Show of hands, how many of you have any training on how to interview a candidate for a role in your organization? Most interviewers, particularly those in non-corporate organizations, do not. You aren’t alone. Most professionals who interview candidates have never received training on interviewing. Most folks just wing it, maybe adapting interview styles from other co-interviewers, or from interviews in which they were the candidate. And, of course, most have relied (heavily) on the tried-and-true internet, the Google, if you will, to find meaningful questions to include in their predictable, yet ultimately uninformative interviews. Some more intermediate interviewers have perhaps added to their interviewing repertoire by listening to a few podcasts and reading a book or two on interviewing. These are great progressions and important evolutions in how you screen potential hires for your organization. But I have a question. When you interview a candidate, what do your questions tell you about your candidate? Because, fun fact, friends, a lot of the questions you include in your round of questioning don’t really tell you what you want or need to know about a candidate, particularly as it relates to the value they will potentially add to your organization.
Show of hands again, how many of you ask or have ever asked a candidate what their worst quality is? And how many of you ask or have ever asked, “If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?” I hate to be the bummer in the room, but what relevant information do you think you’ll learn from these questions? Because I’m willing to bet that if you Googled questions to ask, your candidate also Googled how to answer those same questions. There is no value in using stock questions for every interview, every candidate, and every role or position you are attempting to fill. Every candidate is different, as is every role. Think about it. Almost every position has some idiosyncrasy, something that makes it different. Whether that position supports a different level of client or works with the “difficult” guy. You know the one. The one that everyone hates working with and is the primary contributor to your high attrition statistics. Yeah, that guy. Knowing your candidate includes getting to know their personality and the environments they thrive in. I promise you, if you need to find the right person to work with that guy, you can. It takes time and effort, but you can. I know because I have. For a few of those guys, if I’m being honest. For far too long, and in far too many companies, maybe even yours, interviews have been consumed by inquiries and corresponding decisions based on standardized boxes to check, ensuring you repeat the cycle by guaranteeing you find the type of candidate you always hire and not allowing your organization to do it differently. I mean, that’s how we’ve always done it. Right?
Another key question to ask as you prepare is this: what does the role need today, and what will it need six months or a year from now? What would you like to see this position evolve into? Also, what kind of contributor are you looking for? Do you want someone to simply fulfill specific job responsibilities? Or do you want someone who will contribute to strategic planning goals? Do you want someone who interfaces with customers? What does that look like to you? Before you interview any candidates, you need to define your core needs and expectations for the role. Because until you determine what you need, you can’t figure out who can fill the role.
Let me set this little idea on the table for your contemplation. What if you stepped outside the norm and contemplated each person’s ability and fit for each specific role you need to fill? How would you get to know each candidate in a way that would let you in on not just a recitation of their resume, but instead, a deep dive into their professional motivations and potential contributions? I’ll tell you how. By having a conversation with your candidate. Think about it. In all the meaningful relationships you’ve forged, professional, personal, semi-professional, how many blossomed into a meaningful understanding of a person via a cold, calculated barrage of questions, rapid-fired, and received with consternation and judgment? I’m going to guess none. I am willing to bet that the methodology won’t yield an honest and transparent understanding of your candidate. So, it won’t give you the best insight into the person you are looking for to help build your business.
I hear the question running through your head (because I am, in fact, an actual mind reader), why does that matter? Why do I need to know that much about my candidate? What I really need to know is in his or her resume or cover letter. This is just a formality to see if I like the candidate. I am glad you asked. Let me break it down for you.
When you are hiring other human beings, beings you are paying with your hard-earned revenue, wouldn’t you rather hire someone whose professional intentions and motivations complement or strengthen the forward progress you are trying to make in your business? Wouldn’t your organization better benefit from someone who partners with you in the effort to grow your business and revenue more than someone who merely fits a job description? A resume details only tasks completed or projects handled; it includes education and academic accomplishments. It doesn’t often lend itself to the insight you need to determine what kind of person the candidate is. The best resume isn’t necessarily an indication of the best candidate. It’s the person, the human being behind the resume, you should be most interested in because the person is where the needed contributions reside. And listen, no one person will be perfect for every role. That’s okay. You just need to find the perfect person for your role. So how do you do that? I thought you’d never ask. You do that with Conversational Interviewing.
Let’s first talk about the “Do’s” of conversational interviewing, and then we’ll take a walk through the “don’ts”. The first and most important “Do”: Do understand what you need for the role. What skills and qualifications are needed to accomplish the day-to-day responsibilities of the position? Easy peasy, resume reading 101. Now go a bit deeper and contemplate the “other” skills needed to do the job. Is it a role with a significant client interface? Yes, well then what kind of expectations do you have for customer service? If you don’t figure that out, how can you gauge if your candidate can hit those measures? What if you are hiring a manager? By the way, don’t ever hire a manager. Ever. Hire leaders. We’ll talk about that in another resource, but just promise me you’ll abide by this. But what if you are hiring a leader? What are the characteristics your leader needs in your organization? You need to know that before your interview. My point is that you need to do a deep dive into the open position and have a 360° understanding of what you expect that role to contribute to your organization. Only then can you ascertain which candidates merit consideration.
