Interview Skills for Chair & Panel Members Recruitment - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Interview Skills for Chair & Panel Members

Recruitment Services

About you

• Name
• Your role and time at the University
• Experience of recruitment and selection
• Have you undertaken unconscious bias training?
• Specific expectations from the course

Recommended extra support

Online training and further information for all panel members:

• Unconscious bias training
• The end to end recruitment process explained
• Guidance and tools available on workspace
• Building a Culture for Success
• examples of behaviour-based interview questions
• Please also see our guide to behaviour-based interviewing
• Updated our benchmark role profile library

Podcasts for further information about recruitment services being developed Q4 2019

• Talent attraction
• Assessment services
• Legislation

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the session you will have a greater

awareness of:

• Organisational expectations for recruitment interviews
• How to create the best candidate experience
• Chair / panel member responsibilities
• A structure and technique for effective interviewing
• Problems that may occur with interviewing
• Expectations for notetaking
• Evaluating candidate performance and decision making
• Providing candidate feedback

Organisational expectations

Diversity in Recruitment “The University of Nottingham aspires to create an environment for its staff, which is not only free from discrimination, but celebrates and values diversity.”

Strategic objectives

1. The University of Nottingham must clearly articulate in our external messaging our commitment to attracting, recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce

• Deliver visible institutional commitment to EDI through our recruitment attraction

tools and practices

• Enhance understanding of the impact of Right to Work on international

conversion rates

• Raise visibility of support for disabled staff

2. Recruitment training for all Chair and panel members should be mandatory

• EDI considerations
• Unconscious bias
• Panel behaviour
• Chair responsibilities
• Behavioural competency based interviewing
• Assessments framework

3. Improve visibility of staff career development opportunities

• Promote opportunities
• Increase diversity of candidates recruited for secondment opportunities

4. Build on existing success of anonymised recruitment application forms

• Anonymisation of application data

5. Clear expectations articulated to external recruitment agencies

• Diversity and inclusivity targets for executive search

Core behaviours at UoN: ‘Building A Culture for Success’

5 Behavioural Areas 3 Perspectives

The behaviours that the University wants to foster from our people at work are detailed in the ‘Building a Culture for Success’ guide for staff.

All 3 perspectives are equally important

‘Core Attributes’

Valuing People Taking Ownership Forward Thinking Professional Pride Always Inclusive

Why is the University focussing on behaviours in its people? ‘How’ we approach our work and others is as important as ‘what’ we do…

“Consistent expectations and behaviours that become part of our day-to-day working will result in a sense of purpose and a more motivated work force and ultimately happier students, enabling us to achieve

• ur goals and vision.”

(Building A Culture for Success, p.5) The approach helps people to… ➢ Explore how well they apply their skills, knowledge and experience to their work ➢ How they reflect the culture and values of the University through their behaviour and attitude.

Recognising and managing bias

Activity

Discuss in groups where bias might occur in the recruitment process:

• In what way?
• What can we do to minimise this?

Research has identified bias within processes

• Role profile
• Attraction
• Selection criteria
• Interview questions
• Note-taking
• Deliberation and appointment decision (key area!)
• Candidate feedback
• References

What is unconscious bias?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVp9Z5k0dEE&feature =youtu.be&utm_source=Equalitylink&utm_campaign=0143 2cfd7a- Equalitylink_December_201512_21_2015&utm_medium=e mail&utm_term=0_366d93105f-01432cfd7a-427126853

Unconscious Bias

I like the look of them; they’ll be a good member of this team. They look fun/ organised/ clever. I’m not too sure about them, they might be difficult. They don’t look like they’ll fit in.

What Assumptions do you Make? What Behaviours do you Notice? How Well do you Listen? What Descriptions do you Use? How might bias affect or influence the decisions we make?

• Bias is natural – we are all biased;
• Bias is influenced by our socialisation;
• We make judgements about people based upon our bias;
• Our bias influences our attitudes, beliefs and resulting behaviours;
• Bias is often ‘ingrained’ and as a result we may be unaware of our bias.

