Questions are what separate you, the job interviewer, from the candidates. You ask them; they have to answer them. Questions give you control over the job interview and power over the job interviewees, power that has to be used with great caution and only to the benefit of both you and the candidates.
Questions can be seen as sharp knives or as blunt instruments, but their main function is as invitations to candidates to give you as much information as possible so that you will not only suit them to the job but also suit the job to the candidates. Here, then, are some useful do's and don'ts:
Do:
- Make a list of the main questions you intend to ask, but do not attempt to learn them off by heart. Keep the list near you so that you can refer to it when you need to.
- Jot down any supplementary questions that are raised by the candidates' replies. Don't attempt to keep them in your head, because you are bound to forget them.
- Frame your questions positively. Without neglecting the negative side of their story, your main purpose is to learn what the candidates can do, not what they can't.
- Keep questions to the point. Their underlying purpose should reflect the overall purpose of the job interview - to find the right person for the job.
- Ask broad, open questions which allow candidates the freedom to show themselves off in their best light. Many candidates, especially if they are young and inexperienced, are by nature modest and find talking about themselves difficult. Give them the chance to shine.
- Ask closed questions only to establish facts or possibly as an introduction to a new topic. 'I see from your CV that you spent six months travelling in the U.S. Did you enjoy the experience?' Whether the reply is 'Yes' or 'No' you can then go on to open the discussion by asking for reasons.
- Remember the six Ws - What, Why, Where, When, Who and Which, together with the equally useful How, and train yourself to start your questions with one of them.
- Ask questions that will sum up what the candidate has told you. For example, to start the topic: 'Let's talk about your college career. What made you choose fine arts as your main subject?' To conclude before passing on to the next: 'Have I got this right, then? You decided on art because you thought it would be a good foundation for a career in advertising?'
- Ask all the questions that need to be asked if you are to obtain a complete picture of the candidate, even though they may cause him or her embarrassment or pain. The candidate's application form or CV may have raised some doubts in your mind about his or her suitability. You will have noted them down if you had done your preparation properly. Now is the time to clarify any evasions, so use it.
- Develop questions about feelings as well as facts - questions that inquire into what candidates feel about those aspects of life that are relevant to their work, for instance their attitudes to working with others, their expectations from the job itself. Facts are fine and necessary, but you need to know more about candidates than facts alone can tell you in order to make the right choice.
- Start with controversial questions. Confronting candidates before you have had time to establish a rapport creates a barrier between you. A question such as 'Why do you want to leave your present job?', though perfectly legitimate, should come later in the job interview when the candidate has had time to warm up.
- Ask anything that is irrelevant, which means controlling the urge to put questions out of curiosity rather than a genuine need to know.
- Multiple questions, that is, two or more questions at one time, such as 'Why are you applying for this job and what do you think you can bring to it?' They confuse candidates who have to work out answers to both at the same time.
- Vague questions, such as 'Why did you apply for a job with us?', which could mean 'Why did you apply for this particular job?' or 'Why this company and not another?'
- Blunt, threatening questions, such as 'How would you like my job?' instead of 'What are your ambitions?'
- Negative questions, such as 'Why were you given the sack by Blank &c Co.?' Better to frame the question in a neutral way, for example 'What were your reasons for leaving?', and let the candidate explain the circumstances.
- Leading questions which force candidates to express views that are not necessarily their own but may be those of the job interviewer: 'What is your attitude to the pernicious habit of clock-watching?'
- Personal questions that have nothing directly to do with the candidate's ability to do the job. 'What does your husband think of your going out to work?', 'Who'll be looking after your children?', 'What is your religion?', 'What's the origin of your name?' and so on.
- Discriminatory questions that contravene legislation on race relations and/or equal opportunities. Further information on these can be obtained from guides published by the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission. See also the Institute of Personnel Management's Recruitment and Equal Opportunities Code. The Industrial Society also has a phone-in information service which deals with any matter relating to employment legislation.
