Finding Candidates that Fit

If you are responsible for preparing members of your office to go on campus and conduct interviews, you’ll want to make sure they’re trained in a technique called Behavioral Interviewing. Developed in the 1970s by industrial psychologists, most major corporations use this method of interviewing to find candidates who best fit into their culture and into specific roles. This method, which calls on candidates to describe a past situation, the action they took, and the results they obtained, works because past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.

Behavioral interviewing is useful even when candidates have little work experience. Those behaviors that students have demonstrated in church, community, and school organizations provide interviewers with some insight into the behaviors that are likely to eventually emerge in an office. When a student, for example, is able to describe a situation in which he or she has simultaneously attended classes, worked part-time, managed a fund-raising effort for victims of Hurricane Katrina, and still set aside a day each week for him or herself, an interviewer has probably found someone who will manage their time and multi-task well in the workplace.

Recommend that your interviewers structure the limited time they have with candidates in the following manner: 

Step One           Welcome the candidate and establish rapport.

Step Two           Set the interview agenda.

I see you’re from Washington, D.C. Why are your interested in working in Atlanta?

Tell me about a time when you had to manage a very detailed project. What strategies did you use? How did the project turn out?

Step Five            Offer the candidate an opportunity to ask questions.

Encourage your interviewers to record their initial thoughts as soon as the interview ends. The more time that passes between the interview and the formal evaluation of a candidate, the more likely important nuances will be lost. Encourage your interviewers to “trust, but verify” any initial hunches.

By the way, your interviewers are likely to encounter candidates who seem to respond to behavioral interview questions slowly and should be prepared to handle these moments with patience. Slow responses are due in part to the fact that behavioral interviews force candidates to be introspective, and introspection requires time. It may also be due to yet another generational issue that has emerged. Many employers now find that candidates who have grown up in a world of text messaging demonstrate less confidence in thinking and speaking quickly on their feet.

Preparing Candidates to Fit  

If you are responsible for preparing students for this year’s on-campus interview season, let them know that business etiquette begins with the business interview. Here are ten rules that can help your students land the job they want:

Rule 1             Arrive on time. Nothing creates a worse impression that a candidate who arrives late. It demonstrates a lack of respect for the interviewer’s time  

Rule 2             Dress appropriately. Remind students that they should dress for the job they want. All clothing should be crisply pressed, and shoes should be business-like (no sandals; no flip-flops). Tattoos should be covered, and any extra body studs should be removed

Rule 3             Carry a portfolio or briefcase that holds a back-up copy of the résumé, a fresh notepad, and a professional-looking pen. Backpacks should be left in student lockers. 

Rule 4             A candidate’s initial handshake should be firm and warm. Pump the interviewer’s hand once or twice, then release.

Rule 5             Make relaxing eye contact and smile throughout the interview. 

Rule 6              Think carefully about responses to all questions. What students say and how they say it will leave a lasting impression upon the interviewer.

Rule 7             Be prepared by researching the employer ahead of time. Students should be able to demonstrate their knowledge of the law firm or corporation with whom they are interviewing. 

Rule 8             Be polite and courteous. Whether participating in an on-campus interview or a call-back, students should remember to be polite to everyone they encounter.

Rule 9              Be truthful. Don’t lie. Don’t brag. Any candidate who does will eventually be caught. 

Rule 10            Don’t be a “no show.” If a student decides to forego employment with a specific firm or company, he or she should inform the career services office before the scheduled interview. By doing so, the student may allow another candidate the opportunity to interview.

For those of you in career services, as you start preparing students for call-back interviews, direct them to our web site (www.marycrane.com ) and the “Read Mary” page. We’ll address a whole series of interview etiquette tips that will help make this year’s interview season far less stressful.