Strategic Interviewing & Selection: Getting the Right Talent on Your Team

Your recruiting, interviewing and selection process affects every part of your organization's performance, including profitability. This strategic interviewing and selection webinar gives managers a practical, step-by-step approach to identifying candidates with the competencies the job requires.

You'll start by defining job criteria and preparing for the interview, including reviewing applications and resumes and planning questions in advance. You'll then learn how to set the right atmosphere, structure effective questions and run a behavioral interview that looks for past behaviors rather than traits.

The session finishes with a complete interview format, tips for team and panel interviews and note-taking, and strategic recruiting: what candidates expect from employers and what they look for in a job beyond pay.

• Avoid the common errors interviewers make
• Prepare for interviews by defining five types of job criteria and reviewing resumes
• Create the right interview atmosphere and confirm you are ready
• Ask five types of useful questions and manage interruptions
• Run a behavioral interview that seeks behaviors rather than traits
• Take useful notes and conduct team or panel interviews
• Follow a complete interview format from rapport building to close
• Apply strategic recruiting techniques based on what candidates expect

1. Defining an employment interview

• Five key components of an interview
• Common errors made by interviewers
• A three-step interviewing process

2. Pre-interview preparation

• Five types of job criteria and questions to identify them
• Why to review the application and resume in advance, and seven areas to check
• Planning questions before the interview
• Typical job criteria for service positions
• Using job criteria kick-out factors in phone interviews

3. Creating the proper atmosphere

• Characteristics of the right interview atmosphere
• A checklist to confirm the interviewer is ready

4. Structuring effective questions

• Characteristics of the right interview format
• Productive vs destructive interviewer interruptions
• The objective of any interview
• Five types of useful interview questions, with examples
• Tips for team or panel interviews

5. The behavioral interview

• What a behavior-based question is, with samples
• An overview and typical sequence of a behavioral interview
• Seeking candidate behaviors vs traits
• Tips for taking interview notes
• Closing the interview with candidates you will reject, may pursue or will pursue
• Handling three types of difficult interview situations

6. The total interview format

• Ice breaker and rapport-building statements and questions
• Transition questions to begin the formal interview
• Using an overview and benefit statement
• Questions to explore work experience and education
• Questions to gain the applicant's self-assessment
• Closing the interview

7. Strategic recruiting

• Research on how many employees plan to change jobs
• Candidate questions employers should be ready to answer
• What candidates expect during recruiting, interviewing and selection
• The issues candidates base their decisions on
• What candidates look for in a job beyond a paycheck

An untrained interviewer often predicts job performance little better than chance, relying on first impressions, friendly chats or random questions. Poor hires cost productivity, quality and customer satisfaction, plus termination, legal and replacement costs, while great hires lift performance.

The session suits HR professionals new to the field, experienced HR staff wanting a refresher, and line managers who want a proven method they can apply right away.

• HR Professionals New to the Field seeking a comprehensive view of the subject with multiple initiatives & techniques they can apply immediately
• Experienced HR Professionals seeking a refresher
• Line Managers: seeking a comprehensive view of the subject with multiple initiatives & techniques they can

Pete Tosh is the Founder of The Focus Group, a management consulting and training firm that assists organizations in sustaining profitable growth through four core disciplines:

• Implementing Strategic HR Initiatives
• Maximizing Leadership Effectiveness
• Strategic Planning
• Enhancing Customer Loyalty

The Focus Group has provided these consulting and training services to manufacturing and service organizations across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. Pete has worked closely with the leadership teams of organizations such as Exxon, Brinks, EMC, State Farm, Marriott, N.C.I. YKK and Freddie Mac

Pete holds a B.A. degree in Psychology from Emory and Henry University and Masters degrees in both Business Administration and Industrial Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University. Pete also co-authors Leading Your Organization to the Next Level: the Core Disciplines of Sustained Profitable Growth.