From Investigation Rooms to Interview Panels: Practical Techniques That Lead to Better Hiring Decisions

By Steven Zeffert

Background

Early in my professional career, I received interview training – as an investigator. I was taught to plan for the interview by learning about the subject and preparing questions. I learned how to encourage a reluctant subject to start talking and how to determine if a subject was lying to us. I developed skills in locating and managing confidential sources.

Now, I am a management team member in a successful staffing firm, where interview skills are used to help us provide our clients with the very best candidates. Candidate interviews are one of the final steps in selecting candidates for client referrals. I’ll share with you the steps we take to get the most out of these interviews.

Preparation

• Select the interview panel. Two or three people will work best; too many could be intimidating. Having only one interviewer limits note-taking while asking questions.
• Review the candidate’s resume (and cover letter if available) and their LinkedIn profile. Prepare questions to ask during the interview, especially for any red flags raised by this review.
• A Q&A rubric for the specific position will facilitate ranking multiple candidates and will lessen unconscious bias by the panel members. Contemporaneous note-taking will help the interviewers recall details of each candidate after having conducted many such interviews.
• Select the interview location. A quiet room works best. Windows, either to the outside or to an internal hallway, will lessen the closed-in feeling that can occur when the door closes.
• While many people interview across a large rectangular table, some interviewers prefer a small round table or sitting alongside a desk, thereby limiting the amount of furniture between the panel members and the candidate. The placement of furniture and people can affect the stress-level of the interview.

The Interview

A staffer, or a member of the panel, should greet the candidate and escort them to the room. This is a good time to offer the candidate a bottle of water, unless there is a supply in the interview room. (Between having to answer many questions and possible nervous reaction, some candidates develop dry mouth). The panel should welcome and thank the candidate for coming.

A little “small talk” will facilitate an easy start, perhaps “any trouble finding us?” or other safe topic. Then ask them to briefly describe themselves (expect an elevator pitch, not a long dissertation).

Now, ask the rubric questions, with one panel member asking questions while another takes notes and scores the answers while also observing the candidate’s reactions and body language.

After completing the rubric questions, the next step can be to discuss the results of any assessment testing the candidate has completed.

When the interview panel members have completed their questions, they can turn the floor over to the candidate with “do you have any questions for us?”

The questions the candidate might ask are a valuable source of information. Did the candidate prepare for the interview? Are the questions germane to the position being filled? Some interviewers view a candidate who asks only about pay or benefits as not sufficiently focused on the position requirements. Be prepared for questions such as “what are the next steps?” and “do you feel I’m qualified for this position?” These questions indicate the candidate is interested in the opportunity.

Wrap-up

Be sure to thank the candidate for their time and provide an estimate of when the selection process will be complete and results can be shared.