Interviewing Skills Feb 2015 Excellent

SELECTION SKILLS
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hrcommunity
PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES
 Create an understanding of Selection tools
and techniques and their appropriateness
 Understand competency based selection
 Learn interviewing skills
 Understand the need for psychometric testing
LEARNING GRID
Unconscious Conscious competence

competence
III
IV Practice
Unlearning/Review Learning/Training
Awareness
Unconscious Conscious
Incompetence incompetence
I II
RECRUITMENT & SELECTION
 Manpower Planning
 Setting Specs
 Advertising/Consultant/Online/Referral
 Shortlisting CV’s
 Calling candidates
 Group Process/Psychometric Testing
 Interviews
 Offer letter
 Joining
 Induction
 Training
 Grooming for productivity
COMMON ERRORS IN RECRUITING
Right person Wrong Person
Selected
 A
Not selected B
Selection Techniques
 Interviews
 Tests - General Ability,special aptitudes
 Simulation exercise
 Work Sample Tests
 Personality questionnaires
 Interest questionnaires
 Bio Data
 Reference Checks
 Group Discussions
 Handwriting Analysis etc.
 Case discussions
 Presentations
 On - field accompaniment
 In tray exercises
 Assessment Centres (combination of above items)
Perfect Prediction - Validity
0.7 Assessment Centers (development)
0.6 Work sample Tests
Ability Tests
0.5 Assessment Centers (selection)
0.4 Personality Tests
0.3 Structured Interviews

Typical Interviews
0.2 References
0.1 Astrology/Graphology
0
Chance
Smith, Gregg & Andrews - 1987
RANKING OF SELECTION METHODOLOGIES
 Patterns of past behaviour
 TESTS - reported present behaviour
 Interviews - with many ‘How would you

behave in the future’ questions
WHY DIFFERENT SELECTION TOOLS ?
 Any one tool cannot get all the data
 Need a set of different tools, which

involve testing different faculties and
behavior of candidates
 Each tool is effective for for a specific

set of relevant attributes
Critical Attribute
Physical attribute : e.g. 6 feet tall
Attainment : e.g. B.Tech
Competency/Talent/Traits :
e.g. Achievement Orientation
Intuition
Charisma
Competency
Any quality or characteristic of

a person, which underpins
recurring successful
performance
Skills, Knowledge & Talent
 Skills :
• The How - to’s of the role
• Capabilities that can be transferred from one person to
another
 Knowledge
• ‘What you are aware of ‘
• Factual ( things you know) Can & should be taught
• Experiential (understandings you have picked up along
the way). Less Tangible and therefor much harder to
teach
 Talent
• Recurring patterns of thought feeling behavior,that carve
individual minds
• If someone does not have the talent as part of his filter , then
very difficult for others to inject it.
The three levels of competencies are
 DISTINGUISHING
 THRESHOLD
 FUNCTIONAL
A CHECK LIST FOR BEHAVIOURAL
INDICATORS
Each indicator should:
 Describe directly observable behavior, or

other specific evidence of an individual’s
competency
 Describe just one piece of behavior of
evidence
 Not to be duplicated under two or more
competencies
 Include a verb phrase i.e. describe action
THE COMPETENCY
PLANNING & ORGANISING
Definition : Level 1 - Junior Manager
 Manages own time and personal

activities
 Breaks complex activities into
manageable tasks
 Identifies possible obstacles to planned
achievements
THE COMPETENCY
Definition : Level 2 - Middle Manager
 Produces contingency plans for possible

future occurrences
 Estimates in advance the resources and time
scales needed to meet objectives
 Co-ordinates team activities to make the best
use of individual skills and specializations
THE COMPETENCY
Definition : Level 3 - Senior Manager
 Identifies longer term operational

implications of business plans
 Effectively plans utilization of all

resources
THE 12 MOST COMMON COMPETENCIES
 Communication
 Achievement orientation
 Customer Focus
 Team work
 Leadership
 Planning and organising
 Commercial awareness
 Flexibility
 Developing others
 Problem solving
 Analytical thinking
 Building relationships
Source: Competency based Recruitment & Selection by Robert Wood and
Tim Paynehttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/hrcommunity
Competencies & Trainability
SKILLS
Less Conscious TRAITS

