This presentation explores the advantages of a structured interview process and how this helps you to predict how candidates are going to perform in the role.

1. What Does a Good Interview
Process Look Like?

2. Introductions
David Dewey
CEO
Shortlister
Claire Crisp
Occupational Psychologist
Shortlister

3. Topics Covered
1. Structured Vs. Unstructured
2. How do we define good
3. Choosing the right methodology
4. Structuring the interview
5. Conducting the interview

4. Structured Interviews Vs. Unstructured Interviews
Structured Unstructured
• Objective, consistent & legally
defensible
• Subjective, open to both bias and legal
challenge
• Predictive of great job performance –
drives quality hires
• Not predictive of great job performance
• Promote a positive, consistent
candidate experience
• Deliver an inconsistent candidate
experience
Understanding where your process sits on the continuum…

5. Structured Interviews
Structured
• Objective, consistent & legally
defensible
• Predictive of great job performance –
drives quality hires
• Promote a positive, consistent
candidate experience
Research shows us that structured interviews are
predictive of job performance
If someone therefore performs well in a structured
interview then you should have confidence that they
will perform well in the role

6. Unstructured
• Subjective, open to both bias and legal
challenge
• Not predictive of great job performance
• Deliver an inconsistent candidate
experience
Research show that unstructured interviews aren’t
predictive of job performance
If someone performs well in a unstructured
interview then you shouldn’t have confidence that
they would go on to perform well in the role
Unstructured Interviews

7. Step 1: What Does ‘Good’ Look Like?
First step in any recruitment process is ensuring a clear,
evidenced understanding of what you are looking for in a recruit

8. Step 1: What Does ‘Good’ Look Like?
Ask yourself:
-What behaviours (e.g. clear communication) does a successful employee
demonstrate?
-What skills (e.g. numeracy) do the best performers have?
-What motivates those who do the job well (e.g. do they love talking to
customers)?

9. Step 1: What Does ‘Good’ Look Like?
Can you answer those questions with evidence rather than gut
feel?
If No: It’s time to do some Job Analysis (Step 2)
If Yes: Proceed to Step 3

10. Step 2: Analysing A Role
Conduct structured interviews with:
-Current high-performers
To identify what key skills and behaviours they draw upon to do the job
successfully, what are they motivated by and what do they enjoy
-Line managers of current staff
To identify what differentiates good performers from the poor performers
from a management perspective
-Visionaries
To establish how the role is going to change over the next few years

11. Example Job Analysis
• Current High-Performers
• “What behaviours help you achieve success in your role?”
• “What aspects of your role do you enjoy / find motivating?”
• Line Managers
• “Think of your good and less good Sales Executives – what behaviours
do you see in your good performers that are different to your less good
performers?”
• Visionaries
• “How do you see the organisation changing over the next five years and
what are the implications for the Sales Executive role?

12. Step 2: Analysing A Role
Collate this information into a blueprint for the role which you
should then develop a competency model or person specification
for.

13. Example Competency
Positive Behaviours Negative Behaviours
Stays calm in pressurised situations Becomes flustered when under pressure
Focuses on the task in hand when under
pressure
Allows pressure to distract from the task
in hand
Maintains a positive outlook in
pressurised or difficult situations
Becomes negative when faced with
difficulties or when under pressure
Delivers work to a high standard when
under pressure
Compromises on quality / standards when
under pressure
Maintains energy and effort level when
under pressure
Allows energy and effort level to drop
when under pressure
Resilience
Is driven to accept and meet challenges and persist when faced with difficulty.
Maintains consistently high levels of effort and delivers when under pressure.

14. Step 2: Analysing A Role
Summarise your key competencies
• Persuasive Communication
• Networking
• Drive and Motivation
• Resilience
• Delivering Results
• Planning and Organising

15. • Consider your likely recruitment funnel – number of candidates
who have applied at the top and number of hires required at the
bottom
Step 3: Choosing Assessment Methodologies

16. • Consider your likely recruitment funnel – number of candidates
who have applied at the top and number of hires required at the
bottom
• Low touch, low cost assessment methods at the top
Step 3: Choosing Assessment Methodologies

17. • Consider your likely recruitment funnel – number of candidates
who have applied at the top and number of hires required at the
bottom
• Low touch, low cost assessment methods at the top
• High touch, high cost assessment methods at the bottom
Step 3: Choosing Assessment Methodologies

18. • Consider your likely recruitment funnel – number of candidates
who have applied at the top and number of hires required at the
bottom
• Low touch, low cost assessment methods at the top
• High touch, high cost assessment methods at the bottom
• Essential criteria assessed at / near the top e.g. communication
for a Sales Executive
Step 3: Choosing Assessment Methodologies

19. • Consider your likely recruitment funnel – number of candidates
who have applied at the top and number of hires required at the
bottom
• Low touch, low cost assessment methods at the top
• High touch, high cost assessment methods at the bottom
• Essential criteria assessed at / near the top e.g. communication
for a Sales Executive
• Number of assessment stages driven largely by candidate
numbers
Step 3: Choosing Assessment Methodologies

