IMPORTANT NOTES IN INTERVIEWING PEOPLE

1.	Developing a job profile to fit your requirements	Define the job purpose Identify the job title Describe the context Outline the job’s objectives Set out the basics of the job Describe the scope of the job Explain special conditions
2.	Example questions in assessing competency	Describe a situation in which you worked with another department Give an example of a time when you had to work with a difficult customer Tell me how you handled a situation in which you had to make a quick decision without having all of the facts Tell me about a time when you had to motivate your team under difficult circumstances Give an example of how you managed a particularly demanding project This job requires 10 days of travel each month.  Please describe the travel requirements of a previous job, and how you dealt with the challenges Please give an example  of how you dealt with interpersonal conflict in your team Describe a situation in which you handled conflicting requests from senior managers
3.	Different types of questions	Type Example Impact Open Tell us about yourself To match skills or experiences to the job Closed How many new offices have you opened? Brief and specific answer Hypothetical / situational What would you do if… Assess the thinking ability and gives insight into their priorities and judgment Probing Could you elaborate on how you achieved that result under those circumstances? Intend to draw out more information Verification Can you confirm when and where you completed your health and safety certification? Seeking brief answers to very and confirm factual information Leading Part of the job is publishing a monthly newsletter.  Have you done this before? To secure a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer with further elaboration by the candidate Stress If you were on a plane that was going to crash, who would you save – yourself, your boss, or your mother? Puts candidate under stress to see how they will react Unusual / quirky If you were a vegetable, what would you want to be and why? Eliciting information about candidates’ creativity and how they think
4.	Choosing role play and group activities	Activity How it works What it reveals Leaderless discussion Candidates are given a problem to discuss for a specific amount of time, during which they must develop solutions ·         Leadership ·         Negotiation ·         Influencing ·         Verbal communication skills ·         Creativity ·         Non-verbal communication style Practical task A creative problem solving exercise that may involve constructing an object with unusual materials or by moving them around in an unusual way ·         Interpersonal ·         Teamwork ·         Project management ·         Problem solving skills In-tray or e-tray exercise The exercise may include memos, budget forecast, trend information, reports, messages, and emergencies that must be dealt with within a given amount of time Managerial capabilities: ·         Organization ·         Task prioritization ·         Delegation ·         Time management ·         Attention to detail while also able to take a holistic view to problem solving ·         Decision making ·         planning Oral presentation Candidates must prepare a talk on a given topic with minimal preparation time ·         creativity ·         confidence preparation ·         ability to think on feet ·         ability to structure and effectively communicate a message Role play A scenario involving two or more people is created in which a candidate plays a specific role and deals with a specific on-the-job situation ·         communication ·         listening ·         negotiation skills ·         empathy ·         problem solving ·         responses to certain situations Case study Candidates are brief on a typical business problem and must make recommendations ·         ability to analyze information ·         ability to make decisions Business game Candidates working in groups compete to come up with the best solution to a business problem, such as bankruptcy or hostile take-over bid ·         skills in teamwork ·         creative decision making ·         situational analysis

Short notes from:

THE BOOK OF MANAGEMENT

The Ten Essential Skills For Achieving High Performance

Darling Kindersley Limited (DKL), Penguin Group (UK)