Are You An Effective Interviewer ?

"Of course I am!" you say. You thoroughly review a candidate's education and work history, carefully check references, and then, together, go over the job description for the new position. It's that simple!

No, it isn't. Interviewing should involve much more than that. At its best, interviewing is a process of mutual discovery that begins with the first meeting and continues throughout the employee's career with you. It forms an integral role in the decisions you make about hiring, promoting, setting goals, assigning responsibilities, and recognizing achievements. Ultimately, your interviewing technique establishes the pattern for how you communicate with your staff.

Over the years, I have accumulated substantial interviewing experience, both for our own company and for clients. As with any system of communication, interviewing is complex and many-faceted. Nevertheless, I have observed that some general rules apply that work better than others. I would like to share with you one very successful strategy.

Before hiring or promoting any person, ask yourself these three questions:

. Is he/she interested in this position?
. Is he/she capable of handling this position?
. Are his/her commitment and core beliefs in alignment with yours?

If you can confidently answer "yes" to all three questions, then whether you should hire or promote the person solely on one final issue: How you "feel" about the person. This is totally subjective. No one can tell you how you should feel about anyone else.

I hope to have stimulated your thinking about the significance of interviewing in hiring, promoting, and meeting with your staff to handle day-to-day assignments.