�ݺ�ߣ

HIRING MANAGER INTERVIEW TOOLS
COMPANY NAME has identified the following guidelines to assist Hiring Managers and
Interviewers in the interview process with the goal of providing a positive candidate experience
and successful hiring decision.
Clearly define your objectives before you start recruiting:
 Describe the position's duties, technical knowledge and skills required to do the job.
 Ensure the position profile is up to date and make any necessary changes.
 Identify success factors by looking at previous top performers in the position.
 Identify & outline the performance expectations of the position
 Identify the appropriate stakeholders to participate in the process (e.g. individuals that
can provide a relevant or unique perspective on the role)
Use the following Checklist to help you prepare to interview; follow the links for further
guidance:
BEFORE THE INTERVIEW
□ Determine structure/format of interview
□ Build interview team
□ Identify administrative support/designee to schedule & communicate
logistics with candidate
□ Review resume
□ Select interview questions
□ Practice your interview skills
DURING THE INTERVIEW
□ Be on time
□ Sell the opportunity
□ Before they leave- answer questions and share next steps
AFTER THE INTERVIEW
□ Evaluate candidate
□ Debrief with interview team
□ Debrief with recruiter
1 | P a g e

Before the Interview
Determine Structure/Format of Interview:
 Consult with your recruiter on the best structure for evaluating prospective candidates
 Will it be in-person/onsite or via phone or Skype?
 Will it be one-on-one or a panel (recommend panel is kept to no more than three), or a mix
of both?
Build your interview team:
 Decide who should interview the candidate: the Hiring Manager, a peer, a subordinate?
 It is recommended that more than one person interview candidates to give you a
balanced perspective and more likely to result in a fair hiring process. Consider asking
some of the people who will be working with the new hire.
 Be careful not to include too many people- this will slow down the process and hiring
decision. Our Service Level Agreement stipulates this include the hiring manager + max. 2
people for each 1st
and 2nd
round interviews.
 Sample template for interviewers/stakeholders:
“I will be hiring for a [position title], reporting to me, that will be focused on [list top
performance goals for the new position]. Attached you will find the success profile for the role.
Given the nature of this role, I view you as a key stakeholder and would like to invite you to
participate in the interview process and provide feedback as to the quality of the candidate for
this position. [Name of designee] will evaluate your availability for an interview and schedule
accordingly once we have a short list of candidates identified. Please don’t hesitate to contact
me if you have any questions or require more clarity around the position profile.”
Prepare:
 Review the Resume- Be familiar with the candidates’ background by reviewing his/her
resume in advance. This will make your time more productive and efficient and show the
candidate you are interested in his/her background.
 Select your questions in advance: Review the position profile. Pre-select questions that
allow you to evaluate whether a candidate has those skills and behaviors you've identified
as essential for the job.
Job Specific Questions: Keep the focus on what the job requires and how each
candidate has performed in the past. Job specific questions help provide a clear picture
of a candidates’ technical skills and functional experience.
Competency Questions: COMPANY NAME has identified Leadership Competencies
that are critical to success at each job grade level. These questions should be used as
a supplement to technical and operational-based questions, as a way to identify how
the candidate will demonstrate the Company’s desired leadership behaviors. Partner
with your Recruiter to identify the questions that are most appropriate to the position
profile.
2 | P a g e

Culture-Fit & Motivation Questions: Is the candidate truly motivated to accept the job?
Are the values of the candidate and COMPANY NAME aligned? These questions will help
you select candidates who are motivated and suited to perform well within the
organization. Here are a few examples:
 What are the most important factors that must be present in your work
environment for you to be successful and happy?
 What are your values and how do those related to your professional life?
 Consider your past employers, what aspects of those cultures did you like? What
did you not like?
 Communicate logistics. Be sure the candidate has all necessary logistical information to
get to the interview (e.g. directions, where to park, if they will need to be “badged”, where
they will be met). You may have designated administrative support or another individual
to support you in this process.
Interview Tips & Training:
 Behavior-based interviewing is based on the key foundation that past behavior is the
best predictor of future performance. Your interview questions should be structured in
this format. Don’t be afraid to probe candidates to provide specific examples. Below is
some training available on Behavior-based interviewing.
 What NOT to ask? Your interview questions should be designed to determine a
candidate's capability to perform the essential functions you have defined for the job. You
cannot ask questions that will reveal information that can lead to bias in hiring. Some
candidates will volunteer information that you would prefer not to know. Neither pursue
nor make note of it. Below are examples of legal and illegal questions in an interview.
The Interview
 Be on time. Show respect for the candidate’s time and interest. This will set the stage for
how they assess the organization and the opportunity.
 Be hospitable. Make sure each candidate is greeted and escorted, if necessary, to the
interview location. Offer the candidate a glass of water or coffee. Don't judge on first
impressions. Withhold judgment until you've had the chance to thoroughly evaluate a
candidate's capabilities and potential.
 Break the ice. Make the candidate feel comfortable, break the ice a little by starting with a
non-threatening question (e.g. did you find the place OK? How was your drive in?)
 Tell the candidate a little about the job. While you don't want to dominate the interview
time, you should start with a brief summary of the position, including the prime
responsibilities, reporting structure, key challenges, performance criteria, and history of
3 | P a g e

