Many companies prefer group interviews to more traditional one-on-ones because they believe there is less chances of a bad hiring decision when more than one person is doing the interviewing.
But just because you are sharing responsibility for the decision does not mean you can absolve yourself of the responsibility for careful planning beforehand. To hire “smart,” follow the best practices of interviewing skills training.
The interviewing team should first meet to assign roles and plan the agenda so the session runs smoothly:
- Agree upon the critical few cultural and behavioral competencies, attitudes and experience needed to succeed in the open position.
- Select one person to act as facilitator to introduce the interviewers, describe their roles, begin the conversation and make sure everyone has a chance to contribute.
- Decide who on the interviewing team would be best at evaluating the more technical skills needed for the job and who is best at probing for the softer skills like compatibility, cultural fit, integrity, commitment, work ethic, etc.
