numbers game: nine ways to conduct an interview

It's no longer enough just to figure out what to ask candidates in an upcoming job interview (see "interviewing: what to say … and what not to say," DC VELOCITY, April 2003). You also have to choose the most appropriate type of interview to conduct. Gone are the days when you asked about the candidate's background, threw in a couple of open-ended questions (What are your two biggest strengths and weaknesses?), lobbed a few curveballs (If you were a plant, what kind would you be?), and then closed. Interviews today come in a variety of formats. Here are nine types you'll want to be familiar with.

• The screening interview. Given the volume of applications pouring in these days (particularly if you've posted your opening on the Web), you'll probably want to have someone perform some kind of preliminary screening interview. As its name suggests, this type of interview is intended to be exclusive, not inclusive—the point is to eliminate candidates who lack qualifications for the position, have unexplained gaps in their employment history, provide inconsistent information or are otherwise unsuitable.
• The directed interview. In a directed interview, all candidates are asked the exact same questions in the exact same order. Conversation does not typically take a natural direction; in fact, it's more like a lawyer questioning a witness on the stand. Designed to harvest key informational points from the candidates, this type of interview is best used to even the playing field when attempting to compare candidate to candidate as fairly as possible, fact for fact.
• The casual interview. The opposite of the directed interview, the casual interview is more conversational and relaxed. Typically, you'd begin by asking the candidate to tell you a little about himself/herself and let what ensues flow naturally. The danger, of course, is that at the end, you'll have spent a pleasurable half-hour with the candidate but know nothing about his/her qualifications, so it's important to take copious notes throughout the process. This type of interview, which is more personality oriented (versus the fact-oriented directed interview), aims to determine how well the candidate would fit into the particular organization's culture.
• The behavioral interview. When conducting a situational or behavioral interview, you ask candidates about their past handling of particular situations in an attempt to predict their future behavior. Most commonly used for filling management positions, these sessions often include both experiential and hypothetical questions, like "Describe a situation where you had a problem with a staff member and how you solved it" or "What would you do if you had to get a shipment to a customer and the truck drivers were all out on strike?" This method is excellent for finding out about a candidate's leadership style and to get an idea about his or her creative, stress management and conflict resolution capabilities.
• The audition interview. In cases where a position requires a certain type of performance, such as a customer service rep or a trainer's job, an audition may be appropriate. Just as in the theater, you might ask each candidate to take you through a simulation or brief presentation. In our experience, watching the candidates perform can be very illuminating.
• The group interview. If time is at a premium, conducting a group interview can be extremely efficient. Gathering several candidates in one room, you initiate a discussion and carefully evaluate how each individual interacts with his or her peers, how well they use persuasive (or abusive) tactics, and how successfully they compete for control. This method enables you to see how well a candidate works as a member of a team, and who emerges naturally as a leader.
• The panel interview. Panel interviews work well when several members of the organization will have a say in which candidate is to be offered the position. In this case, all interviewers will interact with one candidate at the same time. Each interviewer will be able to ask questions regarding skills, techniques or personality quirks that he or she considers important. After each candidate is interviewed, the panel members can meet and trade impressions or use a scoring sheet to "vote" for the candidate they prefer.
• The round robin interview. An alternative to the panel interview, especially when it's tough to coordinate everyone's busy schedules, is the round robin interview. The candidate begins the interview with person number one. Once that interviewer has checked off all the items on his/her list, he or she escorts the prospect to the next interviewer's office. The candidate might end up spending a whole day at your offices, but when multiple people have input in the hiring decision, this can be a good way to give everyone access.
• The mealtime interview. Contrary to what you might have suspected back when you were a candidate, there are two primary reasons for a mealtime interview when hiring at a management level (neither of which was to determine whether you talked with your mouth full). The first is to give the interviewer the opportunity to multi-task (meet another candidate and actually have lunch today). The second is to evaluate the candidate in a more or less social setting. This type of interview enables you to observe the candidate interacting with service personnel and may provide some insight into his or her true personality.

Clearly, managers on the hiring line today have plenty of options,none of which bears much resemblance to the predictable interview format of yesteryear. Choosing the right type of interview for the situation takes more thought than just following a standard format, of course, but at least you'll learn more about the candidate's skills and abilities than you will about his inner plant.