September 24, 2015
Have you ever experienced the dreaded mis-hire? Deciding whether to convert an applicant into a team member where he/she will have access to your customers, prospective clients, other team members, proprietary information, and confidential documents is important business.
The following will help you avoid hiring the wrong person for the right job:
1) Planning is key.
-Never rush through the recruiting process. Don’t go in cold or create questions on-the-spot.
-If you don’t have time to prepare, reschedule the interview.
-Planning includes having a written list of pertinent questions that probe the candidate’s skills, knowledge, and experience relative to the position.
-Take notes for reference purposes and to memorialize the interview should the applicant challenge your decision not to hire him/her later.
2. Engage Actice Listening
-Once you’ve asked your question, stop talking.
-Clear your mind of internal noise; Avoid thinking about your busy day ahead. Don’t multi-task (i.e. respond to emails or incoming texts).
-Focus your energies on listening to the candidate’s responses and non-verbal cues – what is being stated and how it’s being said.
-If you don’t understand or missed something, ask for clarifying information.
3. Legal Considerations
-Never discuss the applicant’s protected class status, even if he or she invites you to do so.
-Avoid questions that focus on the applicant’s age, disability, gender, race, color, religion, national origin and so forth.
-Should the interviewee volunteer such information, simply move on. Your time is better served focusing on determining whether the applicant is right for the job.
-Moreover, you don’t want an unsuccessful applicant to assert in litigation that he/she was not hired because of your alleged bias towards his/her protected class status and then referencing your discussion on that very topic during the interview in support of the claim.