Interviewing skills from Magellanic Solutions

Magellanic Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Conducting an Interview
By: Darshan Raikar
4/3/2013

Efficiency at its Best...
2 | P a g e
w w w . m a g e l l a n i c s o l u t i o n s . i n
Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................3
Pre Interview Preparation.......................................................................................................................3
Shortlisting Candidates ...........................................................................................................................3
Steps to be followed: ..............................................................................................................................3
Employment Regulations........................................................................................................................4
Pre Judgment ..........................................................................................................................................4
Behavioral Questions..............................................................................................................................5
The Curveball ..........................................................................................................................................5
Maintaining Consistency.........................................................................................................................5
Seven Golden Interview Questions.........................................................................................................5
Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................8
Appendix 1 ..............................................................................................................................................9

3 | P a g e
Conducting an Interview
Introduction
Recruiting good employees is the foundation of any successful business. But selecting the right ones
is difficult, and the interview process is often the most important step in the process. We will discuss
how to figure out if the candidate sitting across from you is likely to become your next Employee of
the Month.
When it comes to job interview questions there are no magic bullets, however the structuring
interview questions is very important: It is the interviewer's job to create an efficient framework for
discussion and prevent it from running off the track. Needs of companies are different, but a good
basic strategy is to ground the interview in questions about past job performance. Then throw in some
situational questions to evaluate practical decision making, and learn a little bit about how the job fits
in with a candidate's biography.
Pre Interview Preparation
Before an interview, each interviewer should have done a decent study on the person they're about to
meet face to face. At the end, become familiar and acquainted enough with his or her resume, cover
letter, or other submitted materials so you don't waste the first half of the interview re-learning basic
biographical information. Make sure you have the information you need to get a sense of what each
candidate is all about and what they might bring to the position—before you conduct the actual
interview.
Shortlisting Candidates
This is a very important part of the recruitment process. Although it can be time-consuming it is
worth conducting it with care and consideration. You don’t want to miss an excellent candidate or
waste your time with someone who doesn’t meet your requirements. It is possible that you will only
receive a small number of applications for a job, but the same process should take place regardless of
the number of applications you receive.
(Refer Appendix. 1)
Steps to be followed:
 Use the job description and person specifications you also need to list all the requirements of
the job on a short-listing grid. It may be helpful to use headings. You should have two
sections – one for ‘essential’ criteria and one for ‘desirable’ criteria.
 Design a points or rating system to score candidates against the criteria. For example:
3=exceeds criteria, 2=meets criteria, 1=partly meets criteria, 0=fails to meet criteria. You
could add more ratings if you wish.
 Using a separate grid for each candidate, go through the application forms and score them
against the requirements. It is best practice to have more than one person carry out this
procedure, so each person should complete the grid for every candidate; you can then all
come together at the end and compare results.

4 | P a g e
 Once scoring is complete you can immediately discard any applicants that score a ‘0’ on one
or more of the ‘essential’ criteria.
 You can then rank those remaining candidates in priority order, highest score first. If you still
have a large number of candidates you may want to consider the scoring of the ‘desirable’
criteria.
 You have then arrived at your list of candidates to invite for interview – you should avoid
interviewing more than six people for any one job. If you only have one job to fill,
interviewing more than 6 people isn’t likely to improve your chances of finding someone
suitable.
Employment Regulations
The interview process is subject to numerous employment laws designed to protect applicants' privacy
and ensure them a fair shot in the selection process. Employers cannot ask questions about religion,
national origin, age, height, weight, marital status, disability, or gender unless they represent genuine
qualifications essential to the operation of the business. (For example: a church can ask potential
ministers about their religious background; a contracting firm can ask if candidates are physically able
to perform certain tasks.)
No one should be required to provide personal information, and some in the employment field
recommend keeping the interview process tied strictly to job relevance. If asking about off-hours
pursuits, say so in an open-ended way, such as, "We're seeking well-rounded, passionate people. Is
that how you'd characterize yourself?"
Pre Judgment
It's human nature to base your opinion about a candidate on the gut feeling you develop during the
first few minutes of the interview. To some extent, that tendency can be harnessed as a kind of
intrinsic sixth sense. But have faith in the process as a whole. Many of the best employees might not
make a great first impression, but their talent reveals itself more and more over time.
"When I've done training for interviewing, I've noticed that people fantasize about the concept of
having a buzzer under the desk that you could push to say, 'No thank you,'" says industrial
psychologist Charles Handler of Rocket-Hire.com, a firm that advises companies on their hiring
processes. "But you need to think, before you hit that imaginary buzzer, why do you want to hit it? You
have to suspend judgment and think about collecting data that will help you make a good decision in
the end."
Handler further added that in most cases, people want to hire people who are like them. "The key
towards avoiding this is reducing subjectivity and making the process more job related," he says.
Remember: you want to create a team with a true diversity of personalities, perspectives, and talents.
That's crucial to keep in mind when biographical details related to hobbies, cultural tastes, and other
outside pursuits come up. If you're too easily swayed by your shared passion for Harry Potter books or
old David Bowie albums, you're not going to focus properly on concrete, practical information about
aptitude and suitability.

