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- Being unprepared.
Not taking the time required to decide exactly what it is you want;
not reading the résumé in detail before the interview.
Managers often feel they can wing it – they can’t.
- Judging on surface
qualities such as appearance and mannerisms. Many managers boast
that they know whether they should hire a candidate within the first
five minutes of an interview – they don’t.
- The Halo Effect.
Letting one factor (e.g., same alma mater) influence everything else.
- Over-emphasizing the
Can Do (Level 2) instead of the Will Do (Level 3). Can Do qualifications
such as educational/technical credentials should not be given priority
over the Will Do such as attitudes, motivations, temperament. (See
The Three Levels of Appraisal).
- Asking questions that
focus on the future rather than on past performance. "Would
you be willing to work around the clock to meet a deadline?"
rather than "Can you tell me about a time when you worked around
the clock to meet a deadline?"
- Not probing vigorously.
Accepting unsupported or vague claims instead of probing for details
- names, dates, dollar figures, exactly what happened, when, why and
how.
- Poor communications
between interviewing managers. For example, having three managers
concentrate on the technical details but having no one address the
more important personal characteristics.
- Answering questions
for the candidate. For example, "I guess you left your last
job for a better opportunity?"
- Over-selling the position.
Employees who receive an unpleasant surprise on their first day on
the job tend not to stay long.
- Choosing the best of
a bad lot. Managers often feel pressure to fill the position,
opt for a "warm body" choice and make a hiring decision
that costs them dearly in the long run.
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