satisfy the needs of the position, but a great hire will substantially increase the organization's performance. For example, the average Google employee contributes $1 million in company revenue. But an outstanding performer can generate $300 million in revenue.

• HR Professionals New to the Field - seeking a comprehensive view of the subject with multiple initiatives & techniques they can apply immediately
• Experienced HR Professionals - seeking a refresher
• Line Managers: - seeking a comprehensive view of the subject with multiple initiatives & techniques they can apply immediately  

Pete Tosh is Founder of The Focus Group, a management consulting and training firm that assists organizations in sustaining profitable growth through four core disciplines:

• Maximizing Leadership Effectiveness
• Implementing Strategic HR Initiatives
• Strategic Planning
• Enhancing Customer Loyalty

The Focus Group has provided these consulting & training services to manufacturing & service organizations across the U.S., Canada, Europe & the Middle East.
Pete has worked closely with the senior leadership teams of organizations such as Brink’s, EMC, State Farm Insurance, Marriott, N.C.I., Freddie Mac, and YKK Pete is also co-author of Leading Your Organization to the Next Level: The Core Disciplines of Sustained Profitable Growth. Pete holds a B.A. degree in Psychology from Emory and Henry College
& Masters degrees in both Business Administration & Industrial Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University.