Q. I’ve been asked to help interview job candidates and haven’t had much experience interviewing. Past interviewers usually asked general questions about my work, and I usually gave general, “safe” responses. I think we need to probe more deeply. What do you suggest? —Antoinette L.

A. The most effective job interviewing I know is called “competency-based” interviewing. Here, the interviewer explores the job candidate’s skills—competencies—in all the areas required of the job description. To do this well, start by developing questions that probe the candidate’s ability to handle the job as described. Focus on “open-ended” questions—those that can’t be answered with a Yes or No or just a few words (“Was your last job challenging?”). Choose opening statements that begin with “How…” and “Why…” like, “How would you…” or “Why did you approach that problem the way you did?”

These are powerful and effective questions, because they make the interviewee tell you how he’d approach, handle, deal with, solve, etc., a situation, problem, project or challenge that’s relevant to the job role in question. The situation you present should focus on several aspects of the person’s career—but always from the viewpoint of job performance—how the person approached an aspect of the job.

For example, you might focus on the interviewee's past experience: “How did you handle it when…?” “Tell me about your reactions when….happened.” Or it could be a hypothetical scenario: “Suppose you were given a quality control assignment and two or three people on your team were clearly cutting corners, jeopardizing the quality control. How would you handle that situation?” It could also be a real situation that you know from experience is likely to occur in the organization. “Some of our managers have lines of authority that overlap—sometimes for good reasons and sometimes not so good. It’s possible that you could find yourself in a situation where you get conflicting directions from the two managers. Tell me how you’d handle this.”

Objectivity a Must

You have to work hard to weigh the answers objectively. Avoid the temptation to project your own style and feelings into the assessment of whether the answer is good or bad.

Ask yourself: “How does this answer relate to the job? To her performing it well? To his ability to fit in with our style and culture?”

Look for the candidate’s thoughtfulness; her ability to organize her ideas and express them clearly; his ability to apply his skills in a practical way; her ability to think and link a cause with an effect. The candidate may not approach the problem the same way you would, but he may have a perfectly effective style and approach just the same. The answers will indicate the interviewee's approach, work style, experience and competency in relation to the scenario you presented. If you weigh their answers carefully, you’ll be able to project how well they get things done, and also the style they use to do it.

Hide Your Biases

It’s important to keep your behavior biases private, so you won’t influence a candidate’s answers. For example, if you’re decisive and hard-driving, a sensitive candidate may easily spot it and adapt his answers so your biases (this is called “mirroring.”) If you know you’re the kind of person who easily reveals behavior preferences, try to ask questions in such a way that will minimize this. Don’t lean forward with an eager smile on your face and spit out, “Tell me how you handled this.” When you do this, you’re really saying, “I like a no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners approach. I’ll like it if you’re that way, too.” When you do this, your questions may seem to probe for a competency, while in fact you’re really looking for an affirmation of your behavior style. Bad idea.

You’ll also be tempted to respond positively to a candidate whose behavior pattern closely matches yours. If you’re a dominant, high-achiever, you’ll be tempted to hire the candidate on the spot if she says, “I focus on what needs to be done to achieve the task, to get the job done, to cut through the red tape and peripherals, ignoring the distractions, etc. I like a strong incentive, encouragement, clear, firm expectations and timescales, deliverables…” Most of us like to associate with people who are most like us, and candidates know this.

In short, the more you’re a balanced, mature, non-judgmental interviewer, the more likely you’ll be able to assess confidence, maturity, integrity, flexibility, compassion, tolerance and other traits in a candidate. And the better you’ll be able to choose the right candidate for the right job.

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