Hey there, Improvement Irene!

Interviewing is a two-way process. It’s about making sure that the company gets the best possible person for the job, and it’s also about making sure that you’re not wasting your time on someone who isn’t going to be a good fit with your team or organization. If you’re an interviewer, then there are some common mistakes that you should avoid at all costs!

Avoid: Not knowing what you’re looking for

You might be in a hurry to fill an open position, but you won’t make any progress if you don’t know what skills and qualifications are needed. Therefore, you should either have a thorough job description or work backward from your best candidates.

Avoid: Making up questions

Have some good questions prepared ahead of time, so you don’t look unprepared or flustered. It’s best if those questions are designed to get the candidate talking about their experience and what they’re passionate about. Be prepared so you don’t waste your candidate’s time.

Avoid: Playing amateur psychologist

Some hiring managers believe that they should be reading applicants’ minds and figuring out if they’re qualified or not. However, you shouldn’t pretend to know more than you do and evaluate an applicant’s qualifications by intuition.

Avoid: Applying your own philosophy

Hiring managers have to balance their need for a team player with the desire for someone willing to provide constructive criticism and input. They should look for someone who will be able to work with the team and not just sit around all day.

Avoid: Not having a response evaluation strategy

A response evaluation strategy is a chart that lists the interviewer’s questions and provides an evaluation scale for each response. This strategy is especially valuable when interviewing candidates with similar qualifications, so interviewers can quickly compare responses to decide who should be hired.

Avoid: Making a biased decision

You shouldn’t be biased about the qualifications and experience of a candidate. It’s important to remain objective when you are interviewing. There is so much bias involved in hiring that you should do your best to combat. There is bias against mothers and candidates with non-traditional experience or education. Make sure you look at where there are parallel skills or indicators of someone who can be trained. 

Avoid: Looking for negatives

Some people believe that looking for negatives is the way to make a good hire. This might be effective in some situations, but it can also lead to undesired outcomes. In other words, making one bad decision means you’re likely going to end up with more than just a bad employee – you could get an unethical or unproductive workforce member.

Avoid: Multi-stage interviews

Multi-stage interviews aren’t a good idea because the interviewer has to prepare for different types of interviewees, which is a waste of time and resources. Additionally, interviewees may feel pressured by the number of interviews they have to go through and may not perform well or, worse, get frustrated and burnt out before they’re even on the payroll! 

As a hiring manager, you are the gatekeeper for all of your company’s potential hires. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the common mistakes that both candidates and interviewers make during interviews. Avoiding these common mistakes can help you find the best candidates for your company.

Sincerely,
Jenny