INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES

by | Oct 26, 2019 | HR Management | 0 comments

 


Interviewing is an integral part of the hiring process.  It provides you with an opportunity to learn about a candidate’s work experience, education, interpersonal abilities, and more. 

During the interview, you will be asking candidates questions to learn more about them.  As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we wish to avoid potential claims of discriminatory hiring practices.  Please identify from the list below, which questions are legal and which questions are illegal.
                                                                                                Legal                        Illegal

1.  Are you a U.S. Citizen?                                                   ______                        ______

2.  What education do you have?                                        ______                        ______

  1. What religion do you practice and what
    religious holidays do you observe?                                ______                        ______

    4.  How much longer do you plan to work
    before you retire?                                                            ______                        ______

    5.  Are you available to work overtime and travel?          ______                        ______

    6.  Do you have the legal right to work in the U.S.?          ______                        ______

    7.  How many sick days did you take last year?                ______                        ______

    8.  How many days of work did you miss last year?         ______                        ______

    9.  Do you live nearby and how far is your commute?     ______                        ______

    10. Does your spouse work?  What does he/she do
    for a living?                                                                      ______                        ______

    11.  Are you married?                                                          ______                        ______

    12.  When did you graduate from college?                        ______                        ______.

    13.  Do you have a car?                                                        ______                        ______

    14.  Where are your parents from?                                    ______                        ______

    15.  Have you gone by any other name?                             ______                        ______

INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES


Identified below are answers as to whether or not the question is legal to ask.

Legal                        Illegal

1.  Are you a U.S. Citizen?                                                   ______                        __X___

2.  What education do you have?                                        ___X__                       ______

  1. What religion do you practice and what
    religious holidays do you observe?                                ______                            __X___

    4.  How much longer do you plan to work
    before you retire?                                                            ______                        __    X___

    5.  Are you available to work overtime and travel?          ___X___                     ______

    6.  Do you have the legal right to work in the U.S.?          ___X __                      ______

    7.  How many sick days did you take last year?                ______                        __X  __

    8.  How many days of work did you miss last year?         ___X__                       ______

    9.  Do you live nearby and how far is your commute?     ______                        __X  __

    10. Does your spouse work?  What does he/she do
    for a living?                                                                      ______                        __    X___

    11.  Are you married?                                                          ______                        __X___

    12.  When did you graduate from college?                        ______                        __X___.

    13.  Do you have a car?                                                        ______                        __X___

    14.  Where are your parents from?                                    ______                        __X___

    15.  Have you gone by any other name?                             __ X___                      ______

INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES


Below are explanations for the answers given for each question.

  1. Asking a candidate if they are a U.S. Citizen is illegal and is not appropriate as a pre-employment inquiry as it may constitute evidence of discrimination on the basis of national origin.
  2. It is legal to ask a candidate what kind of education they have as long as it is job-related and is a requirement listed on the job description for that position.
  3. There are no job-related considerations that would justify asking a candidate about their religious beliefs and/or what religious holidays the candidate observes. Rather, ask the candidate if they are able to work within the required schedule for the position.
  4. Asking a candidate how much longer he/she plans to work before they retire is illegal as it could constitute evidence of age discrimination.
  5. It is legal to ask a candidate if they are available to work overtime and travel as long as they are job-related questions and are requirements listed on the job description for that position.
  6. It is legal to ask a candidate if they have the legal right to work in the U.S. as this question does not constitute evidence of discrimination based on national origin.
  7. Asking a candidate how many sick days they took last year is illegal as this question directly relates to possible protected disabilities.
  8. Asking a candidate how many days of work they missed last year is legal as this question does not directly relate to a possible protected disability.
  9. Asking a candidate if they live nearby and how far they commute is illegal as it is not job-related. Rather, ask the candidate if they are able to work within the required schedule for the position.
  10. Asking a candidate if their spouse works and what the spouse does for a living is not a job-related question and is not an appropriate pre-employment inquiry as it may constitute evidence of discrimination on the basis of marital status.
  11. Asking a candidate if they are married is illegal as it may constitute evidence of discrimination on the basis of marital status.
  12. Asking a candidate when they graduated from college is illegal as it may constitute evidence of age discrimination.
  13. Asking a candidate if they have a car is illegal. Rather, ask the candidate if they have reliable means of transportation to ensure regular work attendance.
  14. Asking a candidate where their parents are from is illegal as it may constitute evidence of discrimination based on national origin.
  15. Asking a candidate if they have ever gone by another name is legal. If you were to ask a candidate what their maiden name was, it could be seen as an inappropriate inquiry under Title VII because it indirectly asks a female candidate to disclose information regarding her marital status.

