Uncovering Real Candidates

Let's say you're interviewing the perfect candidate for a key position in your organization. She has the characteristics, attitudes, skills, background and experience you have identified as "musts" for this position.

But while you've interviewed her at length, you're still not sure you've gotten to know the "real" candidate. With the future performance of your company resting on her performance, questions are sure to arise.

Is this the person I really want in this critical position? Will she be responsible in taking care of my customers and working with employees? Can I trust her to protect my assets as I would?

Such uncertainty is common. Each year, 160 million interviews take place in the U.S., and despite so many opportunities to practice technique, the interview process often falls short. Experts universally agree on the need to improve interviewing techniques so business owners and human resources managers can make better hiring decisions.

Stopwatch decision-making
During an in-depth interview, you have about an hour to judge the candidate's potential, while the candidate seeks to convince you of her qualifications. With such time constraints, remembering a few rules of thumb should help produce fruitful discussion.

Generally, the candidate should do 85 percent of the talking. Use a conversational tone to allow the candidate to talk openly. Encourage the candidate to respond freely with open-ended questions requiring more than a "Yes" or "No" response. Some examples are:
--Tell me about your last job
--What do you feel are your strengths?
--How would you compare your results with your peers?
--What is the greatest challenge you've ever faced?

Plan your questions before the interview. Be sure to ask a similar questions of all candidates for the same type position. This provides a good basis for comparing one candidate against another or against those who have been successful in the position.

To obtain more in-depth information ask one of the open-ended questions above, then ask for additional information about the subject, followed by "Why?" This probes the candidates thought process and reasons for his or her actions and opinions.

Also, when "Why?" is asked several times, most candidates responses reveal their true opinions and feelings.

Avoiding the pitfalls
Even the best questioning techniques cannot prevent certain pitfalls. One common mistake interviewers make is falling victim to the "Halo Effect," which occurs when the interviewer asks questions to confirm a preformed opinion.

This typically happens when interviewing an individual with impressive credentials. Because you assume this person is an excellent candidate, you tend to ask only questions confirming your opinion.

Another common pitfall is telling too much too soon. If the interviewer talks too much about the culture, history, or description of the job, this may inform the candidate how to respond.

For example, if you describe your company as an aggressive organization that prides itself on commitment to customers, don't be surprised if the candidate describes him or herself as aggressive and thriving in a customer-focused organization.

A more effective approach is to give generic information early in the process, such as, "The job involves making in-person calls on customers and selling our products."


Effective questioning techniques should focus only on the job and the candidate's ability to perform the job. Questions involving race, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital/family status, or disability must be avoided because they could be discriminatory.

While there is much room for individual style in interviewing, these techniques should help increase your chances of uncovering the real candidate.