Interview skills
you need
to know.

Think candidates
are the only ones
who need to
prepare for a job
interview?

Think candidates
are the only ones
who need to
prepare for a job
interview?

This is your next
team member.
Ensuring you are
prepared and
invested will help
you master the
hiring process.

After all,
you are representing your branch or
department, and STCU.

First impressions mean everything.
Not only are you forming a first
impression about the candidate, they are
forming his or her first opinion of you,
too.
How well you interact with the candidate
speaks to your leadership style, the
department and STCU.

So, how do you
best engage in the
interview so you
don’t lose a prime
candidate?

Practice these five skills:

Practice these five skills:
Prepare

Practice these five skills:
Prepare
Be involved

Practice these five skills:
Prepare
Be involved
Ask appropriate
questions

Practice these five skills:
Ask
Prepare questions
with purpose
Be involved
Ask appropriate
questions

Practice these five skills:
Ask
Prepare questions
with purpose
Be aware of
Be involved your reactions
Ask appropriate
questions

Prepare

Always review
the application and
resume before the
interview.
You’re looking for
insight into the
candidate from the
information
presented.

Look for attention to
detail in their
grammar,
punctuation and
capitalization.
Did they finish the
application?

Look for stability
in their job history
and average
tenure.
What were their
reasons for
leaving each
position?
Are there lapses in
employment?

Prepare questions related to skills and job-
related scenarios which will help you
determine the candidate’s experience and
knowledge.
HR will prepare questions that address
behavior and cultural fit.
When combined, these questions will ensure
you find the most qualified candidate.

Coordinate with HR
before the interview
to discuss logistics
such as who will
start and end the
interview, who
makes introductions
and who will ask
questions.

What does being prepared tell the
candidate about you?

Being prepared for the interview
demonstrates your respect and
appreciation for the candidate’s time.
It also establishes what it will be like to
work with you day-to-day as their
supervisor.

Be
involved

Yes, you!
It’s never too early to
start making a
personal connection.
This is your
potential employee,
not HR’s. Engage
with the candidate –
this is a great time to
begin developing
rapport.

You worked hard to
prepare your
interview questions.
Don’t discard your
efforts by reading
them straight from
your notes.

Think of the interview as a conversation.
Don’t feel obligated to stick to the questions
you’ve prepared – listen for clues in the
candidate’s responses which may need
additional follow up.

Why is your
interaction with the
candidate during
the interview so
important?

Your interaction with the candidate
during the interview process is an early
demonstration of how you will interact
with them on the job – this is a great
opportunity to make them eager to work
with you!

Ask
appropriate
questions

More specifically –
don’t ask
inappropriate
questions.

What’s inappropriate?
Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC) laws make it illegal
for employers to discriminate against an
employee or potential employee in certain
workplaces.

Stay away from questions about:
• age • pregnancy
• disability • race or color
• medical history or • religion
family medical history • sex
• national origin

Avoid asking questions addressing
organizations or associations an
applicant may belong to that, if answered,
may indicate the applicant's:
• race • age
• sex • religion
• national origin • color
• disability status • ancestry

These are
non-noteworthy
topics.
If a candidate
volunteers
information about
themselves that fits
in one of these
topics, it’s best to
move the
conversation on.

What do
inappropriate
questions teach
candidates about
you and STCU?

Asking questions about a candidate’s
family, home life or religion are way out
of bounds.
If you ask questions like this, you are
placing STCU at risk by not following
basic employment laws.

Ask
questions
with a purpose

You typically have
one hour to find out
if a candidate will fit
in with STCU for the
next five to ten
years.
Make the time
count.

Skill related questions revolve around
the candidate’s capacity to do the job:
their knowledge, skills and ability.

Skill related questions revolve around
the candidate’s capacity to do the job:
their knowledge, skills and ability.

Behavior related questions ask how an
employee has behaved in the past.
Questions can be geared towards
behaviors that you would or would not
like to see in an employee.

Behavior related questions ask how an
employee has behaved in the past.
Questions can be geared towards
behaviors that you would or would not
like to see in an employee.

Steer clear of cliché interview questions.

Steer clear of cliché interview questions.

Steer clear of cliché interview questions.
Get creative.

Steer clear of cliché interview questions.
Get creative.

What do unrelated
questions say to
your candidate?

If your questions aren’t related to
determining the specific needs and
qualifications of your position, you risk
hiring the wrong person.

Be aware of
your reactions

Sometimes a
candidate’s
response may
cause you to react
with an...
Oh!

Or...
Oh?

Listen for cues in
the candidate’s
responses.
If something they
said prompts
additional
questions, don’t let
those go
unanswered.

You’ve only known this person for forty
minutes – give them a chance to clarify
anything that puts you on high alert.
Conversely, confirm their
accomplishments before basking in their
greatness.

When a response
catches you off-
guard, be prepared
with some follow-up
questions.
Try these starters:
“Tell me more
about...”
“Describe a situation
where...”

Don’t let your initial
reactions
shut the door on a
potentially good
employee.

Let’s review.
To get here:

You need to do this:

You need to do this:
Prepare

You need to do this:
Prepare
Be involved

You need to do this:
Prepare
Be involved
Ask appropriate
questions

You need to do this:
Ask
Prepare questions
with purpose
Be involved
Ask appropriate
questions

You need to do this:
Ask
Prepare questions
with purpose
Be aware of
Be involved your reactions
Ask appropriate
questions

You need to do this:
Ask
Prepare questions
with purpose
Be aware of
Be involved your reactions
Ask appropriate
questions

Images
@2012 Jupiterimages Corporation
Resources
Deborah S. Hildebrand. (March 20, 2009). What a Job Interview Says
About the Employer. In Career Advice. Retrieved April 10, 2012, from
http://deborah-s-hildebrand.suite101.com/what-a-job-interview-says-
about-the-employer-a103556.
Wade A. Mitchell. (September 16, 2002). A bad job interview can
reveal what a company is really like. In TechRepublic. Retrieved April
10, 2012, from http://www.techrepublic.com/article/a-bad-job-
interview-can-reveal-what-a-company-is-really-like/1049480#talkback.
Dr. John Sullivan. (March 25, 2011). 20 Reasons Why Weak
Managers Never Hire A-level Talent. In ere.net. Retrieved April 10,
2012, from http://www.ere.net/2011/03/25/20-reasons-why-weak-
managers-never-hire-a-level-talent/.