Is an additional interview really necessary? There are telephone interviews, recruiter’s screening interviews, as well as first and second interviews. There are structured interviews and unstructured interviews. If no recruiter is involved, there is likely a company screening interview before one, two, three or more full interviews.
What will another interview tell us?
Well, if your company is structured with a Mission Statement, Objectives and clearly enunciated Values, this final interview will tell you which of the three or four finalists, all of whom can do the job, will be the best match for your organization. Which of these finalists shares the values your company believes in and is promoting?
While we once talked of chemistry and fit, the talk has now turned to Values, with a capital V.
Much of the information in this article was compiled using material from Topgrading, written by Bradford D. Smart, Ph.D. The information was also acquired during several years carrying out CIDS (Chronological In-Depth Structured) interviews for a leading North American manufacturer of high-end enclosures with operations in Montreal and Ottawa, as well as New York state and North Carolina.
From a standard CIDS interview, where questions were asked to reveal a wide variety of competencies in candidates, we refined the system to reveal only to what degree candidates possessed desired values. This approach was for companies that had their own selection systems but needed to verify specific values.
A four-hour training course on Values interviewing was then delivered to Senior Managers of a worldwide organization that represents, leads and serves the airline industry in general. One month after the training, the organization was able to use the Values Interviewing System at its offices in Montreal, Geneva and Singapore.
The Values interview adds, at most, one hour of each candidate’s time to the process, but it can save them a lot of grief down the road. The Values interview can also eliminate anguish embarrassment and expense for the hiring manager and company.
As everyone knows, after factual information such as diplomas or degrees earned and employment history has been confirmed, interviews are designed to obtain concrete examples of how and when a candidate has used desired management practices or competencies. It is this concrete information that leads to three or four candidates being considered the finalists.
The Values interview gathers similar concrete information about where and when each of the candidates has demonstrated competencies that can be linked to the company’s values. Values interviews are usually coordinated by an HR representative for consistency or uniformity and conducted by department managers.
Prior to the Values interview, the company or consultant needs:
- To match competencies with desired values. To take the simplest of all possible examples, the value of Integrity would be matched with the competency of Integrity through a specific question or two about this competency. One example could be: “Please describe a situation where you were asked to do something that went against what you believed in.”
- A rating grid to evaluate/score the answers and information supplied by candidates. Again, to use the above example of Integrity, answers could be rated as: 2. Poor “Ethically cuts corners, not consistent…” 3. Fair “Few or weak examples displaying integrity. …” 4. Good “Usually speaks up when confronted with unethical behaviour. …” 5. Ironclad “Does not cut corners ethically. Remains consistent in terms of what one says and does. …”
- A Minimum Requirement Sheet that lists the lowest acceptable rating on each of the competencies/values. When a company lists a set of values, a Good rating in each is naturally a minimum requirement.
So when your company has reached the point where there are three or four finalists who can all do the job, would you prefer to rely on a feel for chemistry and fit or would you rather evaluate how each candidate has demonstrated in the past the values you are seeking today?
One final thought after hundreds of very detailed interviews: It doesn’t hurt to let your finalists have the Values questions a day ahead of time. A candidate who performs better because of reflection and preparation will usually be an even greater asset to your company.
Larry Harding CHRP
Consultation LJH Consulting
ljhard@hotmail.com
and
Affiliated Consultant with VNL Solutions
www.vnlsolutions.com
