How To Keep Your Job Interviews from Being a Waste of Time

It’s important to spend some time preparing for your interviews. Unplanned interviews are generally a waste of time. They encourage judgments based on whether you had a pleasant chat rather than whether the candidate can do the job.

Start by developing a series of general questions that will help you determine whether candidates can meet your requirements. Plan to ask each candidate all of these questions.
This consistent approach is important for three reasons:

1. It is fair and legal. If you ask certain questions only of specific candidates, you may be illegally discriminating.

2. It lets you compare candidates. If you converse about technical aspects of the job with one candidate, and future trends with another, how will you compare the two?

3. It helps you remember all questions. It is all too easy to forget important questions.

Then, in addition to the questions that you will ask all candidates, prepare special questions for each individual candidate. These special questions usually arise out of your reading of the resume or application. Use the questions to help clarify particular aspects of each candidate’s background.

Many interviewers find it helpful to prepare a worksheet to use as a guide during the interview. Such a worksheet might contain:

• Name of candidate
• Date of interview
• Position title
• Testing or other evaluative techniques planned
• Standard questions for all candidates
• Specific questions for this candidate

With this sheet at hand, you won’t forget important questions, and you’ll have a handy place to take notes.

Hiring, firing, and more: Don’t miss the 2012 California Employment Law Update conference! Details here.  

One common interview problem is being so busy worrying about what you are going to ask next that you forget to listen to the answer to the current question. Having an interview worksheet eliminates most of this problem. Don’t be afraid to listen, then pause to frame your next question.

Also, remember to listen to what’s behind the answer. This will often be revealing. Ask yourself:

• What is important to this person?
• Does he or she talk about people or process?
• Is this person a team player or a single contributor?
• Does the person mention colleagues? Shareholders? Customers?
• What motivates this person? Challenge? Teamwork? Concrete goals? Money and other rewards?
• How does this person present information? Are thoughts organized? Are ideas clearly presented? Is this person persuasive? Is this person organized? A careful planner?
• Does this person offer creative solutions?
• Does this person dictate, or operate by consensus?
• How does this person handle job challenges?

It’s also mundane, but important, to take care of arrangements. Don’t let careless logistics result in an embarrassing situation. Be sure that all necessary arrangements have been made so nothing will interfere with having a productive interview. Consider the following:

• Date, time, and place are confirmed with candidate.
• Location is reserved.
• Plans are made to prevent interruptions (for example, send phone calls to voicemail).
• Plans for beverage or food are made.
• You are clear on where the candidate will go after the interview.

California Employment Law Update: The Only Employment Law Conference You Need

From hiring and firing to intermittent leave and accommodations, there’s a lot for you to stay up on as an HR professional. And the fact that you work in California makes everything just that much more complicated.

Don’t get caught short. Join us later this month for the 7th Annual California Employment Law Update conference in Berkeley.

This acclaimed annual event, specifically designed for California employers, delivers rock-solid, bottom-line value with practical guidance for overcoming the latest HR challenges in California.

Join us and learn the latest on …

EMPLOYMENT LAW ENFORCEMENT
The EEOC is ramping up, requesting for 2012 an $18 million budget increase over 2011 and slots for 30 new investigators. And California is stepping up its enforcement game, too. What can you as a California employer expect from this new spotlight on the state and federal antibias laws? An uptick in claims of disability bias, age bias, bias on the basis of genetic information, and more. It’s time to get prepared.

• Equal Employment: Learn how to protect yourself from litigious employees and zealous government investigators.
• NLRB: Get up to speed on the NLRB’s latest pro-union initiatives—and learn how to stay off its radar.
• Wage/hour: Avoid the most common—and costly—employee misclassification errors that can destroy your reputation and your bottom line.
• OFCCP: Don’t get caught in a costly spot inspection—we’ll explain how to stay out of trouble. 

FMLA/CFRA & ADA COMPLIANCE
The new ADAAA regulations have dramatically changed the face of FMLA—now, because so many more people with “serious health conditions” are also considered to have a “disability” under the ADAAA, the 12-week cap on FMLA leave may be turning into a thing of the past in many cases. And, of course, the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) already gives employees heightened protections. How to legally accommodate your employees and keep your business running smoothly these days?

• Get up-to-the-minute guidance on complying with both the ADAAA and FMLA/CFRA—including recent court cases interpreting the intersection of the two types of leave.
• Learn how to ensure your documentation on employee leaves is complete and correct.
• Discover how to properly manage obesity, mental disability, substance abuse, and more under both the ADAAA and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA).
• Find out why disability discrimination claims have spiked recently—and, even more importantly, how to avoid becoming part of this trend. 

SOCIAL MEDIA
You may or may not be on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, and so on. But your employees are—and their social media habits could be costing you big in lost productivity. They could even be setting you up for a damaging lawsuit, depending on what they’re saying and how far they’re spreading the word. You won’t want to miss our up-to-the-minute social media session, where you’ll learn:

• Why you absolutely must have a social media policy—and what should be in it
• How social media can be HR’s best friend or worst enemy, depending on how you manage it
• The fine line between monitoring your employees’ social media usage and overstepping the considerable privacy protections they enjoy under California law
• How social media can help you avoid a bad hiring decision, which can cost twice an exiting employee’s salary 

HIRING & RETENTION
As the economy finally—finally!— gets back on its feet, it’s time to shift the focus from survive to thrive. Learn how to keep your superstars and find the next crop of incredible talent, while keeping employees at all levels engaged and involved in your business.

• Will 2012 be the Year of the Employee Backlash? Could be, says Forbes. How to protect your workplace from demotivation and ship-jumping.
• How to find—and land—the best and brightest, and encourage them to stay with you for the long haul.
• Effective tips for handling compensation increases after years of flatlining (or even salary decreases, in some cases).
• Strategies for avoiding candidates who are exceptional interviewees but sub-par employees.      
• Practical tips for developing talent from within.  

And much more!

You’ll earn up to 15.5 hours of California-specific HRCI recertification credit, and MCLE credit is also available.

It’s an unbeatable deal—click here for all the details. We hope to see you there. But don’t delay—the clock is ticking, so claim your spot now!

Download your free copy of Employee Orientation: How To Energize, Integrate, and Retain Your Newest Hires today!