Five Common Errors

Job Aid Five Common Errors Purpose: Use this job aid to remind yourself to avoid five errors interviewers commonly make. Not preparing adequately If you don't prepare, an interview is likely to become too general and you won't elicit the information you need to make a fair assessment of the candidate's suitability for a job. You may also come across as being unprofessional. You can prepare properly for an interview by creating a strategy and planning the interview beforehand, and• reviewing all paperwork, including the job description and applicants' resumes, and then planning questions based on this information• Asking ineffective questions If you ask ineffective questions, you won't retrieve the right information from a candidate. Ineffective questions may be ones that don't relate to the job or that are closed-ended. Strategies for asking more effective questions include: preparing the questions in advance• basing the questions on the job description to ensure they're directly relevant, and• being flexible in your approach, allowing candidates' responses during interviews to spark further questions and requests for elaboration• Talking too much If you talk too much rather than listening to a job candidate, you won't gather enough information to make an informed judgment about the candidate's suitability. You can listen more effectively by: encouraging the candidate to speak more and talking less yourself, and• Page 1 of 3Job Aid: Five Common Errors 1/31/2012http://library.skillport.com/courseware/Content/cca/hr_06_a02_bs_enus/output/html/jahr_06_a02_bs_enust501.html showing an active interest in what the candidate has to say• Not controlling the interview If you fail to control the course an interview takes, it's unlikely you've spent an appropriate amount of time discussing each of the key areas you need to investigate. You may spend time on issues that aren't relevant and neglect some key job requirements. Strategies for maintaining control of an interview include: preparing in advance by identifying key areas to cover and planning the amount of time that should be spend on each of these during the interview• interrupting appropriately if a candidate spends too long on one issue or discusses something irrelevant, and• following an interview plan• Failing to challenge one's own assumptions Judging on first appearances can lead to the wrong decisions and prevent you from listening effectively. Types of bias you need to make a conscious effort to avoid include: first impression bias• similarity bias• halo bias• time pressure bias, and• contrast bias• Strategies for challenging your own assumptions about job candidates you interview include: making a mental list of your personal biases so you can focus on preventing these from affecting your judgment• making an effort to remain positive and open-minded during interviews• planning a set of key questions and asking all candidates these same questions, and• using the same interview format for all candidates• Course: Essentials of Interviewing and Hiring: Preparing to Interview Topic: Common Errors When Interviewing Candidates Copyright 2010 SkillSoft. All rights reserved. SkillSoft and the SkillSoft logo are trademarks or registered trademarks Page 2 of 3Job Aid: Five Common Errors 1/31/2012http://library.skillport.com/courseware/Content/cca/hr_06_a02_bs_enus/output/html/jahr_06_a02_bs_enust501.html of SkillSoft in the United States and certain other countries. All other logos or trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Page 3 of 3Job Aid: Five Common Errors 1/31/2012http://library.skillport.com/courseware/Content/cca/hr_06_a02_bs_enus/output/html/jahr_06_a02_bs_enust501.html