human resource management unit I article Critique
CPA Practice Management Forum
20 February 2014
Mistakes Interviewers Make: And Seven Techniques for Better Results How would you choose a quiz show partner?
I n a review of job interviewing techniques, Michael Burtov, CEO, Cangrade, identifi ed fi ve common and often unconscious mistakes that interview-
ers make. Here are those mistakes, along with simple techniques for avoiding these pitfalls and choosing the right people.
“How would you choose a quiz show partner?” asks Steve Lehr, Cangrade’s Chief Science offi cer. “A recent study from Eugene Caruso and colleagues in my lab at Harvard posed this exact question. Overwhelmingly, people say that they would choose their partner based on intelligence, experience, or other relevant criteria. But when forced to actually repeatedly choose between hypothetical partners, people do something quite dif- ferent. It turns out that participants were willing to trade off 11 IQ points in order to have a thinner part- ner on a quiz show.”
“We are often not nearly as rational as we might think,” says Burtov. “For example, Alex Todorov, a psychologist at Princeton University, studied the past two congressional elections. Researchers in his lab had people independently rate how ‘competent’ each can- didate’s face looked—they had no knowledge of the candidate’s actual abilities, experiences, or positions. Th ese ratings predicted nearly 70 percent of election re- sults. Th is is very signifi cant and shows that we strongly tend to vote for people who look competent, without consideration of whether they actually are competent. And these issues can be magnifi ed when we interview candidates for positions.”
Avoiding the following fi ve common issues can help us avoid unconsciously making inaccurate judgments:
1. Screening out candidates based on unobjective criteria. Rather than screening out candidates based on our fi rst gut feelings or unpredictive criteria (e.g., GPA, the address on the résumé, or the sound of a name), the interviewer should make sure that the job evaluation process is as structured, job-specifi c, and objective as pos- sible. Th is may allow you to hire great people
who might not have even been considered oth- erwise.
2. Checking social media. Social media profi les of- ten contain pictures of your candidates, as well as a plethora of information that is irrelevant to the job. Research such as that discussed above has re- peatedly shown that images and other irrelevant information can unconsciously undermine our ra- tional decision-making.
3. Too much chatting. During the interview, it is com- mon for the interviewer to slip into monologues about the opportunity, the company, the culture, and other job attributes. While this can be an im- portant part of getting acquainted, it’s impor- tant to give the candidate ample opportunities to talk. Th e more job-relevant information you have about your candidate, the more likely you are to base your decision on objective criteria rather than on incomplete (and possibly biased) impressions. A good rule while interviewing is 80-percent lis- tening and 20-percent talking.
4. Asking ad-lib questions. During the structured section of the interview, people often go off - script and wander off into something that more closely resembles a friendly discussion. Dur- ing at least part of the interview, one should on- ly ask the questions that are prepared as well as scripted follow-up questions. Th e more mean- ingful and standardized the information collect- ed from candidates, the less room there is to in- advertently make decisions based on factors that matter less.
5. Being swayed by personal preferences. As humans, we tend to like people who share our personal preferences and interests (e.g., music, sports, TV shows, lifestyle choices, and other behaviors that aren’t relevant to the job). While interviewing, we should keep in mind that liking the same TV shows is not related to on-the-job performance. Don’t let “being like me” unconsciously sway your judgment.
CPA Practice Management Forum
February 2014 21
Top Seven Interview Techniques
In an extensive review of nearly 100 years of job inter- viewing techniques, Harvard University professor and Cangrade’s Senior Vice President Dr. Greg Willard identifi ed the ones that have led to the best results. His research provides seven simple steps to conducting an excellent interview.
“Th ere are many articles out there that provide advice for conducting job interviews. Th ey can sometimes be valuable, but most are based on the experiences and opinions of just one person. How do you know if they are relevant to you or even accurate? Fortunately, re- searchers have been objectively studying job interviews for over a century, providing a wealth of information on what works best,” says Dr. Willard.
“Following these seven simple techniques will not on- ly help you make the right hiring decisions more con- sistently, but will also help reduce any unintentional biases that often compromise even the best interview strategies,” adds Michael Burtov:
1. Prepare for the interview by conducting a job analy- sis. Interviewers should consult with at least one subject matter expert to generate a specifi c list of the most important aspects of the job and what is required to perform it successfully. Not only will the interview be more relevant to the job, but also job candidates and interviewers view such inter- views more positively.
2. Prepare interview questions in advance. An inter- view format in which all candidates are asked the same specifi c questions further ensures that information obtained from candidates is rel- evant and comprehensive, and that irrelevant content is avoided. When all candidates are asked the same questions, their responses are more directly comparable.
3. Prepare for some degree of fl exibility in the interview. What if you ask a pre-developed question and don’t get enough information from a candidate’s response? Interviews that simply move on to the next question at this point without room for fol- low-up questions often do not collect enough in- formation from candidates. Furthermore, this for- mat is perceived more negatively by both job can- didates and interviewers.
4. Ensure that the interview is neither too short nor too long. Because it is important that all can- didates be given the same opportunity to an- swer the same questions (and without feeling rushed), it is generally best to limit the number
of interview questions. A rule of thumb is to ask no more than four to six questions in a 30-min- ute interview; and no more than eight to 12 questions in a one-hour interview.
5. Focus on the interview during the interview. Despite what some experts recommend, the evidence sug- gests that soliciting candidates to ask questions of the interviewer reduces the interview’s reliability. Candidates should only be solicited to ask ques- tions after the conclusion of the interview, allow- ing engagement on a more personal level.
6. Include more than one interviewer. Th e use of mul- tiple interviewers greatly increases the reliability of the interview. Diff erent interviewers in separate, subsequent interviews are more likely to agree on the right candidate.
7. Take detailed notes during the interview. Note-tak- ing creates a professional atmosphere for the in- terview and allows a candidate to feel respected, listened to, and encouraged. And since human memory is limited, most interviewers can’t re- member every candidate’s answer to every ques- tion. Having a set of specifi c notes for each inter- view also allows you to be specifi c about why you came to specifi c conclusions about candidates.
“We are often not nearly as rational as we might think,” says Michael Burtov, CEO, Cangrade. As much as one would logically want to choose their partner for a quiz show—or hire a new employee— based on intelligence, experience, or other relevant criteria, unconscious bias may intervene. Keeping in mind the fi ve common mistakes that interviewers make as well as the seven simple steps to conducting an excellent interview are a great way to ward off the unintentional biases that often compromise even the best interview strategies.
About Cangrade: Cangrade’s team of psychologists analyzed the personality, skills, motivation, and perfor- mance of over 200,000 employees from over 500 compa- nies and developed a breakthrough platform to organize, track, and evaluate candidates, collaborate with cowork- ers, set up intelligent hiring criteria, and use it all on a computer, smartphone, or tablet. Th e fi rm also powers industry-leading sales training tools that assess, bench- mark, coach, engage, and train sales reps for some of the most successful organizations in the world. Contact Michael Burtov, Founder and Chief Executive Offi ce, Cangrade, tel. 888/871-8778, ext. 8; email: Michael. Burtov@Cangrade.com and http://cangrade.com.
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