 

SUGGESTED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO ASK


  1. Tell me what you know about Cipolla, Calaba, Marrone & Wollman?

    This will tell you if the candidate has done their homework in learning about the
    Company.

    2.         Why are you interested in this particular job opportunity and what skills and
    experience do you have that is applicable for this position?

    This will give you a good idea of the candidate’s understanding of the position and
    it may provide you with some areas of clarification that you will need to provide. It
    will also tell you what motivates the candidate and what is important to them.

    3.         Tell me about your greatest achievement at work.

    This will tell you a lot about what the individual values and what he or she considers
    important.

    4.         Describe the work environment in which you would most effectively be able to
    contribute.

    This will tell you if our work environment is in line with the candidate’s needs.  It
    also helps you determine the candidate’s fit for the position.

    5.         Tell me about a time when you had to overcome a major obstacle that stood in the
    way of you accomplishing a goal.

    This should give you a clear picture of the candidate’s past performance and their
    problem-solving style.

    6.         How would your current (or last) boss describe your work and contributions?

    This should tell you how the candidate perceives the support and opinion of his
    current (or last) employer.  It will also give you a general understanding of the
    candidate’s interaction with his/her current (or last) boss.

    7.         Why are you leaving your current job/why did you leave your last job?

    If the candidate cites nothing but complaints, that’s a major red flag not to be
    ignored.

    8.         When I contact your current (or last) supervisor and ask which area of your work
    needs the most improvement, what will I learn?.

    This should garner an honest response from the candidate as the candidate knows
    the truth will come out anyway when that supervisor is contacted.

    9.         What are your salary requirements?

    This will let you know whether the salary we can offer will fall in that range.

    10.       You state on your resume that you are: self-motivated, goal-oriented, hard-working,
    and reliable.  Can you please give me an example of each?

    The candidate should have no trouble answering these questions.  If they do have a
    problem answering those questions, perhaps they are just proficient in resume
    writing.

 

 

INTERVIEWING BEST PRACTICES


Interviewing is one of the most important steps in hiring a new employee.  It is an opportunity to evaluate a candidate’s work experience as well as a chance to review the candidate’s specific skills and abilities.  Interviews provide an opportunity to evaluate the candidate’s interpersonal and communication skills and to get a “feel” for their personality.  The interview can also be used to verify qualifications and education as indicated on the candidate’s resume.

Be prepared.  This is critical to the success of the hiring process.  Knowing the particulars of the job such as job requirements, job duties, salary, etc.,  is the first step in finding the best candidate for the position.  Review the candidate’s resume before they arrive for the interview.  Have a list of questions prepared and ask the same questions to all candidates.  This is very helpful as when making comparisons between candidates later, you will have similar information from each prospective candidate.

Show enthusiasm and interest to promote the Company as a desirable place to work.

Maintain good eye contact and be aware of body language.  Remember that verbal communication is a small percentage of effective communication so be aware of what is “not being said”.  If lack of eye contact continues throughout the interview, you may begin to wonder if the candidate is trying to hide something.

Develop rapport.  Try to make the candidate as comfortable as possible.

Let the candidate talk.  If you as the interviewer talk too much, you may not gather enough information to make an informed decision about the candidate.  Also, the applicant may feel that you are not that interested in them.

Ask open-ended questions.  Avoid yes or no questions.  Open-ended questions require the candidate to provide examples and specific details in response to your questions.

Take notes.  When you are seeing several candidates in one day, it can become confusing. Detailed notes will help you identify the best candidate for the position.

While being polite and professional, don’t get too chummy. Keep all of your questions job-related. If you spend the interview chatting about things that are not job related, you may make a hiring decision based on how much you personally liked the candidate versus whether the person is truly qualified for the job.

Close the interview and describe the next step and timetables regarding hiring.