Sources of bias

• Personal prejudices and stereotypes
• Like me/us effect
• Personal liking bias
• Non verbal bias
• Halo effect
• Horns effect
• Primacy/Recency effect
• Contrast effect
• Confirmation bias
• Accuracy of recall - NOTES, NOTES, NOTES!
• Listening…we only hear what we want to

hear…

Candidate experience

Activity

Discuss in groups: What makes a positive candidate experience? What might impact negatively on the candidate experience?

Tips for a positive candidate experience

• Plan the room layout and waiting area, including any

refreshments

• Make sure all panel members are prepared and have read the

panel pack

• Agree which panel members will ask which questions
• Make sure any staff involved in meet and greet ‘know the plan’

e.g. a departmental tour or engagement activity

Be Prepared!

• Meet and greet – offer refreshments, show facilities (e.g.

toilets, fire exits)

• Be punctual!
• Give clear introductions with names and titles.
• Explain the process (e.g., what candidate will be asked to do,

how long this will take, etc.)

• Start with ‘ice breaker’ questions to put the candidate at ease.

First Impressions

Tips for a positive candidate experience

• Ask each question in turn, probe as necessary
• Allow candidate time to answer - remember 80/20 rule.
• Keep interviews running to time
• Don’t interrupt the candidate (unless to bring them back on

track or they've answered fully)

• Don’t allow any interruptions to the interview

During the Interview

• Allow the candidate to ask any questions
• Tell the candidate what will happen next - give a realistic time

that the candidate can expect to hear the outcome

• Thank them for taking the time to come in – but avoid

providing immediate feedback

At the end (goodbye…for now)

Effective interviewing

Structured interviewing

Designed to gain information/clarify understanding of experience for example or check credentials For example: Competency based The purpose is to align your past behaviours with specific competencies which are required for the position Q Give me a specific example of when you have demonstrated your leadership skills to drive performance Behavioural The purpose is to objectively measure past behaviours as a potential predictor of future results Q How did you approach this? Q Why did you take that approach? Q What obstacles did you encounter? How did you overcome these? Q What else did you need to take into consideration? Technical Questions are designed to test technical ability or knowledge Q What is the coding for X? Q What are the protected characteristics under the Equality Act?

Benefits of a structured interview

• A systematic approach, with each question targeting a specific skill or competency
• Places emphasis on past experience rather than theoretical questioning
• Questions based on past experience are more likely to elicit more truthful answers and
• pportunity to probe for behavioural indicators
• Better indicator of future job performance
• Focus on job-related criteria which avoids decisions based on superficial and personal

characteristics

• Requires deeper exploration of candidate answers
• Makes generic behavioural indicators more precise so that they become measurable
• Elicits in depth evidence making it less likely that a candidate is able to fake it
• Provides the evidence to justify a decision and/or give feedback to a candidate

Other interview question types

Situational Judgement questions The purpose to assess your judgement in specific situations, sometimes used to gain insight for cultural fit Q A scenario is given and you are asked what the best course of action will be Hypothetical These questions subjectively assess how you might handle certain situations / tasks Q What would you do if…..? Q Tell me how you would approach X Nonsense questions The purpose is to get past pre-programmed responses and test creativity and original thought Q If you were a kitchen utensil which one would you be? Q What kind of animal would you like to be? Q What colour best describes you?

Break

The STARR model

Situation

• The situation in which the behaviour or action occurred – provides

background information for context

Task

• What was the task that the situation required of the candidate

Action

• Explore what the candidate actually did, how they approached the task,

who they involved, were there any obstacles to overcome and if so how did they address this. Probe for evidence of required skills and experience

Result

• The outcome of their behaviour/actions and how effective they were in

the situation Reflection

• An opportunity to explore learning from experiences

Recruitment Interviewing

Ask the candidate to describe a situation (related to a skill, competency or task) “Tell me about a time you worked collaboratively in a multidisciplinary environment.” This part of the question is to establish a context so don’t elaborate/interrupt if answer is too broad Focus the candidate on giving the context and if necessary probe for missing information Clarify their role in the situation and the task they needed to deliver

