Interview training presentation

Fundamentals of Great
Interviewing
Talent at Technology Startups
Friday, April 19, 13

Judging People Sucks
People hate it, they suck at it, and they avoid it whenever possible.

“I sleep easy not knowing how I’ll make
payroll... I can ask investors for millions of
dollars, no problem… but, hiring people
terriﬁes me. It keeps me up at night.”
Interview Phobia
So people resort to tricks, convincing themselves that these will help them make good choices

Voodoo Interview Questions
Not only does Voodoo hiring not tell you anything about a candidate, answers can be faked

“What would you do if...”

“What type of animal
are you?”

are you?”
“How many marbles would ﬁt into an Olympic-sized
swimming pool...

are you?”
swimming pool...
in December...

are you?”
swimming pool...
in December...
on the moon?”

Or Worse...
A bad, or non-existent, interview process
The “Buddy” interview – “She seems like a nice person…”
Talking more than listening
Rushing interviews because of scheduling conﬂicts
No criteria for scoring or comparing candidates

The Cost - Hiring Mistakes
I ran out of room...

Or Just as Bad
The Talent Walks... Nothing turns off a recruit like a bad interview process

A Conversation with a Purpose
It’s not about dumb vs. smart or good vs.
bad
The goal is to understand
Patterns, motivations, choices, passions and abilities
And mistakes!

It’s About Fit

Your Best Recruiting Tool
Let the candidate look under the hood of your business.

Contents
Getting Ready
Structuring Effective Interviews
Behavioral Interviewing
Non-discriminatory Questions
Next Steps

Know What You’re Looking For

Understand Your Core Values

Understand Adaptive Excellence
“It is not the strongest
of the species that
survives, nor the most
intelligent that
survives. It is the one
that is the most
adaptable to change.”
- Charles Darwin

Know Market Compensation

Create Job Spec and Scorecard
Be speciﬁc and prioritize desired skills
Understand trade-offs you’re willing to
make
Years of experience = proxy for $$

Choose Format
- Panel or individual interviews
- Who will focus on what qualities
- What is the order?

Dedicate the Time
- 90 minutes minimum
- Be on time
- Be PRESENT - no phone or laptop

Stick to a Schedule
Introductions and Opening 10 minutes
Core Assessment 90 minutes
Candidate Questions 15 minutes
Closing and Next Steps 5 minutes
- Make them comfortable, break the ice
- Talking less than 20% of the time
- Take lots of notes
- Never make promises
- Explain the process
- Be grateful

Be Consistent

Behavioral Interviewing
Past performance predicts future
performance
It’s about pattern recognition
Actual, speciﬁc experience. Not hypothetical.
Requires lots of probing

TopGrading Interview
For each role over the last 10-15 years...
What were you hired to do?
What accomplishments are you most proud of?
What mistakes did you make, what do you most regret? What did you
learn?
Talk about the people, speciﬁcs
Why did you leave that job/choose the next one?

Multi-Level Probing
Each answer will require probing
Ask the question
Understand the context - what are choices, which one was chosen and
why?
What were the results or the outcome of that choice?
How did those results compare with Peers, Past, Plan
What did you learn, or better, do differently the next time based on
those results?

Green Flags
Patterns of choices and behavior that
demonstrate...
They are good at and enjoy the requirements of the job
They are self-aware and purposeful in their decisions
They are pulled, not pushed to the next opportunity
Experiences demonstrate behavior that matches core values
Have made mistakes (perhaps a lot) and show conscious learning

Red Flags
Patterns of choices and behavior that
demonstrate...
Unimpressive or suspicious circumstances when changing jobs
Does not make conscious choices based on self-awareness or articulated
principles or priorities
Demonstrates conﬂict with past colleagues or bosses like you
Mediocre achievement
Patterns reﬂect behaviors that don’t align with core values or requirements of
the job

This is Really Hard
And it takes practice
Know when to probe - decision points
Call out patterns when you see them
String together dots and identify the line
Empathize, but get to the truth
Be willing to be uncomfortable

Non-Discriminatory Questions
It is important that you ask only questions
that are legitimately job-related to avoid
discrimination issues
Think about every question in these terms: “Is this question going to
reveal information that is related to the job we are seeking to ﬁll?”
Describe the requirements of the job upfront and in the job description
– travel, physical requirements, etc.
Do not ask questions of one candidate that
you wouldn’t ask of all candidates
Asking candidates of a speciﬁc gender/race/etc. group questions that
you wouldn’t ask another

Ask Questions the Right Way
Category Permissible (if relevant) Don’t Ask
Age If hired, can you provide proof that you are over 18? • Age/Date of birth
• Date of graduation
Disability Are you able to perform the essential functions of this job with or
without accommodation?
• Are you disabled?
• Nature/severity?
• Past medical problems?
• Ever ﬁled workers’ comp?
• Smoker?
• Alcoholic?
Military
Experience
What education, training, experience obtained during military
service would assist in performing this job?
• General military experience?
• Type of discharge?
• Type of training?
National Origin • Can you provide proof of your eligibility to work in the U.S.?
• Can you speak English (if job related)?
• Are you a U.S. citizen?
• Where were you born?
• Nationality of family members?
• Maiden name?
Race None • What is your race?
Religion None. Although you may ask if they can accommodate weekend
work.
• What church do you attend?
• What holidays do you observe?
• Religious afﬁliation?
Sex None • What is your sex?
Family Status • Do you have any reason that you could not work the
schedule assigned?
• Is there any reason you could not meet the travel
requirements?
• Are you married?
• How does your spouse feel about you traveling?
• Do you have any children?

Next Steps
Actual interviews are only part of a good
interviewing process
Reference check
Background check
Sell the opportunity!

Reference Checks
Reference checks are as important as the actual
interviews
TopGrading questions provide for collecting names of former managers and
colleagues. Sets candidate expectation that you will be contacting that person
Get at least two of each from the candidate
Direct manager
Peer
Direct report/subordinate
Make calls before you’ve decided to make an offer
Allow for 45-60 minutes per call
Explain role and company thoroughly
Is candidate not willing to provide a thorough list?

Background Checks
Once you’ve decided to make an offer, do
one last thing
Relatively inexpensive way to look for any wildcard issues
Poor credit rating, personal bankruptcy
Criminal background, prior convictions, outstanding warrants
Typical cost from $75-150 per instance
A word on personality or survey-based
assessments…
Not a replacement for a structured, behavioral interview process
Sometimes a useful, objective tool for validating candidates
There are lots that address entrepreneurial leanings, none that select
for entrepreneurial success*

Sell!
A+ entrepreneurs don’t want a job (they
usually have one). They want…
An opportunity to accelerate their careers
Increased accountability and responsibility
A chance for a big “pay day” through an exit
A compelling vision that they can buy into
More than anything, A+ entrepreneurs want
to be part of something they believe in,
beyond earning a paycheck

Interview training presentation

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