20. ONLINE APPLICATION
ONLINE NUMERICAL & VERBAL
REASONING TEST
VIDEO
INTERVIEW
ASSESSMENT
CENTRE
OFFERS
Example Funnel – Early Talent
1050
600
360
90
30

21. Step 4: Structuring The Interview
First you need define the scoring criteria to ensure it reflects the
key success factors and this needs to be done before you start
the interview.
Important elements:
-Make the criteria clear and objective
-Ensure the scoring criteria is not open to interpretation – drive consistency

22. Example Rating Forms
In the following we have provided some examples of how you
might go about rating the following competency
Persuasive Communication
“Communicates clearly and projects credibility, uses a variety of
methods to persuade and convince others in a way that results in
agreement and commitment.”

23. Example Rating Form (1)
Positive Behaviours 5 4 3 2 1 Negative Behaviours
Communicates clearly and with
credibility
Communicates unclearly (e.g.
mumbles) and lacks credibility
Articulates the benefits and value of
their approach to gain buy-in
Does not articulate the benefits and
value of their approach
Listens to others and responds to
their views or concerns
Dismisses others’ views; fails to listen
Uses a variety of methods to
persuade others; perseveres to gain
agreement
Has one method of persuasion; gives
up easily if unsuccessful
Gains commitment to firm actions
before closing discussions
Closes discussions without ensuring
commitment
Overall rating (1-5):

24. Example Rating Form (2)
1 Communication is clear and
credible
Communication is understandable
but lacks credibility
Communication is unclear e.g.
candidate mumbles
2 Provides numerous benefits and
details the value of their approach
Provides some benefits or some
detail about the value of their
approach
Does not articulate the benefits
and value of their approach
3 Strong evidence within example
given that they listen to others and
respond to their concerns
Some evidence provided of
listening and responding to others
Example shows poor listening and
evidence that others’ views are
dismissed
4 Uses different methods of
persuasion and perseveres to gain
agreement
Provides evidence of a second
persuasion style, does not give up
if unsuccessful
Has one method of persuasion and
gives up when unsuccessful
5 Commitment to firm actions
gained before discussion ended
Attempted to gain commitment to
a way forward but this was not
fully achieved
Closes discussion without firm
commitment

25. “Communicates clearly and projects credibility, uses a variety of methods to
persuade and convince others in a way that results in agreement and
commitment.”
5 4 3 2 1
Candidate exceeds
requirements for the
role.
Candidate meets
some of the
requirements for
the role.
Candidate does not
meet any
requirements for
the role.
Example Rating Form (3)

26. Step 4: Structuring The Interview
Writing interview questions
Each question is written with the rating criteria in mind to ensure
the correct evidence can be gathered from candidates
Questions should be:
-Clear and jargon-free
-Singular
-Open

27. Example Interview Questions
Networking:
Give me an example of a time when you have proactively sought
to network with a new contact.
-Why was this important?
-What approach did you take?

28. Step 5: Conducting Interviews
• Build rapport with the candidate, be aware of non-verbal behaviour
• Use a structured introduction to tell the candidate what the interview is
covering, time, examples you are looking for etc.
• Use the interview script – ask the same questions of each candidate
• Make full notes of what the candidate does and says
• Give the candidate opportunity to ask questions at the end

29. Useful Models to Support
To help guide questioning:
• STAR (Situation, Task, Action and Result)
To help ensure objective assessment:
• ORCE (Observe, Record, Classify and Evaluate)

30. Take Away Actions
1. Ask for some feedback from Hiring Managers on your current interview
process – is it producing great hires?

31. Take Away Actions
1. Ask for some feedback from Hiring Managers on your current interview
process – is it producing great hires?
2. Revisit what ‘great’ looks like in your target roles – conduct some job
analysis

32. Take Away Actions
1. Ask for some feedback from Hiring Managers on your current interview
process – is it producing great hires?
2. Revisit what ‘great’ looks like in your target roles – conduct some job
analysis
3. Design structured rating forms which capture key success factors

33. Take Away Actions
1. Ask for some feedback from Hiring Managers on your current interview
process – is it producing great hires?
2. Revisit what ‘great’ looks like in your target roles – conduct some job
analysis
3. Design structured rating forms which capture key success factors
4. Design structured interview guides with questions which tap into the key
success factors

34. Take Away Actions
1. Ask for some feedback from Hiring Managers on your current interview
process – is it producing great hires?
2. Revisit what ‘great’ looks like in your target roles – conduct some job
analysis
3. Design structured rating forms which capture key success factors
4. Design structured interview guides with questions which tap into the key
success factors
5. Document your decision making criteria

35. claire@shortlister.com
+44 (0)1904 279400
www.shortlister.com
david@shortlister.com
+44 (0)1904 279400
www.shortlister.com
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