Interview Training

"The Must Have Skill"

Interview training may be the best investment you ever make in yourself and your company. No other single skill has a greater impact on your personal success than the ability to choose successful employees.

The reason people are hired is to satisfy specific business needs. A positive return on the transaction is realized when the person quickly and effectively solves your business problem. The better the person hired, the greater the return.

And, when a hiring mistake is made, the cost can be off the charts both in terms of time and money. And that is not to mention the personal anguish you suffer.

Everyone in a management position should learn interviewing techniques and how to select employees. Trial and error doesn't work so it is best to invest in interview training.

Here are the issues that need to be addressed in order to choose the best solution.

Format

There are many options to choose from.

• Reading a Book
• Web-based Live Training
• Self-paced E-Learning
• Live Training Workshops

The first decision is to determine the format of the interviewing training. One thing to consider is which format is best for you and/or your team's learning style. Some people do fine in a self-paced environment while others need the structure of the classroom.

Budget

Next, determine the budget. Each format has a different cost structure. Live classroom training is frequently the most expensive descending in order to simply purchasing a book.

Please note, this is one of the most important investments a business can make. Don't let the decision be dictated purely by cost. The long-term value of this investment is huge.

Interview Training Models

There are a number of different interviewing models. They include but are not limited to:

• Behavioral-based
• Competency-based
• Structured
• Functional
• Chronological

Each model has it's own strengths and weaknesses. However, if you are looking for a recommendation, behavioral interview training has the best track record of success. For a complete discussion of the behavioral model, see the article on the behavioral interview.

In addition to one on one interviews, it makes sense to understand group and panel interviews.  You can learn more on the panel interviews article.

Choose a Vendor

Once a decision is made on a model, the next step is to choose a vendor to work  with. The options are numerous. Everything from single practitioners to large multi-national training firms are available.

Start by seeking recommendations from business partners, industry associations, etc. Be sure to check references and make certain the provider has a track record of delivering effective solutions.

Measure Effectiveness

The goal is to get the best return possible on the investment. With interview training, the return is measured by two metrics.

The first is the quality of new hires. Measure this by analyzing how well the person satisfies the business problem they were hired to address. For a sales person, how quickly do they bring in revenue? For an administrative person, how effectively are they performing the assigned tasks? The better the hires, the better they are performing.

The second measure is turnover. Hire better people and they not only perform better but they stay longer as well.

Keep track of these two metrics to determine the effectiveness of the training.

In conclusion. interview training can be one of the best investments you make. Get better at hiring employees and many of your problems disappear.

Here are some more resources to help with interview training:

Inteviewing Techniques

Behavioral Interviewing

Panel / Group Interviews