The Interview Playbook for Manager's

Interviewing people may not be up there in things managers want to do. Many managers would instead focus on the day-to-day aspects of managing their teams and getting projects completed.

Unfortunately, for many managers, interviewing has become necessary for their jobs. Many managers don't like interviewing and may need to be more skilled at it. Having a playbook will ensure that interviewing is done right, will help eliminate bad hiring decisions, and will ensure that those hired will contribute to the company's long-term success.

Key Components of The Interview Play Book for Managers

1. Preparation is everything. Ensure you have prepared a list of questions, and review the candidate's resumes and LinkedIn profile.
2. Time. Make sure you have scheduled enough time for the interview. Target 45-60 minutes. This should give you enough time to ask your questions and for the candidate to ask their questions.
3. Focus on the candidate's experience during the interview process. The competitive candidate marketplace requires managers to create a positive and welcoming experience during the interview process.
4. Sell the opportunity and company. Candidates are also interviewing the manager, so telling the candidate why they want to work for you(manager) and the company is critical. Highlighting what makes the company different, company culture, management style, and long-term growth are keys to hiring the best talent.
5. Be Honest. Talk about the challenges and obstacles, as well as the opportunities that they would be facing if hired into the role. Building a Trust Relationship with the candidate is one of the key pillars to ensure a successful interview process.
6. Be open-minded.
7. Interview for emotional intelligence, technical abilities, sales skills, and key motivators.
8. Focus on reasons why you should hire the candidate vs. reasons why you should not hire the candidate.
9. Be clear about expectations and key deliverables the candidate would require if hired into the position.
10. When including other employees in the interview process, please keep it to no more than 3 people. The interview should consist of someone doing a similar job, another employee from a different department performing another function, and an internal employee who would be an internal customer that the person hired into the position would be interfacing with on a day-to-day basis.

Having an Interview PlayBook will help managers make better hiring decisions, reduce recruiting costs, streamline the interview process, and ensure a positive candidate experience. 

Paul is CEO and President of One World Consulting Group, LLC and One World Executive Search. Paul is a recruiting strategist, career coach, and global recruiter who serves individuals and companies worldwide. Contact me at paul@oneworldconsultinggroup.com or 1-425-766-9778 to discuss developing an interview playbook for your managers. 

Thank you for reading my article. I greatly appreciate it!