MOTIVES
VALUES
COGNITIVE
Less Trainable CAPBILITIES
More conscious
KNOWLEDGE More trainable
E.g.: Has contacts
E.g.: Results orientation,planning abilities

Critical Attributes for Sales Managers
( Example)
 Conceptual thinking
Interpersonal
 Skills
Information seeking

 Influencing
Staff development Skills

 Results
Team building
 orientation
Planning

 Customer
Decision Making
Concern
 Technical
expertise
 Providinghttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/hrcommunity
Interview
Entrevoir ( French)
to have a glimpse of
WHAT IS AN INTERVIEW?
A selection procedure designed to predict

future job performance on the basis of
applicants oral responses to oral enquiries
OBJECTIVES OF SELECTION IN INTERVIEW
 Selecting people for jobs by:

8 Informing applicants about the job
8 Gaining unbiased factual information against the
criteria
8 Influencing suitable candidates to accept
 Demonstrating that the company

operates a fair and equitable selection
procedure (Public Relations)
Goodwill Bank
 Need a process that will enhance
company stature
– Fair
– Friendly
– Rigorous
– Respect for individual - Time bound
How will a candidate not selected speak of

your organisation?
SELECTION INTERVIEW - EFFECTIVENESS
Bottom line Test - Answering Three key
questions
 Can he do the job (Competence)
 Will he do the job ( Motivation)
 Will he fit in ( Team / Organisation)? ( Match)
SELECTION INTERVIEW
IF EFFECTIVE IF INEFFECTIVE
 Saves Time  May end up recruiting
 Better job/person unfit candidates
matching
 Satisfied  Missing suitable
interviewers/Interviewees candidates
 Good image / PR
 Tightening of recruitment  Demotivating suitable
process candidates from
joining
UNDERSTANDING YOUR APPLICANTS
According to research, students have listed the
following Organisational characteristics as important
to them:
 Type of work you would do
 Type of people you would like to work with
 Training & development opportunities
 Chances of promotion
 Salary
 Job security
 Working condition
 Reputation/image of the organisation
 Geographical location
 Hours expected at work
 Benefits ( Company car, Pension , Loans etc.)
INTERVIEW PROCESS - REQUIREMENTS
Venue
INTERVIEW
PROCESS
CANDIDATE INTERVIEWER
Expects Needs:
• Purpose of I/V
• Professionalism
• Agreed Criteria
• Realistic picture of job • Application form
& • Time to prepare and judge job
company/organisation and company knowledge
• Input on where he • Skills to obtain & evaluate
stands (process, information and make effective
time scale etc.) judgements
• Minimal Wait • Relaxed and open minded
• Objectivity • Right attitude
List the things you would like to
have seen when you last went for
an interview.
What did you expect from the

company ?
SETTING THE ENVIRONMENT
 No disturbance
 No phone Calls
 Seating - Neutral ( Perhaps an L shape )
 No distraction in the vicinity
 No ‘Power Statements’
 Having water available on the table ( for
candidate )
 Have stationary ready ( for candidate )
Remember
 Note taking - minimal , with permission
 Stress Interviews - Try to avoid
 Politeness - specially to ‘bad’
 Airtime - 80 - 20
INTERVIEW STRUCTURE
 Opening, rapport building
 Current & previous roles
 Aspirations & awareness
 Education & upbringing
 Circumstances & interests
 Closing , wrap up
Interview - An Information Sorting
Model
Opening & Rapport Building CA 1
Current & Previous Roles CA2
Aspirations & Awareness Information

