PEOPLE & STANDARDS DIVISION Conducting An Effective Interview Marika Fsadni

1. PEOPLE & STANDARDS DIVISION Conducting An Effective Interview Marika Fsadni M. FSADNI & Associates 9 October 2014

2. Salient Shortcomings by Interviewers • Unprepared Interviewers • Interview not structured well • Asking leading questions • Untimed interviews • Interviewers doing all the talking • Interviewers trying to impress each other • Lack of coordination between interviewers • Asking illegal questions!

3. The Basic Requirements of Effective Interviewing

4. The Three Golden Ps!! 1. Preparing for the Interview 2. Performing at the Interview 3. Post-Interview Evaluation

5. Preparing for the Interview

6. Preparing for the Interview • Each Selection Board Member must: • Have all the papers and documention related to the career opportunity/ vacancy position available at the interview. • Have the full set of docs (application letter, CV, copies of certificates, etc.) pertaining to each candidate (being interviewed) available at the interview.

7. Preparing for the Interview • ...Cont.d • Have available the list of approved selection criteria and relevant weightings for the career opportunity/ vacancy position in question.

8. Preparing for the Interview • Prior to commencing the Interviews, the Selection Board Member must discuss and agree upon: • The objectives of the interview • The time to be allocated for each interview • The stucture of interview to be adopted • Who will lead the interview • The type of questions to be asked • A set of questions to ask.

9. Performing at the Interview

10. Performing at the Interview • Every Selection Board Member must adhere to the guidelines detailed in the “Manual on the Selection and Appointment Process under Delegated Authority in the Malta Public Service". • The Selection Board must also make each candidate feel at ease. "Stress interviews" defeat the objective of the entire recruitment process.

11. Performing at the Interview • An effective interview must cover the following: • Validate information contained in the candidate‘s application • Probe for information underlying the declared facts • Discover what the application did not reveal about the candidate‘s achievements (various) and how these were attained • Explore the candidate‘s skills and potential.

12. Performing at the Interview – Opening the Interview • The Selection Board should: • Introduce the Selection Board Members (slowly) to the candidate being interviewed • Thank the candidate for applying for the vacancy position and for attending the interview • If the interview did not commence on time (as scheduled), the Board should apologise to the candidate for this delay.

13. Performing at the Interview – Opening the Interview • ...Cont.d • Briefly inform the candidate of the structure of the interview • Then kick off with the actual interview.

14. Performing at the Interview – Opening the Interview • At the very onset of the interview, the Selection Board must verify that all the details and declarations made in the candidate‘s application and CV are correct. This may be done by: • 1. Asking the candidate to give a brief introduction of him/herself to the Selection Board, more specifically on the academic qualifications and professional experience attained to date.

15. Performing at the Interview – Opening the Interview • ...Cont.d • Remember: Not all candidates submit an up-to-date CV and also time may have elapsed between the application submission stage and the interviewing stage. • 2. Verify all the candidate‘s documents against the originals (e.g. academic certificates, transcripts, etc.).

16. Performing at the Interview – Assessing the Candidate’s Potential • The Interviewing skills and probing abilities of the Selection Board are essential for this phase! • A competent Selection Board must be able to effectively assess the candidate‘s human, technical, analytical and conceptual (where relevant) skills in line with the approved "selection criteria”.

17. Performing at the Interview – Assessing the Candidate’s Potential • Some Ideas: • Ask open-ended questions • Do not ask leading questions • Pose clean and to-the-point questions • Do not waffle when asking questions • Allow the candidate to express him/herself in full • If the candidate goes off subject, gently redirect him/her to your question

18. Performing at the Interview – Assessing the Candidate’s Potential • ...Cont.d • Para-phrase the question if you feel that the candidate did not understand the question • Do not discourage the candidate either directly (verbally) or indirectly ( by your body language) • Do not ask difficult questions simply to impress the other Board Members

19. Performing at the Interview – Assessing the Candidate’s Potential • ...Cont.d • Very Important: Ask effective “scenario“ questions (i.e. "what if" questions) • Very Important: When posing questions, keep in mind the laws on "non-discrimination and equality of opportunity".

20. Performing at the Interview – Non-Discrimination and Equality for Opportunity • When drafting questions for interviews, the Selection Board must note that: • The Equality for Men and Women Act states that it is "unlawful for employers to discriminate, directly or indirectly, against a person in the arrangements made to determine or in determining who should be offered employment or in the terms and conditions on which the employment is offered...”

21. Performing at the Interview – Non-Discrimination and Equality for Opportunity • Also ... • Discrimination on the grounds of family responsibilities in employment is prohibited by the Equality for Men and Women Act.  Thus employers cannot give less favourable treatment, directly or indirectly, on the basis of parenthood or family responsibility; nor can they treat women less favourably for reasons of actual or potential pregnancy or childbirth.

22. Performing at the Interview – Closing the Interview • At the close of the interview, the Selection Board should: • Ask the candidate whether he/she wishes to ask any further questions/queries • Thank the candidate for his/her time • Inform the candidate of what will happen next.

23. Post-Interview Evaluation

24. Post-Interview Evaluation and Achievements • Immediately after each interview, the Board must review and rate the candidate‘s performance and allot jointly against each of the approved selection criteria. • The Board must retain the records of the interviews, including any brief notes on information and general impressions left by the candidates, should these be required at a later stage (e.g. petitions, further queries, etc.)

25. Thank you for your attention! Marika Fsadni M.FSADNI & Associates