Are you getting the right information from your interviews?

Research shows that approx 85% of people involved in conducting interviews have had little or no formal training. With interviewing skills being an integral part of so many job functions, it is frightening to think that there are many people conducting interviews that are potentially missing out on getting the detailed and accurate information they need to make critical decisions.

With the increased focus and reliance on technology, many organisations at times overlook the importance on ensuring their people at the coalface have the right communication skills to perform to maximum capacity in their roles. Irrespective of the type of interview, it is vital that personnel are equipped with practical and useful techniques. Even the most experienced interviewer can benefit from reviewing their existing skills and polishing up on current tools and methods.

A key component of our workshops is creating an awareness of verbal and non-verbal behaviours associated with lies and hiding the truth. Most people agree that the ability to improve their skills in detecting deceptive behaviours is a valuable and critical skill to have as part of the interviewing process.

There are many experienced and competent interviewers who conduct highly effective interviews, elicit the information needed and achieve the required outcomes. Of more concern are the experienced interviewers that admit to becoming complacent with the interviewing process and acknowledge they sometimes cut corners just to ‘get things done’ or to ‘tick the boxes’.

Don’t leave it to chance

Some of the critical areas of interviewing where the skills and ability of the interviewer should NOT be left to chance include:

• Employment Interviews: Most organisations understand the impact and cost of employing the wrong person yet we repeatedly see managers involved in conducting these interviews ‘winging it’ and making decisions purely on whether they ‘like’ the person. All personnel who have a responsibility in this area should receive comprehensive and ongoing training and support. Any investment in training can pay for itself ten fold by avoiding poor staff selection in the first place.
• Enquiry/Fact-finding Interviews: This is a broad area that covers investigative interviews. Critical facts and details can be missed if an interviewer has not been trained in how to best elicit information and uncover the truth.
  

Investment in Training

Organisations who continually invest in the training and development of their staff in the area of interviewing and communication reap the rewards in a variety of ways. Through more thorough preparation and an awareness of the impact of the interviewers own actions and behaviours, more effective interviews can be conducted and better decisions made.

Individuals can continually develop skills and awareness by reviewing their own techniques and continuing to fine tune to get even better results.

Sitting in with colleagues or managers to review interviewing styles can be beneficial and can increase awareness as to other question types and methods available. Recruiters and Managers should be aware of the strengths and development needs of all personnel involved in conducting interviews.

Common Pitfalls

Listed below are 5 of the most common interviewing pitfalls that we consistently observe and address (there are 12 in total). Review your own strengths and/or those of your team and identify areas that could do with some polishing up or reviewing.

1. Lack of planning and preparation. Too many interviewers spend too little time prior to conducting interviews to plan, set goals and prepare for the interview. Part of the planning process includes consideration of question formulation, what the key goals are for the interview and factors that may be hurdles in obtaining the information required.
2. Question formulation and awareness. There is more to good questioning than open and closed questions. Every interviewer should be aware of more than 15 different question types and how and where to use them in an interview. A greater awareness of question types and techniques builds confidence and prevents hitting a brick wall in the interviewing process.
3. Observation and Awareness. At times some people seem to interview with ‘blinkers’ on and miss valuable information. This can be caused by lack of verbal observation and awareness, selective or pretend listening or just limited general awareness about ‘between the lines’ factors that can be highly important.
4. Detecting behaviours associated with deception. An increased awareness of the verbal and non-verbal signs associated with the anxiety of deception can most certainly assist any interviewer to know when there is more that needs to be asked or followed up. With training and practice you can see and hear so many cues associated with deception that have always been there, but may have been off your radar.
5. Interviewing through a filter. A dangerous trap that many interviewers fall into when they unconsciously conduct interviews through a positive or negative filter. Recognising influencing factors such as personal biases can assist to reduce the filtering process and make for more balanced and effective interviews.

In summary, if you or members of your team are involved in conducting formal or informal interviews, either face to face or on the phone, it may be worth polishing up some of your interviewing tools. Accuracy in interviews is critical and should not be left to chance. Customised training can address general interviewing and communication skills or more specific needs of individuals and/or teams within a section or division.

For more information on our customised full range of 32 flexible development workshops with both graduates and managers please contact us at info@fusiongms.com.au