CA3
Sorting
Education & Upbringing CA4
Circumstances & Interest CA5

Closing/Wrap up
Assessment
OPENING, RAPPORT BUILDING
 Appropriate recognition
 Relaxed Approach
 Introduce yourself
 Share - Interview purpose

» Recruitment process
» Job Role ( briefly)
» Interview structure & Time
 Check Understanding
Things to look out for in a CV
 Organisation of events - Priority accordance

 Clarity of depiction and succinctness
 Unexplained breaks in Service and Education
 Extent of customisation to the job applied
 Quality of the CV: mode , spelling errors,
verbosity
QUESTIONING SKILLS
TYPE OF QUESTIONS
 Factual recall
 Comparison
 Opinion
 Case Problems
 Hypothetical
 Rhetorical
 Leading
 Pumping
PAST BEHAVIOUR is the
single best predictor of
future behaviour
Structure of Questions
 Open ended Questions
How - What - When - Where - Who - Why
 Close ended Questions

Do you - Did you - Can you - Will you - Could you -
Would you - Should you
 Prompting/ encouraging expressions

Tell me…, Describe …
For example?, For instance?, In what sense?
How come?, In simpler terms...
Questioning Pattern
Broad Open ended
Probe
Narrow
Close
Summarise
Characteristics of Good Questions
 Purposeful
 Relevant
 Clear & concise
 Limited to one idea
 Neutral in tone & substance
The quality & value of
answer depends on
the quality of the
question
QUESTIONS COVERAGE
 WHAT Q’s - Elicit information about knowledge,
facts/data, opinions
 WHY Q’s - Analytical skills , reasoning, logic etc.

motivations( what else…How else…, Where else….)
 HOW Q’s - Knowledge of functional skills,

process/steps ( also analytical skills)
 HOW MUCH/HOW WELL Q’s - validating

achievements
THE INTERVIEW FUNNEL
START WITH AN OPEN ENDED QUESTION
LISTEN
NARROW DOWN TO SPECIFIC AREA
LISTEN
HOW DID THE PERSON GO ABOUT IT
LISTEN
FIND OUT MOTIVATIONS
LISTEN
ACHIEVEMENTS
LISTEN
SUMMARISE
AND SEEK
AGREEMENT
START WITH NEW AREA
INTERVIEW STRUCTURE
1. Opening -
2. Current & Previous What, why, How well Trends, people are not
roles static
3. Aspiration / What, why, how realistic
Awareness
4. Education & What, why, how well
Upbringing
5. Circumstances & What, why, how well Causes – relate past to
Interest implication present
6. Closing -
Description
Motivation
Achievement
THE PANEL INTERVIEW
SOME GUIDELINES
 Agree roles & structures
 Stick to roles
 Do not interrupt
 Do not help the candidate
 Select lead interviewer
 The others listen,take notes ( factual) , ask questions
around other key areas and observe non verbal
behavior
 Follow up at end of a section
Questioning Technique
 Situation
 Task
 Achievement
 Review
Telephonic Interviews
 You cannot see the candidate , so you have to trust only two
senses - hearing & intuition
 Do not short circuit the interview. The process should be the
same as a face-to-face interview
 Follow the interview structure
 Use the funnel - what, why, how,how well
 Use many encouraging , prompting expressions ,like …
• Yes
• Tell me more
• Describe
• I see
• For example?
• In what sense?
 Keep sentences & discussions short
 Summarise each section
INTERVIEW TIPS
 Interviewers need to be provided with job description
& specification of the requirements of the position to
minimize the influence of stereotypes
 Interview questions need to be job related
 Avoid making quick decisions about an applicant
 Avoid giving too much weight to a few characteristics
 Try to put the applicant at ease during the interview
 Communicate clearly with the applicant
 Maintain consistency in the questions asked
Management Interviewing
 Less emphasis on background : more on role and
work
 Ask about aspirations before role
 Easy for candidate to obscure track record through
jargon and generalities
 A ‘look good, talk good’ candidate may land up
interviewing the interviewer - superficial interview
may take place
 Hence be specific - focus on Critical attributes
Focus on Roles
 Job titles can be misleading
 Main areas of job . Principal tasks that you do
personally? Why’? How do you divide your time?
 Performance criteria,targets,priorities,performance
ratings,informal reviews
 Focus on relationships - up, down , or with
colleagues
 Time perspective
 Breadth of perception of job relative to entire
organisation
 Perceived freedom to act
 Ability to influence the organisation
Management skills
 How results are achieved and how the candidate
handles the process of management
 Setting objectives for self and team
 Decision making style - alone or team
 Resolving conflicts - how and when
 Handling customers - relationship based and task
based
 Resolving issues between internal demands and
customer expectations
Management focus
 Motivational style - sort of environment in
team. Leading team front or back
 Grooming others - spending time for
developing people
 Investing in self - learning & growing
 Monitoring work of self and team
 Handling communication & consultation
 Influencing others through meetings and
presentations
TYPES OF INTERVIEWS
 Unstructured Interview
 Situational Interview
 Behaviour Description interview
 Comprehensive structured interview
 Structured behavioural interview
 Oral Interview boards