Step 1 & 2: Situation and Task

Recruitment Interviewing

So what do you want to know about working collaboratively in a multidisciplinary You need to establish the skills and personal attributes used by the candidate to be successful Most of the time should be spent exploring actions and seeking to understand how the candidate has carried out a task “What did you do to ensure that collaborative working was productive for you and your colleagues?” Probing is essential, remember you need to know what they did and more importantly how they went about it

Step 3: Action

Recruitment Interviewing

Examine what were the results of the actions taken – what was the outcome? You are checking that the skills/approaches identified in the previous answer have successfully achieved the

• bjective

“What were you able to achieve when you were working with colleagues in that way?” You want the candidate to demonstrate that actions taken produced specific outcomes and that it wasn’t achieved simply by chance Probe further if necessary

Step 4: Result

Recruitment Interviewing

Optional element of the model Use if the candidate has described something that didn’t achieve its objectives Use if you are not happy that the answer provides you with enough evidence of behaviour, thinking style, possible outcomes “What would you do differently if presented with the same set of circumstances?” Probe if necessary

Step 5: Reflection

Start with an open question Narrow down to a specific area Use probe questions to find out specific details (how, what, who, when, where, why) Use closed questions to clarify your understanding Move on to new area

Question funnel - process

Active Listening

Hearing is a physiological process where sound is transmitted and heard Uses your ears Listening involves analysing and understanding what is heard Engages your brain!

Barriers to listening

What might get in the way of effective listening?

Preoccupation Prejudice Anxiety Indifference Emotional words Jumping to conclusions Making assumptions Focusing on what they will say next Focusing on what you will say next Poor delivery Poor environment Bias Hearsay Prior knowledge

Forming Questions

Situation

• Tell me about a time when…
• Explain a situation when…..
• Describe to me when you ….
• EG: ‘Collaboration is critical in our multidisciplinary

research environment…describe a time when you succeeded through collaboration’ Task

• What was your role in the situation?
• Specifically what were you asked to do?

Action

• What did you actually do to be successful?
• What responsibility did you take?
• How did you balance the demands of such an

environment?

• Who did you engage / consult with?
• What prompted you to take that action?

Result

• What did you achieve?
• How did you know that your approach was successful?

Reflection

• Would you approach it different next time?
• What steps would you take to ensure the collaboration

worked?

A worked example

Q – “Tell me about an occasion when you needed to gain buy-in to a new process” Follow-up probe questions:

• Who did you need to influence?
• How did you approach this?
• What were the challenges and how did you overcome these?
• What was the outcome?

Your turn…

Creating and structuring questions

With a partner 1. Examine the role profile provided, including the main responsibilities, person specification and the expectations and behaviours for the role

• What competencies and behaviours do you want to assess at interview?
• Choose 2 areas to assess for this example
• 2. Write an interview question for each of your chosen areas that will elicit the evidence of:
• The candidate’s ability to deliver the main responsibilities
• How the candidate will meet the role requirements through their skills and

behaviours

• What might the follow up questions be?
• 3. How will you measure the candidate responses / what does good look like?

Note taking

Recording the evidence

Note Taking should be:

• A summary of what the candidate said
• Sustained
• Complete but succinct
• Done openly
• Clear and legible
• Comply with Data Protection

Notes are necessary for:

• Providing feedback
• An objective review to eliminate bias
• Evidence to justify decisions
• May be needed for appeals

ACCURATE NOTE TAKING IS AS IMPORTANT AS QUESTIONING AND LISTENING

Remember

• Subject Access Request
• Candidates can ask for copies of any

information held about them personally

• Data Protection Act 2018
• Freedom of Information Act 2000
• Public right of information held by public

authorities, ie, public access to broader information held by the university

Data Protection Act 2018 - document retention

Documentation Held By Retention Advertised vacancies (including details of adverts, role profile forms and applications received) HR

• Stored in Vacancy Manager
• Deleted automatically by Vacancy Manager 12

months after the date of advert Right to work check documentation (successful applicant) Recruiting Manager, Department/School Administrators

• To be uploaded to Vacancy Manager when
• ffer submitted and then destroyed

Right to work check documentation (unsuccessful applicants) Recruiting Manager, Department/School Administrators

• To be destroyed at the conclusion of the

interviews Interview notes (successful applicants) Recruiting Manager, Panel Members

• To be uploaded to Vacancy Manager when the
• ffer is submitted and held by HR on the staff

personal file.