5 | P a g e
Behavioral Questions
Behavioral questions require candidates to give examples from their past experience and describe how
they used specific skills that are relevant to the job. They're a great opportunity for candidates to
demonstrate leadership or other desirable kinds of performance. An applicant may make statements
like, "I deliver great customer service," but that's meaningless unless they can provide a concrete
example showing how they walked the talk.
A good interviewer should be able to sift through the information a candidate provides to see what it
really says about experience and ability. For example, anecdotes should show balance in a candidate's
sense of his own importance. "A candidate should not try to take all the credit for work done in a
team," says Brant Williams, recruiting coordinator for Adidas America. "Instead, you want them to
clearly identify what their role was and how they contributed to the team outcome." Dissecting the
meaning of what's said will require close attention, so write down any responses that give you pause,
as well as the good ones.
The Curveball
Although the majority of the interview should be practical, throwing a more abstract question with no
right or wrong answer into the mix can shed light on a candidate's reasoning power, outlook, and
comfort in negotiating ambiguity. Asked why the sky is blue, a strong candidate might pontificate
about the science of climate and atmosphere or its more conceptual impact on people, culture, and art.
"You want people who think differently from each other," says Scott Pitasky, general manager of
recruiting for Microsoft. "Otherwise you'll end up with a group of very talented people who always
come up with the same answer as each other." Such questions can also be a measure of attitude. If a
candidate rolls her eyes and shrugs, she may balk at more important tasks, as well.
Maintaining Consistency
Philosophies about hiring come and go: experience versus raw talent, leaders versus team-players,
personality tests and problem-solving scenarios versus traditional resumes and interviews. As with a
stock portfolio, your best bet is to diversify. But once you've arrived at a set of questions to ask and
qualities to look for, stick to your game plan. Using the same list of questions for all candidates helps
create a structure for managing all the information provided in their responses. Just like on an episode
of Iron Chef or Dance Fever, members of the interview team can then score candidates on each
answer. Of course the job doesn't automatically have to be awarded to the highest scorer, but being
able to compare parallel responses is a revealing measurement tool.
Seven Golden Interview Questions
Question 1: "What do you think about Dhoni's performance yesterday?"
Purpose: Develop the rapport needed to get the interview off the ground.
Every interview should begin with an icebreaker. It helps nervous applicants calm down and builds a
sense of trust. If you have a 45-minute interview, you should spend at least the first five minutes
trying to connect on a neutral topic. Make the person feel at ease and you'll solicit better
information—and much more honest responses.
Alternate Version 1: "Did you go to the industry conference last week?"

6 | P a g e
Alternate Version 2: "Were you affected by the heat wave?"
Alternate Version 3: "How was your journey?"
Question 2: "Tell me about a time when you had to overcome major obstacles."
Purpose: Get a clear picture of the candidate's past performance.
Variations on this question should actually comprise your next several questions. Do not hesitate to
guide the candidate through the variety of tasks (both tangible and theoretical) necessary to perform
the job, and listen carefully to how he or she has handled such challenges. Pay attention to intangibles
& remember, some people are better at performing in interviews than on the job. If your candidate
continually plays the role of hero or victim, that's a red flag that you are probably not getting the
whole story.
Alternate Version 1: "Tell me about a time when you wrote a report that was well received. Why do
you think it was successful?"
Alternate Version 2: "Tell me about the time when you took a wrong decision."
Alternate Version 3: "If you had to do that activity again, how would you do it differently?"
Question 3: "What interests you about this position?"
Purpose: Find out how the candidate feels about the job and the company.
People apply for jobs for plenty reasons besides the obvious ones. Asking a candidate why he or she
wants the position gives insight into their motivation. The answers you may receive could be personal
(such as a narrative about what spurred them to seek a new job), or it may connect the candidate to the
company: her experience with the brand, the mission statement, or the organization's role in the
community. Any of these answers (or some combination) are acceptable — a personal answer can
communicate trust, and a connection to the business indicates loyalty and a sense of ownership.
Alternate Version 1: "Where does this job fit into your career path?"
Alternate Version 2: "If you had to convince a friend or colleague to apply for this job, what might
you tell them?"
Alternate Version 3: "What motivated you to apply for this job?"
Question 4: "Is there intelligent life in outer space?"
Purpose: Find out what kind of thinker the candidate is and how he deals with surprises.
This is your curveball, designed to make the candidate put his own thoughts instead of just reciting to
well-rehearsed answers. How much will he or she play along? As long as it's not too short or too long,

