Interviewing

7. Common Mistakes

7.1 Keeping candidates waiting says all the wrong things about your business.

• Do not let the interview go beyond its allotted time or allow interruptions to delay another candidate.

7.2 Not focusing on selection criteria leads to subjective and arbitrary decisions.

• How the final decision will be made should be decided at the beginning.Once the criteria have been identified they can be used for recruitment advertising, shortlisting and designing the interview.

7.3 Failing to explore key skills and knowledge can lead to disastrous appointments.

• Do not assume that someone who appears to have many years' experiencein a technical area (eg finance) can therefore do this job (see 2.1).

7.4 Making snap judgements usually means you are responding to your own prejudices rather than the reality of the situation.

• Use notes and evidence to identify which candidate best fits the criteria.Some interviewers favour candidates they like or candidates who are like themselves.
• Under the Data Protection Act, candidates have the right to access your notes. Only make notes of factual matters or your assessment of the individual in relation to the job requirements and selection criteria. See Your firm and the Data Protection Act.You must be able to justify the selection of one candidate ahead of others.

7.5 Deciding too soon is an elementary mistake.

• Judgement should be suspended until all the interviews have been completed. Use evidence. Do not pick the first candidate who seems to be suitable or rely on initial impressions of candidates.

7.6 Expecting perfection opens the door to irrational decisions and self-delusion.

• Do not expect to find the ideal candidate who will hit the ground running.
• Most people will require an induction if they are appointed.

7.7 Avoid being taken in by candidates with good interview skills.

• Look for evidence of ability and potential.
• Do not rely on the interview alone.Gather information from a number of selection methods. Test skills as objectively as possible and obtain factual information from previous employers.