If you’re a seasoned hiring manager, you’ve no doubt conducted dozens, if not hundreds of interviews. If you’ve been using the same format for a while, it might be time to update your strategy. Here are some methods to think about retiring:
Wacky Brain Teaser Questions: It was once thought that this type of question showed how creative and nimble your candidates were, but brain teasers don’t correlate with job performance. If you want to test your candidate’s ability to think on their feet, present a plausible role-related problem and ask how they’d handle it.
Large panel interviews: This method may seem to save time, but it can be intimidating, favours certain personality types and it’s impossible for any panel member to truly connect with a candidate. A series of shorter one-on-one meetings often works better.
Pop Quizzes: If completing a task or test is a necessary part of your hiring strategy, don’t make it a surprise. Give your candidates advance warning of what will be expected of them during the interview.
The worst interviews end with hiring managers lacking substantive information, and leave candidates feeling stressed. The best ones are informative for both hiring managers and candidates, and leave both parties feeling like a positive connection was made.