Match: A Systematic, Sane Process for Hiring the Right Person Every Time

Chapter 10. Conduct the Face-to-Face Interview: Step 6

There is something that is much more scarce, something finer far, something rather than ability. It is the ability to recogonize ability.

—Elbert Hubbard

Overview

Once you have conducted a phone screen and concluded that the candidate is a potential fit for the role, it is time for the face-to-face interview. There are four parts to this step.

1. The welcome

2. The job overview investigation

3. The competency investigation

4. Setting expectations

Note

Sticky Notes:

• In an interview the candidate should do 90 percent of the talking.

• Script your interview questions using the job overview and the competency profile.

• Keep your ego out of it. Ask questions consistently from candidate to candidate.

Before we break down these four parts, let's take a moment to focus on our objective. In the MATCH process, the objective of the first interview is to determine if the candidate matches the job overview and the competency profile. The only way to achieve this objective is by collecting lots and lots of relevant information about the candidate, which you can do only by letting the candidate talk—a lot.

Too often, managers rush the process, trying too hard to sell the position, the company, and themselves at the risk of not really understanding the candidate. Don't do that. Your talking to listening ratio should be—ready for this?—90/10. (That is, the candidate should be talking 90 percent of the time). Ask your questions and then focus on listening, taking notes, ...