Get the Real Story in Interviews

03/05/07

In interviews, job candidates are forthcoming about real accomplishments and things they feel good about or know in detail. They’re less forthcoming about skills or abilities they feel they lack or things they’ve misled you about.

It’s important to probe for the qualities or lack of them you need on the job. The following tips will help you uncover strengths or deficiencies:

Watch for inconsistencies. Tellers of half truths sometimes say contradictorythings in interviews. “I headed the project team that developed theSuperChocolateSupreme,” he’ll say at the beginning of the interview. “We were a team of peers at Company X,” he’ll say later. “Whoa,” you say, “I thought you managed the team?” “Well, I guess I was more of a facilitator,”he admits and you’ve learned a few important things about his work history and character.

Watch body language. Everyone speaks with their bodies as well as with their voices. If they aren’t telling the truth or the whole truth, their bodies will say one thing while their words say another. “I got along fine with everyone in my department,” he says while quickly folding his arms across his chest.Follow up with questions whenever you harbor a doubt. “You never had a problem with anyone in your department?” The point is not to expose the person before you as a fraud. Follow up as much as you need to until you’re reasonably certain you’re not getting the complete story, then change subjects.Keep your opinions to yourself.

Keep the conversation going. The more people talk, the more they display their character. To keep them talking, say things like, “Tell me more about it,” “What did you do?,” or “Why?” Silence is also a great way to keep candidates talking, especially when they’d rather not. Most people will rush to fill in the silence sometimes with very revealing information.

Challenge statements. At times, you’ll need to put the candidate on the spot. Maybe you don’t believe the statement 100 percent,or maybe you just want quick confirmation of something you have no reason to doubt. For example, “You say you had profit-and-loss responsibility in your job at Acme. Can you give me the name of somebody who will confirmthat for me?” It’ll soon be apparent if he’s stretching the truth.