Interview Process and its nuances

1. Today I am going to start a series of posts on the Interview Process and its nuances.
Interview is the most important process for any organization, its employees and someone who is
seeking better opportunities.
Yet from time to time we see that it is not the most effective and pleasant process for
Interviewer and Interviewee and Organization.
So overall I would like to cover following topics based on my observations, my experience as
interview process strategist, and by taking numerous interviews
1. Interviewer's Dilemma and Learnings
2. Interviewee's Dilemma and Learnings
3. Interview Process And Reasoning
4. Ending note
So Let's Start with the first one
Interviewer's Dilemma
● I am not able to take a time bound interview. I always end up spending more time.
● My interview stretches because the candidate takes a very long time to come up with the
answers.
● After an interview I always feel that I didn't cover all the topics. I should have covered
more.
● I am not sure whether to drop him or send him to the next level. He is 50-50.
● I couldn't evaluate him completely. I could barely ask questions that were common
between my skillset and his skillset.
● I did not like the candidates but then for courtesy I carried out for a while
● Interviews consume a good amount of my time, sometimes it feels like a waste.
● When candidate corrects me, disagree on something then interview process results into
a contest - what I know vs what you know
Do these feelings sound familiar?
Root Causes
● Interview Length going beyond fixed time
○ Lack of Respect for time - ( Candidates and Own)
○ Lack of Groundwork on the candidate's profile
○ Lack of Technique and content to control the pace of the interview
○ Not realizing the fact that any additional questions and answers will not change
the outcome.
● Not able to cover the intended areas.
○ Absence of well defined evaluation technique and topics to be covered
○ Segregation of topics for different rounds is not well defined.
○ Even if defined, may be it is not followed
● I am not sure whether to drop him or send him to the next level. He is 50-50.
○ Evaluation and scoring technique not well defined.
● I couldn't evaluate him completely. I could barely ask questions that were common
between my skillset and his skillset.
○ Not Studying the profile in advance before conducting an interview

2. ○ Not Scheduling the interview with matching interviewer
○ Not recording the primary skill sets of the candidate before interview scheduling.
● I did not like the candidates but then for courtesy I carried out for a while
○ Absence of template reply in such cases.
○ Not knowing the ROI of your time.
○ Not knowing the rude closure vs professional closure.
● Interview taking feels like a burden
○ Not knowing the ROI of getting good people
○ Forgetting the fact that - like coding, interview taking is also a responsibility
○ Not considering it as an opportunity to learn/get an idea about various
companies, technologies and people.
Learnings
● Define your interview process thoroughly with all the details. How many rounds you
should carry, what topics you should cover in each round, how you should evaluate.
● Go through the Candidate's profile and come with questions that are relevant to his
profile and it's a part of your question bank as well.
● If you feel your tech skill set does not match with the candidate's, check for available
options within the organization.
● If such options are not available then spend some time, and get a sense of some of the
basic concepts of candidates' skill set so that there are topics for conversation.
● It's a process where both parties should be prepared. If candidates are not prepared and
the skillset/expectations does not match with what your organisation needs, in a very
considerate and professional way convey that and gracefully wind up the interview rather
than just asking the questions for the sake.
● Create an environment and awareness where an interview taking process should be
enjoyed. Everyone should know the ROI of having good people in a team and
organization.
● Treat the interview as an excellent opportunity to learn something new about companies,
technology and people. Then only it won't feel like a burden.
I will try to cover Rounds, Topics and Evaluation techniques in the future posts. This brings end
to our first topic, the Interviewer's dilema.