The second “Do” is to create a comfortable space. A conversation doesn’t thrive in stuffy, uncomfortable, unwelcoming interview rooms. It thrives in an inviting and collegial space, one that exudes the promise of a mutual effort to learn about one another, and that’s the benefit the conversational interview lends to your effort to add a new employee to your organization. To lean into the effort to get to know more about the candidate, so you can find the right person for the growth of your company. Learning about and determining fit is more productive when information gathering is done with a candidate who feels at ease. They tend to be more inclined to abandon their reliance on rehearsed responses to predictable questions they are invariably prepared with if the interview space feels less formal.
The next “Do” is to be disarming. What? Why? One of my former managing partners and my favorite mentor always told me I was good at my job because I was disarming. He wasn’t the only professional who anointed me as disarming. But think about it. If you are disarming in an interview, it’s because you stepped outside the expected boundaries of the interview and left the candidate feeling a bit off-kilter by being unexpected. Do you want to guess what makes me disarming in an interview? I am friendly and inviting. I know my authority and that I hold this person’s future employment in my powerful hands, but I don’t need to project it. I need to project that I am approachable and easy to work with. I am not disingenuous. In my conversation. I am honest about myself, my organization, the position, and the salary (yes, I am honest about salary!). I’m conversational and comfortable. I share anecdotes about myself and my organization. I tell my candidates that this is not an interview. I tell them I’m horrible at interviewing and that I don’t want to know what their worst quality is, nor do I want to hear “It’s organization, I’m way too organized”. I tell them I am good at getting to know them and that the questions I ask will help me learn about them and how they will fit in with my organization. I encourage them to ask me just as many questions as I ask them, because I know it’s hard to change jobs, and I want them to vet me just as much as I’m going to vet them. Do you know what percentage of the time I see candidates smile and visibly relax? I see their shoulders loosen and a weight lifted. I see them nod, almost in disbelief, because, wow, this is way better than they expected. 100% of the time. I have disarmed them. And the result is that they are now ready to talk with me, to have a conversation. They trust me more than they trust you. And I trust the honesty and integrity of their answers more than you should because they trust me; they are merely interviewing with you.
Sidebar: Did you realize that the recruiting process, the interview, and the opportunity to meet you and/or your team, is the first step in the onboarding process? How you onboard your employees impacts engagement, orientation, and culture. Building trust and rapport not only provides you with a more comprehensive understanding of your candidate but also serves as step one toward potentially onboarding them as your next team member. Consider this sidebar a freebie.
Another “Do” is to be honest when the candidate asks you questions. Building trust is a two-way street. You want an employee who fits into your organization and culture. You won’t find that person if you are misrepresenting your side of things. And let me tell you, nothing will disengage a new employee faster than finding out that you’re a liar, liar, pants on fire. Once that happens, you had better start preparing for your next round of interviews because this employee won’t be staying long.
Another “Do” that I like to include is answering a candidate’s questions before they ask. I know what’s important for an employee to know about a potential employer (spoiler alert - leaders are employees too!). Understanding what candidates want to know and preemptively providing those answers demonstrates transparency. Transparency is important in an interview. If I give it unsolicited, it increases the likelihood they will reciprocate and be honest and transparent with me. And that, my friend, is what I want and need. Honesty. Because that’s how I find the perfect candidate for my role, my team, and my organization.
Here are some “Don’ts” to keep in mind when participating in a conversational interview. The most important Don’t is this. Conversational interviews must still comply with laws governing protected questions and classes. Do not overstep the legal boundaries established to protect potential employees. If you don’t know or understand those rules, retain a labor attorney or consult with an HR professional. But understand the rules and do not overstep them.
Don’t try to hide your organization’s warts. Every company has an area it would like or needs to improve. If your IT department is a bit antiquated, don’t lie and say your technology is state-of-the-art. Remember, if you want honesty, you have to give honesty. Often, candidates view organizational improvement opportunities as opportunities to contribute to those upgrades. And they appreciate the transparency.
Another sidebar – don’t waste a candidate’s time if you are unwilling to compensate them fairly. You are looking to hire talent that brings value to your organization, and there is a market value assigned to that talent. Don’t try to undercompensate someone because, again, you will find yourself preparing to interview their replacement in short order.
Finally, understand why I am encouraging you to put in all this effort. It’s for you. For your business, your profit, your culture, and your retention. You. Here’s the thing, though. If you don’t care about the intention and motivation of the person who works for you, or if you just need a body in a chair, then maybe this isn’t for you. That’s okay. There are plenty of organizations where that model works and should be used. In the organizations I am trying to help, hiring is an investment in the business's growth, development, and innovation. These business owners understand that the right talent will help accomplish strategic goals. If you are one of those business owners, rethink how you identify talent and grow your business. And step number one is conversational interviews, getting to know your candidate enough to make sure they align with your needs, both current and future. Get to know the future of your organization and ensure you benefit from selecting the best fit for your business and culture.