INTERVIEWING FOR TALENT
TALENT
What is Talent?
A recurring pattern of
thought, feeling or behavior
that can be productively
applied
TALENT
According to Gallup there are 3 kinds of talent:
1. Striving : Why of the person
2. Thinking: How of the person
3. Relating : Who of the person
Talent ( some examples)
 Striving
• Achiever ( A drive that is internal, constant &
self imposed )
• Mission ( a drive to put your beliefs into actions)
 Thinking
• Responsibility (A need to assume personal
accountability for your work )
• Numerical ( An affinity for numbers )
 Relating
• Relator ( a need to build bonds that last )
• Command ( an ability to take charge )
Talent Interview
(Points to remember)
 This should stand alone

 It should be more structured , more
focussed, less banter , more questions
 Ask him about choices he makes
 Let him reveal himself to you
Talent Interview
(Listen for specifics)
1. Always listen for a specific example
2. Give credit only to the person’s top of the mind
response
3. Do not probe too much to get response
Clues for talent:
Rapid learning ability
Source of satisfaction
After they have been hired , check back to see if the

people who subsequently performed well answered
your question in a consistent way.This will take time
and focus , but are essential to the art of interviewing
for talent.
PSYCHOMETRIC TESTING
Psychological tests have been devised and are used

primarily for the determination and analysis of
individual differences in general intelligence,specific
aptitudes , educational achievement , vocational
fitness,and non intellectual personality traits.
These tests have been used for a variety of

