How to effectively and efficiently conduct an interview with strategic communication and open-ended questions. Presented by Kristi Williams, Corporate Trainer. Visit https://www.sparksgroupinc.com for more information

1. The Art of Interviewing
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2. Dig Deeper
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• Response to an interview question - reveals
part of the candidate’s story
• The interviewer that ‘moves on’ leaves critical
stones unturned.
• Consequence of not digging deeper? Risky
hires - can put client relationships in jeopardy.
• Interviewing and ‘peeling the layers off an
onion’ = asking follow-up questions to dig
deeper

3. Dig Deeper
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• Good interviewers:
o Ask follow-up questions
o Uncover one layer at a time
• How do we know we have enough?
Dismissed or confirmed any ‘pink flags’
• May not ask all pre-planned questions -
More benefit in asking relevant follow-up questions
(based on what was revealed/not revealed)

4. Dig Deeper
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Example:
Question = “How do you prefer not to be managed?”
Candidate responds
“You mentioned you prefer a manager who does not micro-
manage you. Tell me more…”
Candidate responds
“Based on what you shared, it sounds like you’ve worked
for someone who micro-managed you. Describe that
particular experience in greater detail…”
Candidate responds
“And how did you handle this challenging situation?”
Candidate responds

5. Dig Deeper
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Prior to interview, dig deeper on:
 Gaps in employment
 Negative or ambiguous reasons for leaving
 Lack of longevity/tenure with previous employers (unless
contract roles)
 Most recent employer is not listed as a reference (unless
candidate is still employed there)
 Inconsistencies between the resume, candidate forms and/or
references

