How to Prepare for an Interview

Good cast, and like an appetizer, it

Good cast, and like an appetizer, it left me wanting more. The part I struggled with in this cast is the assumption that one has scheduled interviews with qualified candidates without first going through this entire process. I see much of this activity as something that takes place BEFORE you would even schedule an interview.

For resumes that fit the job description, I schedule a 30 minute phone call to help me say "No." Most candidates don't make it through this gate (inability to articulate thoughts, etc) so that my longer, in person interviews are with candidates who might be winners.

Is there a better way?

John

John- Thanks for the kind

John-

Thanks for the kind words.

No, there's no substitute for screening. We DO recommend an initial phone interview.

Mark

I just need to take that phone

I just need to take that phone interview up a notch... Thanks!

Thanks, guys, that was a really nice

Thanks, guys, that was a really nice podcast!

I thought we had one of the best interviewing processes in our company, but still we didn't do 360 notes.

As for us, apart from you've told, we look closely at the candidate's motivation (especially for starting positions when the candidates don't have much experience). We ask the candidate about a reason for changing jobs in his past. We ask what he disliked and, more importantly, what he liked in every job. That helps you project the candidate's character and motivation onto your position and see potential difficulties in advance.

Did I hear you toying with the idea of

Did I hear you toying with the idea of a 2-day conference on interviewing? May I say, yes please? Sign me up!

I'm confused. It appeared to me as if

I'm confused. It appeared to me as if you were speaking ill of those who use the steps outlined in the "Quick and Dirty Interview" cast. I thought you would build upon that framework instead you seemed to dismiss it. What am I missing?

todmv01, We weren't at all speaks

todmv01,

We weren't at all speaks ill of those who use the steps outlined in the "Quick and Dirty Interview" other than to suggest that if YOU are the person hiring, you certainly have time to do more than something "quick and dirty". i.e., there is MUCH more to an effective interview than the steps we outlined in the Quick and Dirty cast. So much more, that we couldn't possibly cover it in a single podcast.

More to come in the future ...

Mike

Paul- Yes, we'll do that at some

Paul-

Yes, we'll do that at some point. We can't wait either!

Mark

Now I got it. Makes perfect sense.

Now I got it. Makes perfect sense. Thank you for clearing that up for me.

Listened to this podcast and loved it!

Listened to this podcast and loved it! This couldn't have come at a better time as we are actively interviewing for 8 new key positions at ALL levels of our small company of 25 people. That's growing by nearly a 1/3 so we are extremely careful in our hiring, as we subscribe to the 'bringing the wrong person in is usually worse than not hiring anyone' philosophy discussed in earlier casts.
That being said, the podcast mentioned that you two have a process you use to create your behavioral questions. Is that something you are going to share on another podcast or did I miss something in this podcast?

We actually do, but it's an entire

We actually do, but it's an entire tool... you answer questions about the job you're interviewing for, takes about an hour, and you get a ten page interview form with specific behavioral questions totally tailored to the job.

It produces the best interview you will ever give.

Mark

That sounds great! So how does one get

That sounds great! So how does one get access to this tool?

WE haven't quite figured that out yet.

WE haven't quite figured that out yet. If demand for premium subscriptions is robust enough, we will probably include such tools in that purchase ($15 a month). If not, we'll make it available separately.

We have our fingers crossed it's the former. It's less money overall for us, probably, but it's better for the community.

Mark

I'm catching up, and this was a very

I'm catching up, and this was a very interesting podcast. Just like mahomer (see above), we're also very careful on who we bring on board. An idea that has so far worked well for us is to submit a "challenge assignment" to shortlisted candidates. The assignment is often broadly defined & unprecise (usually there's no correct answer). It's quite interesting to read what comes back: the assumptions made, conceptual clarity and focus, quality of writing (important for us), common sense, etc. Sure, this may not apply to every case, and one has to balance the assignment's effort vs. job desirability. Perhaps others find the idea useful, I thought I could give something back as I get a lot from your podcasts!

Best regards,

Alex

M&M- Again, thanks for the podcasts

M&M-
Again, thanks for the podcasts (are you guys sick of hearing how much we all love this stuff yet?!). I too would love to see what the interview question generator can do. Many of us are anxiously awaiting the new "Premium Subscription" option - bring it on!!!!! ~And I just can't believe you two have been so kind and generous to give us the amazing information you have thus far . . . for FREE!
Really, you guys rock!

Hex

Mark & Mike, I loved this cast. I

Mark & Mike,

I loved this cast. I work in international devlopment and we have a rule that the majority of our employees can only work for us for five years. The reason it was set up like this is to keep the ideas fresh and innovative. For the most part it works. It's just a challenge with all of that turnover- especially because it's a lot less than 5 years because no one is going to wait until their last day to begin looking for another job.

We are constantly recruiting and interviewing and with this level of volume this cast will give me some valuable tools to use to make it go smoother and more efficiently.

One tip I would like to share with everyone is to read the applicant's resume backwards. It should tell a story of the person's professional life. It should demonstrate a progressive, steady building of experience and level of responsibility that brings them to where they are presently. You should definitely question gaps and big steps back. For example, if someone was previously a program manager supervising 10 directs and then their current position listed is a teacher at a high school it warrents some questions (no offense to any teachers, it is a red flag when someone has a dramatic career change).

Hope this helps!

Patricia

Patricia- BRILLIANT. I regret we

Patricia-

BRILLIANT. I regret we didn't share that bit, which I stupidly assumed everyone knew. When one reads top to bottom, one completely misses out on the questions one would ask about transitiions.

THANK YOU for sharing that.

Mark

Some advice....I have a lunch

Some advice....I have a lunch meeting/interview at country club. Appropriate clothing: suit and tie, or sport jacket and slacks ????

Interview = suit &

Interview = suit & tie.

>Mark Horstman Says: >July 5th,

>Mark Horstman Says:

>July 5th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
>We actually do, but it’s an entire tool… you answer questions about the job you’re >interviewing for, takes about an hour, and you get a ten page interview form with >specific behavioral questions totally tailored to the job.

>It produces the best interview you will ever give.

>Mark

Mark and Mike,

I recently subscribed to the Manager-Tools premium content. Outstanding. Manager-Tool listeners: for those of you that have yet to subscribe to the premium content -- wait no longer!

Mark, regarding your July 5th reply post regarding the "interview tool," do you have an update regarding when/if the "interview tool" may be available? Your teaser regarding this tool has certainly piqued my interest.

Many, thanks, M&M.

Dan

Though I had missed the interview tool

Though I had missed the interview tool but now realize it isn't released yet. Sign me up! I was going to pay for the premium content to get it but not sure now. I am sure it is worth it but I was particularly after that as I am setting up to hire for a couple key positions and my interest was piqued by this "better way" of doing things.

Thanks for all the great other material though.

Lorne

Hi Guys. does anyone have a

Hi Guys. does anyone have a guideline about the Number of questions (or time period to question - i.e., 10 minutes per question)

Smgraham2- Wow, too complicated for

Smgraham2-

Wow, too complicated for a short answer. In general, our interview creation tool creates 10-12 questions (beyond initial chit-chat, closing out, admin, etc)...and a reasonably good interview would take at least an hour.

Mark

We want more....

M and M,

I would like to hear more about how to interview candidates. 

My interviews stink and I have on occasions hired some false positives.

Thanks for all that you do!

Rick

Rick- We're going to put out

Rick-

We're going to put out more soon, promise.

Mark