Like unskilled, inexperienced drivers, some interviewers set their interviews in motion without knowing how to stop them. When they try to apply their brakes and nothing happens they panic and crash into the nearest wall. From the wreck, they and, more particularly, their passengers emerge bruised and shaken.
Skilled interviewers, however, direct their interviews confidently towards their destination, knowing that when their journey has reached its end, they and their interviewees will be left feeling that it has been worthwhile, but their time has been well spent and that they have gained something from it.
Endings are just as important as beginnings. We saw how it was necessary at the start of the interview to establish rapport with interviewees by putting them at ease and making them feel that they could trust you. Not only would the interview be more successful, but their attitude towards you and your organization would also be more positive.
Similarly, at the end, the interviewees should feel good about themselves and positive towards you and the company you represent.
Again, it is a matter of putting yourself in the interviewees' shoes by asking yourself how you would like to feel after one of your own interviews. Would you like it if the interviewer seemed relieved when the interview was over and that he or she had already forgotten who you were by the time you got to the door? Or would you prefer it if the interviewer left you feeling that, whatever the outcome of the interview, he or she valued you as a human being?
It would be a strange individual indeed who opted for the former.
A seven-point plan for ending the interview well
1. Signal that the interview is over by giving interviewees the opportunity to add any relevant points that may not have been covered and to ask you any relevant questions.
This serves three purposes:
- Despite your preparation, you may have left out details that need to be dealt with.
- Interviewees should have the chance to speak freely and without pressure on matters of importance that are relevant to the purpose of the interview.
- Because they are no longer under pressure, their comments may show aspects of their personality that have not emerged in the course of the interview.
Do not let the interview drift into idle chatter. End it as soon as the additional points have been dealt with.
2. Aim to end on a positive note. This is not always as easy as it sounds. It is difficult to make people feel good about themselves if they have just been fired, but nevertheless they should not be left without any sense of self-worth. It should be pointed out to them that they did not fit the job rather than that they were inadequate as human beings.
3. Be polite. Thank the interviewees for coming. If they are strangers, don't abandon them in your office building but take them personally out of the room, or arrange to have someone else to do it. If neither is possible, give them clear instructions how to find the exit. I've lost count of the number of times I have wandered around labyrinthine office buildings trying with growing annoyance to find my way out.
These small courtesies cost nothing but can mean a great deal to interviewees, because they affirm that, no matter how difficult the interview or how awkward they might have been, they and their contribution are valued. You overlook the public relations element of interviewing at your peril.
4. Be friendly. Avoid ending with recriminations and ill feelings, particularly with resignation or dismissal interviews.
Whatever has happened to lead to this unhappy state is already in the past; it is the future that now counts, and as far as possible you should give interviewees the encouragement to believe that they can do better in the future than they have done in the past. It should also be your aim to leave interviewees with a positive impression of you and your company.
A story told to me by a colleague illustrates this point rather well. When he was dismissed by his employers they gave him a generous severance deal and a glowing reference. 'Why are you being so nice to me?' he asked his boss at their last interview. Swift as a flash came the reply, 'I'm worried that one day you may become a customer.' As it turned out, he never did, but he still has a soft spot towards the company. In selection interviews, even if you know you will not be offering a candidate a job, you can still smile and shake their hand when they leave. You may also wish to interview them for another job more in keeping with their abilities on another occasion.
Some interviewers are embarrassed at having to turn people down and instead part with remarks such as, 'That was a terrific interview. You did very well.' This raises the candidate's hopes unfairly. Far better to tell them at the time that they will not be offered the job but to do so in a pleasant manner, concentrating on the job's criteria rather than referring to personality.
Once you have done so, do not engage in any further discussion, otherwise you may find yourself having to defend your decision.
5. Do not leave interviewees dangling in mid-air. As anyone who has been through the traumas of an interview will con firm, the sense of relief at the end of the ordeal is soon replaced by a feeling of emptiness. You have done your best; the inter viewer seemed interested in what you had to say; now what? Put interviewees out of their misery by explaining as simply as possible what happens next.
Recruiting interviews should never end with the 'Don't-call-us-we'll-call-you' routine. If you cannot make a decision directly the interview is finished, tell candidates how long they will have to wait before a decision is reached. Also let them know how they will be notified of the results. ('You understand that we shall be interviewing other candidates, but we hope to arrive at a decision within a week [or a month] and we will phone you [or write] to let you know.') Whatever you promise, stick to it. It is unnecessarily cruel to raise hopes of a prompt decision, then keep candidates waiting.
Problem-solving interviews should always conclude with the formulation of a plan of action. Agreed then that you'll join the A. A. to seek help with your drinking and at the end of a decision-making interview, a decision should have been reached which the interviewer or interviewee can act upon.
6. Knowing when to end is as important as knowing how to end. You should tell interviewees how long the interview will last or, in the case of counseling interviews, where you may wish to be more flexible, give them a general idea how long you need to spend with them. This is a necessary precaution to prevent interviews running on beyond their useful limits.
Some interviewers, as we have seen, find ending their inter views as problematic as starting them. Instead of finding a convenient point to stop, they allow the interviewees to ramble on while they struggle to keep their eyes open; or they chatter while the interviewees pray silently for a merciful release. When the end does eventually come, it is usually awkward and uncomfortable for both parties, who are left with the uneasy feeling, that they made fools of themselves.
Interviewing is an integral part of corporate life and should be conducted in the same efficient and purposeful manner as meetings, negotiations and other business are conducted. Interviewing is also part of a process, not an end in itself, so the work of the interviewer continues even after the interview is finished.