COMPANY NAME and unit information. This will help the candidate provide relevant
examples and responses.
 Sell the opportunity and the company to the candidate- they are assessing you too.
Identify why this company and opportunity are outstanding- career growth, stability,
benefits, management team, property, geographic location.
 Listen. If you are doing most of the talking during an interview, you will not be able to
obtain enough information to distinguish between candidates or to determine a
candidate's true competencies. A general guideline is to spend 80 percent of your time
listening and only 20 percent talking.
 Take notes. While you won't want to transcribe everything the candidate says, do write
down important points, key accomplishments, good examples, and other information that
will help you remember and fairly evaluate each candidate. An interview guide, prepared
in advance, will make note-taking easier and give you a structure for capturing key
information.
 Invite candidates to ask questions. This can be the most valuable part of the interview.
Why do they want to work for the company? Is it the challenge of the job, advances in the
industry, or is the candidate fixated on salary, benefits, and time off? If the candidate has
no questions this should be a red flag, especially for senior-level employees. Make a note
of what the candidate asks, and be sure to follow up if you can't provide the answer
immediately.
 Follow legal interviewing guidelines. It is critically important that every interviewer
understands and follows legal hiring guidelines. The easiest way to keep your interviews
fully compliant is to ask only questions that relate to the job, eliminating the potential for
bias by not introducing questions or scenarios that will elicit irrelevant information.
 Create a positive image for COMPANY NAME The interview process reflects the value
the company places on each candidate and, by extension, each employee. Be a good
representative for COMPANY NAME by conducting a professional interview,
communicating honestly, and basing hiring decisions on an honest evaluation of each
candidate's capabilities. By following this, you will make good hires, build a good name in
the community and enhance your future recruiting efforts.
After the Interview
 Thank the candidate for his/her interest in the opportunity and his/her time in the
process. Consider sending them a follow-up email as well sharing
 Let candidates know what they can expect; don’t leave the candidates waiting several
weeks after an interview, or promise a follow-up that never comes. If the candidate is a
good fit, be clear about what the next steps will be. If the candidate is not a good fit, work
with your recruiter to ensure a timely response is provided to the candidate:
o Externals - the recruiter will handle notifying externals that have not been
selected.
o Internals - we recommend the hiring manager discusses with the internal
candidate why they were not selected and steps they can do to develop
4 | P a g e

themselves. It’s important the internal understands why they were not selected so
they can work with their managers on a development plan.
 Complete interview evaluation form. Immediately after the interview, the hiring
manager is responsible for filling out the Interview Evaluation form in PeopleManager on
each of the candidates. On this form, the hiring manager needs to identify the reasons
why they are interested in hiring or not hiring the candidate. (See Interview Evaluation
form in People Manager).
 Compare notes with other interviewers and reach consensus. The post-interview
evaluation is the time to compare notes and advance the hiring decision. Each interviewer
should be prepared to back up remarks and recommendations with specific examples and
notes from the interview. If you cannot connect with each interviewer in person, invite
them to share their feedback with you:
“Thank you for participating in the interview process with [candidate’s name]. We are planning
to schedule a debrief session on ___________. In the event you are unavailable, and/or while the
interviews are fresh in your mind, please reach out to me via phone or email with your thoughts
and reactions to the candidates.”
 Discuss your evaluation with the Recruiter immediately following the interview and
provide direction on next steps.
 Deepen the questions as you narrow the field. Depending on the role, subsequent
interviews with finalists may be valuable to learn more about the candidate but should not
interfere with making a prompt hiring decision.
5 | P a g e

�ݺ�ߣ

Hiring Manager Interview Tools templates

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Hiring Manager Interview Tools templates (20)

Recently uploaded (20)

Hiring Manager Interview Tools templates