Interview Guidelines

Resources for Effective Interviews

Interviewing can be daunting, and many managers find it hard to know the best way to approach them. However, it is important to remember that interviewing is not simply about what you, as a manager, can learn about potential employees. Still, it is also an important opportunity for them to learn about you and the job. We should always approach interviews as the opportunity to impress the candidate just as much as we hope they will impress us. Remember, interviews are vital to recruitment and can impact future postings. While the goal is to find the right candidate and avoid making hiring errors, it is also important that everyone who comes in walks away from the process feeling like it has been a positive experience.

Below are several resources to help you navigate this important step in the recruitment. If you need any guidance throughout the recruitment process, please contact HR.

Interview Panel Guidance

Panel members should be selected based on their specific contribution to the interview process. The panel generally consists of three to five members. The panel may include potential supervisors, managers, and team members. Whenever possible, the panel should represent the organization's various roles and be identical for each candidate for a specific role.

The largest influence on the value of an interview experience is the substance and type of questions used by the interview panel. Interview questions should be grounded in the selection configuration and gather information toward the desired outcomes. Screen your interview questions with HR to help avoid unseen or unintended legal pitfalls. This is not necessary for every interview if your questions were previously screened, but any new lines of questioning you'd like to try should preferably be reviewed by HR first. Sample interview questions can be found on this page.

The format we look for in our interview questions is:

Ask open-ended questions (avoid yes/no questions)
Ask questions specific to the job and the candidate's experience
Ask follow-up questions
Ask specific questions about their resume or experience
Avoid asking about protected classes (married, children, religion, etc.)

It is often helpful to hold a pre-interview meeting with the hiring panel to ensure everyone understands their roles and the hiring manager's role in the selection process and discuss coordination items such as the following:

Who will take the lead in introducing the candidate to the hiring panel members and explaining how the interview will be conducted
The purpose of each interview question (what skill does each question attempt to assess, and what does the ideal skill look like to you as a hiring manager?)
Whether or not someone will serve as a time-keeper and signal to the candidate if their allotted time is nearing completion or is complete
Who will ask each question

Objectivity and the Hiring Process

Remaining objective throughout the hiring process, particularly during interviews, isn't always easy. However, you can take several easy steps as an interview panel to help minimize the potentially negative effects of more subjective viewpoints based on first impressions, assumptions, stereotypes, and predispositions about candidates. The following strategies will help you stay focused on job-related competencies to assess candidates on the best job-related indicators of success on the job.

First, develop standard competency-based interview questions and plan on asking all candidates the same questions in the same order. Next, review some common ways assumptions, stereotypes, and misconceptions can creep into your evaluation and selection process, as described below. It may be helpful to review these effects before, during, and after interviews to ensure your evaluation of candidates is based on objective, job-related criteria and that you can select the candidate with the best potential for success on the job.

Inconsistency in Questioning

Instead of asking each candidate the same or similar questions, you adjust questions to the candidate in a way that prevents you from getting the whole picture. For instance, you may drill a candidate with a degree from the local university about their coursework and what they learned, but assume a Harvard candidate learned everything they need in the class. Asking each candidate the same predetermined questions in the same order allows you to focus on job-related competencies and evaluate responses using the same rating scale and standards. This does not prevent you from asking candidates follow-up questions to prove or clarify their answers or asking about specific job-related information on their resume.

Competency Based Interviewing Guide.pdf

Competency-Based Interviewing Guide & Sample Questions

Competency-based interviews are sometimes called structured interviews, behavioral interviews, or evidence-based interviews. Whatever the terminology, the common goal of this interview process is to assess a candidate's suitability for a specific role based on their demonstrated competencies, skills, and experiences.

Instead of focusing solely on a candidate's qualifications or experience, competency-based interviews delve into specific behaviors and abilities that are essential for job success. The hiring team typically identifies these competencies in advance and aligns them with the position's requirements.

Additional Best Practices to Improve the Effectiveness of Interviews

Take notes after every question rather than at the end of the interview
Compare candidates "horizontally," i.e., question by question rather than holistically
Use structured interviews with questions tailored for the position rather than using a generic template or allowing the interview to go into irrelevant territory
Have standardized metrics by which all candidates are judged
Have each committee member justify positive/negative perceptions of the candidates based on the candidate's responses to the questions
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of every candidate rather than focusing on only one or the other
Have the most senior/highest ranked interviewer give their opinions last
Disregard unnecessary background information that may have come up in the interview
Take your time when evaluating each candidate, as subjective tendencies described above occur more frequently and with a stronger effect under time pressure

Made your decision? What's next?

Reference Checks

You'll recall the adage associated with behavior-based interview questions: Past behavior is a predictor of future behavior. Likewise, reference checks are critical for assessing past behavior to predict future behavior. Check the candidate's Reference Release form to find out whether or not current employers may be contacted, etc. You are encouraged to contact current or former employers for information about the job candidate. Please visit our Reference Checks page to learn more about the next steps.

Contingent Job Offer

Contact the HR Specialist who assisted you with your job posting to let them know your decision. Follow normal district/department management protocols when seeking approval for your hiring and rate of pay decisions. Management must send the interview scoring keys, ranking documents, and interview notes to be maintained in HR's recruitment file. You must be able to articulate specific job-related reasons for why you selected the chosen candidate(s) from among the rest. You may be asked to document the reason in the ApplicantPro system as a comment.

Once the hiring manager tenders a contingent job offer to the chosen candidate(s), they must notify the HR Specialist they've worked with throughout the recruitment of the candidate(s) they've chosen for the position(s). Providing the following information to the HR Specialist is extremely helpful. This also applies to paid interns.

Applicant's Name
DPR or Previous Position Incumbent
Start Date (don't forget about holidays)
Job Title
Hourly Rate
Leave Accrual Rate (if different than standard rate)
Full-Time or Part-time (if part-time, how many hours per week)
Temporary/Permanent Position (end date if temporary)
Work Schedule (e.g., 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday)
Work Location
Supervisor Name
Any additional perqs offered

The HR Specialist will then draft and send an offer letter to the candidate(s) via ApplicantPro. Once the candidate accepts/signs the offer letter, a copy of the signed offer letter will be shared with the hiring manager, direct supervisor, and District Administrative Assistant. Please visit our Onboarding page to learn more about the next steps.