Introduction
The staff selection interview is a major feature of the selection process. But it’s a privilege not a right. To gain full benefit you must do it at the right time: as the final act in staff selection.
Interview Last Not First
The last part of your staff selection process should be the face to face interview. There: I’ve said it. Interview last not first. I know that my statement challenges the conventional wisdom. I’ll go further. The earlier in the process that you conduct the interview, the more likely you are to choose the wrong person.
More Heresy and Nonsense
If you think that what I’ve said is heretical and nonsensical, here’s more. The purpose of the selection process is to get a job done well. It is not to choose a person. What’s more, the face to face interview is a privilege. It should be extended to very, very few candidates.
The True Purpose Of The Interview
You conduct selection interviews for only two reasons
- to discover whether you and the candidate can work together: whether they “fit your culture”
- to determine whether the candidate demonstrates any obvious shortcoming that would prevent them being effective in your business.
If you run a flagpole painting business, you don’t want people who are colour blind and suffer from vertigo. This is especially so if they also believe that painting flagpoles is environmentally unsound. Discovering these characteristics after they start is disastrous for both of you.
The interview should be offered only to candidates when you are confident that they are competent to do the job. This fact must be established beforehand.
“Doing” Is More Important Than Talking About Doing
You can’t tell what a person can do merely by talking about it. I can describe how to play the guitar, how it should sound and the correct placing and moving of fingers. I’m a lousy guitarist. Applicants may talk about what they can do. That’s no guarantee that they can do what they say.
The Risk Of A Self Fulfilling Prophecy
In case you’ve never heard of Self Fulfilling Prophecy, it means that you get what you expect. In the case of staff selection, let’s say someone sends a “sensational” written application. You are really impressed. You arrange to see them. Because you’re so well disposed towards the applicant you interpret everything they say in a positive light.
Dangers Of Expectations
You look for reasons to see good in their answers. Your positive expectation causes you to hear what you want to hear and unwittingly ignore the negatives. When the interview occurs early in the process the likelihood of the Self Fulfilling Prophecy increases markedly.
Interviews Favour The Articulate and Amiable
The candidate who speaks cogently, clearly and sensibly has a great advantage. If the same candidate is also pleasant, friendly, socially at ease and knows how to make you feel good, the advantage multiples. Many interviewers mistake “interview performance” for “on job competence”. They’re often miles apart.
Importance Of Testing
If you want to know whether and how well an applicant can do something, the method is simple. Get them to do it. Never agree to see a candidate unless you’re absolutely confident that they can do what they say they can do. Test, test, test, test!
Success Of The Selection Process
There’s only one definite way to measure whether your selection process has worked well. The only way is successful on job performance. It really doesn’t matter how sophisticated your selection process is. If the chosen candidate can’t do the job well, the process has failed.
Cost, Cost, Cost … And Planning
Selection’s expensive. Even where the process succeeds, it’s costly. When it fails and has to be repeated … you’re simply pouring net profit down the drain. Like so many other management practices, your success in staff selection will depend on the quality of your planning.
Before The Face To Face Interview
Make sure that you
- Clearly specify the results you expect when the vacant job is being done well
- Call for telephone enquiries and conduct phone interviews
- Test likely candidates to see if they can actually do what they say they can do
- Interview no more than 2-3 of the candidates who test well
Conclusion
Let me repeat myself. You cannot tell what a person can do merely by talking to them. That’s all an interview is. Every unnecessary or unsuccessful interview bloats your costs. Spend your time and money ensuring that the people you see demonstrate their competence before you see them. Granting a face to face interview is a privilege, not a right. You are the buyer. Applicants are the sellers.