6. Listen
•Many barriers to listening:
oThinking ahead to what you’re going to say
next
oBeing distracted by your mental ‘to do’ list.
•Listen by observing body language, as well as
demeanor and tone.
•Direct connection between listening and being
able to dig deeper.
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7. Listen
•Qualified candidates will interview with our
clients
•Listen for areas in need of coaching
•Include if we prep the candidate for a client
interview
Training Exercise: Barriers to Listening
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8. Open-Ended Launching Questions
•Open vs. closed-ended questions
Pop quiz:
Which words start an open-ended question?
Why are open-ended preferred over closed-ended questions
for interviews?
•Ask questions in a manner that will “launch” a
conversation.
•Launching questions are 10 words or less in duration.
Open-ended + launching!
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9. Open-Ended Launching Questions
•>10 word questions:
o Candidate will get lost
o May need to repeat what you’re asking
•Launching questions = easier for a candidate to interpret
•Allows candidate to focus on the answer – not
understanding your question.
Training Exercise: Open- vs. Close-Ended Questions
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10. Be Professionally Conversational –
Start with an Agenda
After introductions are complete and you’ve thanked the
candidate coming in to meet with you, state what you hope
to accomplish and how.
EXAMPLE - Face-to-face interview:
“Thank you for coming in to meet with me today. During
our time together, I’ll ask some questions to better
understand your work experience and job preferences.
We’ll also talk about how Sparks Group can serve as an
employment resource for you. How does that sound?”
Training Exercise: Write an Agenda
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11. Be Professionally Conversational –
Introduce Questions with Statements
Softens your question, more conversational and less
interrogational.
Examples:
“Since work hours vary depending on the company and position, I’d like
to better understand your availability. How early can you start work
each day? (await response) And how late can you work?”
“Given your current career goals, which would be your preference: Long-
term contract, short-term contract, contract-to-hire or direct hire?”
“It is our goal to identify the ideal opportunity for you. Can you describe
the ideal position for you, to include duties, work environment, size and
type of company?”
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12. Be Professionally Conversational –
Reflective Listening
Demonstrate you are listening by occasionally
reflecting back what you heard the candidate say.
Example:
“You mentioned your last position was ‘okay’. What
would have made it ‘great’?”
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13. Be Professionally Conversational –
Don’t Stack Questions
•Do not ask multiple questions back-to-back.
•Ask 1 question, allow candidate to respond,
acknowledge the response, proceed with the next
question.
•“Peeling layers off an onion” means your next question
is likely to be a follow-up to your prior question
(and NOT always the next question on your “pre-developed
list”).
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14. Be Professionally Conversational –
Don’t Stack Questions
Example: Do not say, “Tell me about your least
favorite manager, explaining what you didn’t
you like about this manager’s style and how you
handled that situation.”
Those questions are perfectly fine if asked one at
a time, allowing the candidate to respond in
between.
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15. Be Professionally Conversational –
Be comfortable with silence
•There’s an old adage in sales that says, “Whoever speaks
first loses.”
•Applies to interviews when a question is asked— the
interviewer who speaks first loses!
•If a candidate is slow to respond, a common interviewer
mistake is to be uncomfortable with the silence.
•Often the interviewer attempts to help the candidate
answer by offering multiple choices.
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16. Be Professionally Conversational –
Be comfortable with silence
•Rather than crafting their own response, the
candidate then latches onto one of the choices
we threw out, in which case we lose.
•We’ll never know what hidden gem we missed
by not giving the candidate the time to respond
on his/her own.
•It’s often the responses that take a moment for
the candidate to articulate which are the most
insightful.
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17. Take detailed notes
•Note-taking makes a candidate feel listened to
and suggests the interviewer is interested in the
candidate’s responses.
•It also helps you, the interviewer.
oWe interview large quantities of candidates with
similar backgrounds.
oTime passes between when we interview and get notes
in Erecruit.
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18. Take detailed notes
•Notes help the interviewer to move forward or not with
a candidate (or how to best proceed)
•Invaluable when it comes to considering a candidate
down the road.
•Detailed interview notes paint a comprehensive picture
for all—including those who are considering the
candidate but did NOT interview him/her
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19. Training Exercise
Handout –
Training Exercise to Practice Interviewing
Skills
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20. Interview Duration
Ensure the interview isn't too short or too long:
•Average = 15-20 minutes
•Be prepared so you don’t waste time:
o Agenda
oPre-developed interview questions
oReviewing resume beforehand
oDownload Candidate Forms (Office/Admin only )
oIdentify ‘pink flags’ and note prior to interview
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21. Interview Duration
Ensure the interview isn't too short or too long:
•Listen so you can get the information you need and
get out.
•Wastes time and degrades the candidate experience
when you ask something that was already answered
by the candidate.
Strategic follow-up questions are the product of
good listening.
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22. Interview Duration
•Control/drive the interview through questions.
•Half-talk, which means you cut your talking in half,
allowing most of the talking to be done by the candidate.
•If candidate gets off track or is talking too much, redirect.
“Okay, let’s get back to your resume. Tell me about ________”.
•Trend with candidate getting off topic or sharing too
much information? Make note of it!
o This is a red flag which should be addressed prior to a
client interview
o Particularly if they are crossing the line between
professional and personal.
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23. Interview Focus
Focus on interviewing during the interview:
• NOT the time for us to talk for an extended period of time
about Sparks Group,
• Particularly NOT about all of the dos/don’ts should the
candidate be placed by us.
• Brief intro to Sparks Group in a manner that sells the
candidate on how we can be an employment resource
• 80% of the interview should be spent with you asking
questions, zipping your lips and engaging your ears.
Remember, half-talk!
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24. Interview Focus
• Other opportunities exist to convey information about
Sparks Group - particularly expectations should the
candidate be placed
• Interview is the primary opportunity to determine if this
candidate has what it takes to represent Sparks Group.
• Time you spent gabbing about Sparks Group resulted in you
not asking the candidate a question that would’ve revealed
we don’t want to proceed?
Then didn’t need to share the nuances of working for us
because that won’t be happening!
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25. Providing Feedback
•Don’t hesitate when it comes to sharing feedback.
•Our staffing expertise is one benefit candidates
receive when choosing to partner with Sparks Group.
•Appropriately communicating feedback will only
help to build a stronger relationship between you
and the candidate.
•Will work toward the candidate being prepared for
the next step(s) in getting him/her placed.
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26. Providing Feedback
•Coaching the candidate on ways to improve his/her
resume
•Providing feedback on something you’d recommend
doing differently in a client interview based on what
you observed during their interview with you.
•Feedback communicates to the candidate that you
are invested in them and committed to being a viable
employment resource.
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27. Providing Feedback
Example: If a candidate is looking for higher pay
than his/her experience warrants, tell them!
Educate the candidate on current market value
based on his/her experience. Chances are, the
candidate is unaware they have unreasonable
expectations.
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28. Providing Feedback
Example: Instead of investing time re-writing a
candidate’s resume, ask the candidate to make the
recommended changes, giving a timeframe for getting
this done. Explain to the candidate that having their
resume “submittal ready” will result in us being able
to get it sent over more quickly when opportunities
arise, increasing the likelihood they will be considered
for the job.
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29. Describe Next Steps
•From a candidate perspective, there’s
nothing worse that leaving an interview with no idea
where you stand or what’s next.
•Take a few moments to tell the candidate what
remains to be done on our end.
•While these steps vary from Office/Admin to PSD, we
know and should communicate what’s next at the
conclusion of every interview.
•It works to enhance the candidate experience!
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30. Describe Next Steps
•Sometimes there are NOT any next steps because
we are unable to move forward with a candidate
due to something that was identified during the
interview process.
•Not referring to candidates who are not qualified
for a particular position, but rather someone we
do not want representing Sparks Group in ANY
position.
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31. Describe Next Steps
Here’s how to handle those conversations, both in-
person and over the phone:
In-person:
Sparks Group does not advise informing a candidate in-
person that we are not moving forward with them.
Instead, say the following:
Office/Admin: “Thank you for your interest in Sparks
Group. We will begin processing your forms. Feel free to
contact me tomorrow and we can provide you with an
update.”
When the candidate calls, proceed to the “over the
phone” script…
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32. Describe Next Steps
Over the phone:
“Thank you for your interest in employment with Sparks Group.
Unfortunately, we are unable to move forward with discussing
placement opportunities with you at this time. We will keep your
resume on file. In the meantime, we wish you the best of luck with your
job search.”
If the candidate questions our decision:
“We take all aspects of the interview process into consideration and
while I cannot divulge specifically why, I can share with you that our
decision is based on one or several aspects of that process.”
Handout: Reasons NOT to Move Forward with a Candidate
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