Interviewing Mistakes to Avoid

Bad hiring decisions cost organizations time and money. Conducting productive interviews can increase successful hiring. Here are some mistakes to avoid during the interview process.

Failing to prepare for the interview:

Interviewers need to meet in advance to create a plan. Determine who will be responsible for which types of questions, what aspect of the candidate’s credentials each person is assessing, and who will be responsible for gauging a culture fit.

Only talking during an interview:

A productive interview needs to have components other than questions and answers. Ask a candidate to perform a task to determine their hands-on ability. See how quickly a person can learn a particular task. Ask the candidate to explain an approach to improving a given IT function. Using tests and tasks will give you valuable information for your selection process.

Placing excess emphasis on a candidate’s personality:

Probably one of the hardest hiring mistakes to avoid is evaluating “personality” as heavily as skills and experience. People tend to hire people who are similar to themselves. They are the most comfortable with those candidates, of course. But, the person with the best “personality” may not be the strongest, smartest, and best candidate for the position. You need diverse personalities to deal with diverse employees and customers.