7 | P a g e
virtually any response is a good one. But pay attention to attitude, the way the candidate approaches
the problem, and the ease or difficulty they have in coming up with a response.
Alternate Version 1: "How many stars are there in the sky?"
Alternate Version 2: "How do they get the cream filling inside a Twinkie?"
Alternate Version 3: "Why do people climb mountains?"
Question 5: "Imagine we've just hired you. What's the most important thing on your to-do list on the
first day of work?"
Purpose: Learn about the candidate's judgment and decision-making skills.
This is an example of a situational question, which is like a behavioral question in that it's designed to
assess judgment, but it's also like a curveball question because it illuminates the candidate's thought
process. You want to see whether he demonstrates the competencies and priorities that are important
to the job.
Alternate Version 1: "Say a coworker tells you that he submitted phony expense account receipts. Do
you tell your boss?"
Alternate Version 2: "How would you handle an employee whose performance is fine but who you
know has the potential to do better?"
Alternate Version 3: "What would you do if you got behind schedule with your part of a project?"
Question 6: "Why did you get into this line of work?"
Purpose: Measure the fit between the candidate's values and the culture of your company.
It risks a long, drawn-out answer, but this type of question will help you select candidates that fit your
company's culture. It's not about finding people like you, or people with similar backgrounds that led
them to your company, but about getting a sense of their values and motivations. Concepts like values
and culture can be subjective and difficult to define, but you should be looking for someone whose
work ethic, motivations, and methods match the company's. This isn't a quantitative measurement so
much as a qualitative one. Coke and Pepsi may seem the same to people outside the soft-drink
industry, but each houses people with different approaches to making cola and running a business.
Alternate Version 1: "What do you like best about your current job?"
Alternate Version 2: "When did you realize this would be your career?"
Alternate Version 3: "What keeps you coming to work besides the paycheck?"
Question 7: "But enough about you. What about us (or the employers)?"
Purpose: Find out if the candidate has done his or her homework.

8 | P a g e
It's a cliché to end an interview with the standard, 'So, any questions?' But the fact remains that you
really do want to let the candidate ask a few things of you. Reversing roles communicates that the
company seeks an open a dialogue, and it helps you ascertain just how curious and knowledgeable a
candidate is about your company. If he doesn't ask any questions about the job or the business, it's a
safe bet his heart isn't in it. Listen for insightful questions that demonstrate a sophisticated
understanding of the circumstances of the job, the company, the competitive landscape, or the
industry.
Alternate Version 1: "Where do you think the company should be in ten years?"
Alternate Version 2: "What's your opinion of our new product?"
Alternate Version 3: "Have you seen the company's new ad campaign?"
Conclusion
The main criteria for successful short listing is identifying which essential and desirable qualities
matter most to you or the relevant job. The criteria that you look for depends on the nature of the job
but it's important to define exactly what you really want from your ideal candidate before you start the
short listing process. Before you start, you need to have two lists, the absolutely essential criteria and
the desirable criteria. Try to avoid the temptation to put all your desirable criteria in the essential
categories; you should have approximately double the essential criteria in your list of desirables. Try
to be flexible and remember that if you take too many people out initially you may miss the best
candidate for the role.

9 | P a g e
Appendix 1
Shortlisting Pro Forma Sample
Job Title: ` Marketing Manager (Pharmaceuticals)
Candidates Name: Darshan Raikar
Interviewed By: Rohit Jadhav
0 = Fails to Meet, 1 = Partly Meets, 2 = Meets, 3 = Exceeds
Criteria’s Candidate 1 Candidate 2 Candidate 3
Essential
Criteria’s
Total Experience
Marketing Experience
Pharmaceutical Marketing
Experience
Minimum Qualification
Marketing Knowledge
Communication Skills
Convincing Skills
Desired Criteria’s Experience in Leading a team
People Management Skills
Negotiation Skills
Hard Worker
Good Understanding
Market Awareness
Total Score
Interview? Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No
Retail on File? Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No

Interviewing skills from Magellanic Solutions

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Dernier

Dernier (20)

En vedette

En vedette (20)

Interviewing skills from Magellanic Solutions