Neglecting tough questions isn't the only way to botch an interview. Many novice grillers talk too much themselves: if you monopolize more than 25% of the conversation, how can you learn anything worthwhile? Others ask questions that are way too general: Can you tell me something about yourself and your previous jobs? And how many non-HR types know enough to skip nimbly around the pitfalls of inconsistency that can open the door to a discrimination suit? If, for example, you ask a young mother whether she is willing to travel, you'd better be sure that travel is a requirement of the job and that you've asked that question of every applicant.
How technology can help: Products are available to help preinterview candidates, particularly for well-defined, high-turnover slots.
For monthly fees that start at about $150, Decision Point Data Inc. works with clients to define profiles of ideal candidates. Based on those characterizations, the company composes a "preemployment selection package" that includes 97 questions and is designed to identify the best prospects.
Every applicant who shows up for an interview at your office first sits down with Decision Point Data's special Screen Phone (supplied by the company at no extra cost) and, using a telephone keypad and pullout keyboard, completes a questionnaire that appears on the terminal's screen. The applicant's responses then travel electronically to a computer at Decision Point Data, where they are analyzed by another program. The company then faxes you a report that alerts you to questions left unanswered and responses that might raise concerns, along with a list of questions to ask during the interview. An accompanying chart shows how well the applicant conforms to your ideal in areas such as accuracy, punctuality, and attitude about teamwork. The company also collects all your hiring data and uses it to prepare monthly reports on whether the turnover rate is down, if the company is getting the right employees, and so on.
Personality Plus, from Employee Selection & Development Inc., takes a similar preinterview-screening approach, but it focuses on personal characteristics. Candidates sit at a computer running the software (the price varies by volume; 50 tests cost $575) and indicate how accurately 60 preselected terms--like stubborn, competitive, and life of the party--describe their own personalities at work. The software then produces an 8-to-12-page report showing how well each applicant meets the benchmark you've selected by asking the same questions of your best employees. The report designates each applicant as one of four personality types--thinker, driver, motivator, or supporter--and rates 18 character traits and talents, such as his or her ability to handle stress.
Other packages, such as the $295 SelectPro from Pfaff & Associates, focus more on creating solid general interview questions than on questions tailored to specific job candidates. Say you're looking for someone to fill a sales position. Click on any of 40 relevant skill areas and the software comes back with a series of questions designed to elicit the most information about that area. Since you'll be working from the same questions in every interview, you're less likely to fall into the trap of inconsistency.
The Reference
Checking references is tedious and sometimes frustrating, but if you don't investigate even the basics of an applicant's background, you could be making a serious mistake.
How technology can help: If entry-level employees come and go quickly at your company, consider subscribing to Avertnet Inc., a Web-based service that provides access to criminal and civil-court records. Reports cost from $4 for a simple verification of a social-security number to $50 for reference checks, with prices varying from state to state and from county to county.
Companies requiring complete background checks on a substantial number of employees might want to invest in Background Investigator, from Law Enforcement Technologic Resources Inc. The $599 package includes ready-to-print forms that you can use to request necessary documents from former employers and various agencies--and also prompts you to track the documents until the record is complete.
In the end, no piece of software can transform the hiring process into a science. But if you use technology to systematize your efforts, you can improve the odds for success. "Sure, you can play roulette," says Larry Pfaff, of Pfaff & Associates. "But a smart gambler plays a game over which he has some control of the outcome."
Anne Field is a freelance writer in Pelham, N.Y.
HIRING HANDS
Avertnet, Avert Inc. (800-367-5933)
Background Investigator, Law Enforcement Technologic Resources Inc. (805-677-2555)
DPDApplicant, Decision Point Data Inc. (800-460-6790)
Greentree Employment System for Windows, Greentree Systems Inc. (800-348-8845)
Job Description, Workscience Corp. (757-336-1109)
Personality Plus, Employee Selection & Development Inc. (800-947-5678)
Personic Workflow, Personic Software Inc. (800-342-2222)
SelectPro, Pfaff & Associates (616-344-2242)
TeamBuilder Online, CareerBuilder Inc. (703-709-1001)
WebHire, Restrac Inc. (888-617-9287)