psychological , educational cultural , sociological and
employment studies of groups and for individuals
TEST - VARIATIONS
 Achievement / Attainment
 Aptitude
 Personality
 Interest
 Attitude
 IQ ( Intelligence quotient)
APPLICATIONS OF PSYCHOMETRIC
TESTING
 Placement
 Personnel selection
 Training & development
 Career & Succession Planning
 Diagnosis & recommendation of
Performance problems
 Vocational education and career
counseling
WHY TESTS
 To reduce errors
• Standardized set of questions
• Objective evaluation
SELECTING TESTS
 SOURCES
 METRICS
 INTERPRETATION
ONLINE TESTING
 Standardization
 Easy to administer across locations
 Quick
 Automatic Reports
 Does not need interpretation expertise
 Still requires to be anchored by qualified
persons
REFERENCE CHECKS
 Verify claims made by the candidate
 Confirm selectors perceptions, sensing and
inferences
 Clarify doubts that may have arisen during
the selection process
 Add to understanding through input from
referee or any specific area of concern
 Hear first hand from referee or anything
significant about the candidate ( positive or
dysfunctional)
Effective Reference Checks - the Steps
 Ensure that the candidate gives references that know him well
 Be clear on what you wish to ask the referee
 Let the referee know
– That his/her input is important
– that you care about the candidates career choice / direction
– the context of the job that the candidate has applied for
 Confirm referee’s extent of familiarity with the candidate
 Ask open ended questions to start with
 Follow through with pointed questions in your areas of concern
 THANK THE REFEREE for the time invested
 Do a 360 degree reference check
ASSESSMENT
Behavior Assessment Process
Evaluate
Rate data & behavior
to agreed standard
Classify
Categorize behavior and other
data into critical attributes
Store
Accurately store in memory what happened
Observe
Carefully watch and listen to what has happened
ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES
 People tend to behave in a consistent way
 Understand the context of people’s behavior
 Relate information from one source to another
RATINGS
 Excellent - 4
Tremendous amount of data across all
sections supporting the indicators. Goes
beyond the indicators. A big strength
area. This is where the candidate
operates from,as a psychological
platform ( will be an adjective for him )
RATINGS
 V Good - 3
A lot of data from at least two three
sections, or overwhelmingly in at least
one section supporting the indicators.
This is the way the indicators are
defined. Supports with examples
RATINGS
 Acceptable - 2
Evidence from at least one section of
the interview. Supports at least 2/3 of
the indicators. Will do. Exhibits data with
some examples
RATINGS
 Not acceptable - 1
Shows definite evidence of lack of the

indicators. Falls short
COMMON FAILINGS IN ASSESSMENT
 Leniency
 The Halo effect
 Mirror image
 Contrast
 Projection
Happy Interviewing
Dear Colleague,
This is a personal invitation from us to you to join our

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professionals to share current and emerging HR
practices, HR resources & HR related information.
Be in touch with the best brains in the hrcommunity.

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Warm regards,Jayesh & Aruna

Moderators – hrcommunity

Interviewing Skills Feb 2015 Excellent

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SELECTION SKILLS

 Understand competency based selection

 Learn interviewing skills

 Understand the need for psychometric testing

Unconscious Conscious competence

Right person Wrong Person

0.6 Work sample Tests

0.5 Assessment Centers (selection)

0.4 Personality Tests

0.3 Structured Interviews

 Patterns of past behaviour

 TESTS - reported present behaviour

 Interviews - with many ‘How would you

 Any one tool cannot get all the data

 Need a set of different tools, which

 Each tool is effective for for a specific

Attainment : e.g. B.Tech

Any quality or characteristic of

 Describe directly observable behavior, or

 Manages own time and personal

 Produces contingency plans for possible

 Identifies longer term operational

 Effectively plans utilization of all

Source: Competency based Recruitment & Selection by Robert Wood and

Less Conscious TRAITS

KNOWLEDGE More trainable

E.g.: Has contacts

E.g.: Results orientation,planning abilities

A selection procedure designed to predict

 Selecting people for jobs by:

 Demonstrating that the company

How will a candidate not selected speak of

 Can he do the job (Competence)

 Will he do the job ( Motivation)

 Will he fit in ( Team / Organisation)? ( Match)

What did you expect from the

 Stress Interviews - Try to avoid

 Politeness - specially to ‘bad’

 Current & previous roles

 Aspirations & awareness

 Education & upbringing

 Circumstances & interests

Current & Previous Roles CA2

Aspirations & Awareness Information

Education & Upbringing CA4

Circumstances & Interest CA5

 Share - Interview purpose

 Organisation of events - Priority accordance

 Close ended Questions

 Prompting/ encouraging expressions

 WHY Q’s - Analytical skills , reasoning, logic etc.

 HOW Q’s - Knowledge of functional skills,

 HOW MUCH/HOW WELL Q’s - validating

 Behaviour Description interview

 Comprehensive structured interview

 Structured behavioural interview

 Oral Interview boards

1. Striving : Why of the person

2. Thinking: How of the person

3. Relating : Who of the person

 This should stand alone

After they have been hired , check back to see if the

Psychological tests have been devised and are used