• Once uploaded to VM, hard copy to be

destroyed Interview notes (unsuccessful applicants) Recruiting Manager, Panel Members

• To be retained for 6 months from interview

date and then destroyed Panel packs (email and paper) Recruiting Manager

• To be destroyed once an offer has been

accepted Panel packs (email and paper) Panel Members and Department/School Administrators

• To be destroyed once interviews have taken

place Successful applicant recruitment documentation (application form, references, right to work check, evidence of employment checks, interview notes) HR

• Stored in the staff personal file
• Destroyed 6 years after the termination of

employment date

Evaluation and decision making

Making a decision

• Be objective - reflect on answers not impressions
• Compare candidate responses / performance against the selection

criteria– do not compare candidates to other candidates

• Consider any other assessment results
• Objectively assess any concerns and don’t be afraid to challenge

(be aware of unconscious bias and accuracy of recall)

• Sleep on it!
• If unsure, arrange a second interview

Candidate feedback

Candidate feedback

Candidate experience is a major consideration for building a competitive employer brand

• Talent pool for the future
• Reputation of the organisation
• Candidates will share negative and positive experiences

Be truthful but tactful Praise where you can but not false praise Be focused on helping the candidate

• Meaningful feedback
• Be specific about what how the candidate could improve or change to

do better Don’t compare with performance of other candidates, refer to role criteria

Responsibilities

• f the Chair

Responsibilities of the Chair

• Ensure a balanced panel composition where possible
• Seek declaration of any conflicts of interest prior to the interview date
• Facilitate a panel pre-meet to agree selection criteria, interview questions and how it will be

measured

• Understanding interview preparation needed and importance of candidate experience
• Maintain process and ensure best practice is applied (fairness, consistency, candidate

experience)

• Being aware of Public sector equality duty and how we handle requests for reasonable

adjustments

• Challenge the panel members rationale for decisions and being aware of where bias can
• ccur
• Management of panel performance
• Facilitate agreement on candidate outcomes

Responsibilities of the Chair

• Record final interview decisions accurately, including rationale for each candidate in the

vacancy manager system

• Check, copy and verify that you have seen original right to work in the UK documentation –

complete Right to Work Checklist

• Discuss where applicable the Universities Teaching requirements and complete form
• Upload supporting documents and forms to the vacancy manager system
• Provide candidate feedback upon request (tests need to be fed back by HR)
• Represents the panel at a Tribunal

Interview pitfalls

Risks to avoid

➢ Qualifications and past experience taken at face value can be poor predictors of performance ➢ A good CV / application is not a guarantee of good employee ➢ Interviewing decisions can be impacted by unconscious bias

• Stereotyping of candidates, for example based on appearance or

background

• Confirmation bias, seeking for evidence of what we think we already

know

• Similarity effects – also known as the ‘beer test’
• Negative information, knowledge or hearsay weighting bias

➢ Poor listening and poor accuracy of recall ➢ A poor candidate experience may lead to a rejected offer ➢ Complaints can damage the University reputation and can be time consuming ➢ Complaints may lead to tribunal if the candidate has a protected characteristic ➢ Notes - Breach of General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)

Reminder

Equality Act 2010 The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society (protected characteristics)

Public Sector Equality Duty The public sector Equality Duty (PSED) requires public bodies to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between different people when carrying out their activities.’ Gov.UK 2012

Legal framework

Causes of complaints

• Poor candidate experience
• Lack of transparency about the

process

• Process issues
• Panel behaviour
• Poor engagement
• Poor interview technique
• Punctuality
• Lack of feedback / justification for

the decision

• Discrimination / unfair treatment

Worst case scenario…

…Claim to Employment Tribunal An Employment Tribunal can…

• Make an order declaring the complainant’s rights
• Award compensation
• Recommend action to put matters right
• Set objective criteria using job description and person specification

They will look for evidence of:

• Job description
• Person specification
• Advert
• Application forms / CV’s
• References
• Short listing decisions
• Interview Notes (especially Chair’s notes)
• Email exchanges

Questions and recap