Interview Do's + Don'ts

1. Don’t multi-task during the interview. It’s rude.

When you’re on an interview, there’s nothing worse than being interrupted in the middle of articulating your professional goals so that the interviewer can take a call, respond to a text, or “write a quick email”. Keep in mind that for most job-seekers, landing an interview is a very big deal, and perhaps a pivotal career moment. They’re nervous, excited, hopeful, and eager to demonstrate they have what it takes in a short time frame. Give candidates your undivided attention and prevent distractions during the interview by logging out of email and other apps, shutting off hand-held devices, and letting others know that you’re interviewing someone.

2. Do encourage success. Don’t play mind games.

There are a few recruiting tricks that are not in sync with finding the best fit. Most are attempts to encourage honesty. For example, asking candidates how to spell their managers name (aloud) at the start of the interview. This may give the impression you’ll be checking facts, regardless of whether the candidate has given you permission to contact their current employer. Avoid tactics that throw the conversation off balance, and focus instead on having a natural, comfortable dialogue that flows. Your goal is to get a sense of who this person is by asking a mix of connected, thoughtfully crafted questions.

3. Do ask a good mix of questions.

Plan a range of interview questions to uncover required job knowledge, work style, industry expertise, real experience, and emotional intelligence. Our eBook is a great source. During the interview, connect questions to help the conversation flow naturally. For example, you might ask a candidate to talk about a time they improved or changed a business process (real experience). Their response is an opportunity to ask related follow-up questions about the technology that they used (required job knowledge) and how they helped team-members who struggled with change (emotional intelligence.)

4. Do consider using an offsite location or co-working space.

Day passes at a co-working space are a great solution when confidentiality and privacy is important for in-person interviews. Co-working spaces are also ideal for start-up businesses and small companies who may not have the distraction-free environment needed for longer, highly focused interview processes.

5. Don’t ask Illegal questions.

When you’re building rapport with candidates during screening, it’s surprisingly easy to accidentally ask questions that are off-limits. Here’s a list of topics you shouldn’t ask during interviews:

• Race, Color, or National Origin, Citizenship
  

Example: Are you originally from Spain? Is English your first language?

• Religion

Example: Do you go to church? Do you celebrate Chanukah?

• Age

Example: What year were you born? How long have you been working? When did you graduate?

• Marital Status or Number of Children

Example: How many kids do you have? Are you married?

• Salary History

For a list of states that have enacted salary history bans, which employers are affected and what the specific legislation entails, click here .  As a general rule, we recommend playing it safe. Rather than asking for salary history and staying on top of legislation, provide a salary range for the position that you’re screening for; and ask candidates about salary requirements. 

• Do you socially drink?

Asking this violates the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990.

• Do you have any outstanding debt?

Employers need permission before asking about credit history. Similar to a criminal background history, you can't disqualify someone from employment unless it directly affects a candidate’s ability to perform the position they’re interviewing for.

• Pregnancy status
  

Example: When are you due?

• Sex, Gender Identity, or Sexual Orientation
• Disability
   

6. Don't wing it. Set up a formula and tailor it.

Every role at your company is different, so rather than taking a “one-size-fits-all’ approach, focus instead on identifying and designing the core components when designing your interview process. For example, there’s an early-stage phone screen, a panel interview, a technical or skills assessment, and a culture-fit interview that includes company founders. Depending on the role that you’re filling, any of these components can be re-ordered, omitted, or expanded.

References:

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/11-illegal-interview-questions-2013-7

https://www.themuse.com/advice/tips-for-improving-the-candidate-experience