Interview Best Practices for Hiring Managers

A really good hire can start with the first communication with a candidate and ramp up with the interview. But you know what? So does a really bad hire. And sometimes knowing what not to say or do is just as important as knowing what to do or say. Good interviewers understand that interviews are not just about asking a slew of questions and having the “right” responses given. A good interview has a conversational flow and feels more like a dialogue between people sharing information and viewpoints. Questions should be asked in the right sequence so that the candidate appears to be “telling their story.”

Good interviewing techniques take training and practice. Some of the most common interviewing mistakes made by hiring managers include:

• Talking too much – Some people feel that conversation should be non-stop during an interview. That’s not always true. Managers should not be afraid of long silences. It’s okay to allow candidates time think and formulate responses before answering.
• Winging it – This strategy will make you look unprepared. It may also cause hiring managers to forget important questions. Having a scorecard ─a tool interviewers use to objectively rate candidates’ suitability for a position based on pre-determined criteria and competencies─ can provide a standardized evaluation process and help you objectively compare candidates. This Guide explains scorecards, discusses the pros and cons of using them and provides a free template and sample.
• Asking legally risky questions – Anyone conducting an interview should know which questions are illegal and therefore, off-limits (i.e., questions related to race, marital status, religious beliefs, age, or sexual orientation). Avoid them. You don’t want to be the cause of your library/organization being sued.

This article suggests best practices to incorporate when interviewing. The strategies are intended to help hiring managers get the most benefits from the hiring process. Some of the ideas include asking open-ended questions, having carefully selected questions prepared that are tailored to the position you are trying to fill, and having clearly defined expectations for what you’re looking for in a candidate. These can all have an impact on the outcome of interviews. 

The article also suggests that interviewers look for culture fit to assess how well you think the candidate would fit into your work environment. We must caution interviewers to be careful with this suggestion. Unconscious bias may creep into the process. This second article states that “there are different ways to approach hiring for culture fit. And if you choose the wrong one, you could end up with an office full of people who all look, think, and work alike.” This third article explains in great detail what unconscious bias is, gives examples of how it can show up in the recruitment process, and offers suggestions for how to avoid it.

Interviewers should keep in mind the fact that candidates are often interviewing for several jobs at once, comparing their experience with your library/organization against other employers. If you can provide your candidates with a pleasant experience from start to finish ─including considerate communication, scheduling flexibility, and a shortened yet professional interview process─ you’re likely to distinguish your organization from others. Offering a positive candidate experience becomes a win for both the candidate and the employer. Even if a candidate is not offered the position they applied for, they may walk away with positive feelings regarding your library/organization, be inclined to apply for another position in the future, and possibly become an advocate for your library.

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