Interviewer Tips

Job Interview Page

The primary purpose of a job interview is mutual exploration. The employer wants to discover more about and applicant's qualifications for a job; the applicant wants to discover more about the employer as well as the opportunity that the employer has to offer. The exploration is a learning process for both parties, each of whom develops understandings and expectations.

Hiring and Firing

As a leader, you are responsible for hiring and firing the members of your team. Although it may seem much easier to give a person a job than to take a job away from a person, both tasks are equally challenging.
The interview process can be as short or as long as you deem necessary. Some seer that a first impression is the right one, but take your time and interview thoroughly. Spending the time to hire the right person will keep you from having to deal with problems in the future.
Hiring
Like choosing a jury in an important case, hiring your team is a critical decision, one that can have a huge impact on your team's success. You need to be aware of how an individual will change the dynamics of your unit or organizations.
When hiring, first consult your company's human resources department to see whether any seminars or company policies about interviewing are offered.
Here are some tips on successful hiring:

• Interview and interview again. Interview the promising potential job candidates at least twice. The second interview gives you the luxury of finding out whether you get the same impression twice. Some people will put all of their energy into one typical interview. The process of performing a second time may force a job candidate to give more than the usual interview answers.
• Don't be the only interviewer. Allow potential job candidates to talk to other members of your team while interviewing. The answers an interviewee gives to a junior member of the staff may be more relaxed and more enlightening. The group style of interviewing also gives potential employees a broader sense of the culture in your group.
• Probe for results. People often speak in broad generalizations about past performance. Ask job candidates about specific results they have achieved in the past.
• Find out about the candidate's behavior and character. In addition to asking job candidates about specific results, try to find out how their mind works and if their work philosophy will mesh with your team.
• Limit your questions. Remember, some questions are considered discriminatory in interviews. For example, question about age, nationality, race, or sexual preference are considered inappropriate and could have legal ramifications. Consult your human resources department if you are not sure about a particular question.

Firing
No matter how arduous the process of hiring employees may be, firing is something that most managers never get used to. But part of successful leadership is knowing when to cull the herd and taking the required action.

If you notice a member of your team is consistently not performing up to the standards of the group, first meet with the individual to determine the reason for the sub par performance. Employees can often be affected by trouble outside the workplace, such as a sourcing relationship, financial difficulties, illness, or a family member's illness. In these cases, the best course of action may be to simply let the employee know you are there and that you understand conditions leading to their diminished performance.

In all other cases, such as good old-fashioned laziness or stubbornness, consider giving the individual a warning before taking the steps to terminate employment.

For example, Stacie was new to the department and had never been pushed to perform at her last job. She was consistently doing less work than the other employees, which was lowering the overall quality of work done by the department and creating resentment in the other employees.

Stacie's manager, Vince, decided to meet with Stacie to find the cause of her lack of commitment to her job and give her a written warning that she needed to improve her performance. Confronted with the written warning, Stacie realized that she needed to apply herself. Over the next six months, Stacie improved her performance considerably. Vince congratulated her on the improved and let her know her job was secure.

If none of the preceding reasons or warnings work to improve an employee's performance , you may need to terminate that employee.

Again, consult with your company's human resources department if it has one. If not, you can find rules for terminating employment from local and federal government agencies or a lawyer who specializes in labor issues

Cover letter tips

You are responding to a “Help Wanted” advertisement that requests a copy of your resume. It does not say anything about sending a cover letter. Should you write a cover letter to accompany your resume? Yes, always include a cover letter with your resume whether it is requested or not. The company might get hundreds of responses to a single ad. You need to give the person who will be interviewing you highlights of your experience at a glance. A cover letter allows you to stand out above the crowd, and emphasizes all of the positives you have to offer a new employer.
First, your cover letter should be no more than one page long. It should include all the ways that a potential employer can contact you, including not only your home address and telephone number, but your cell number, and email address. You want to make it very, very easy for the company to contact you.
If at all possible, try to avoid addressing the salutation to “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Madam or Sir.” If the advertisement directs you to send your resume to the Sales Manager, call the company and try to get the Sales Manager’s name. Using a name not only personalizes a cover letter, it shows initiative on your part.
Look over the advertisement carefully. If the company is looking for an administrative assistant with four years of experience and an A. A. degree, make sure that you tell them that you have five years of experience and a Bachelor’s Degree, if that is what you have earned. If you only have three years of experience and a Bachelor’s Degree, write that you have several years of experience and a Bachelor’s Degree. A “Help Wanted” is a wish-list, not necessarily a must-have list. The purpose of a cover letter is to entice the reader to find out more about you.
Tell the reader what you can do for the company, not what you want the business to do for you. If you are applying for a sales job and you increased sales 100% over the last four years in your current position, tell them about it, and tell them that you can do the same for them. You are experienced, you have accomplishments, and they need you on their team. The old “I want to work for a company that offers opportunity for growth” does not cut it anymore. Everyone wants to work for a company that will allow them to grow. The question is not how the company is going to help you grow, but how you are going to help the business grow.
That being said, everyone likes to be flattered. Do some quick research on the company. If, for example, they are an industry leader in marketing and you are applying for a marketing position, it does not hurt to mention that you know that they are well known for their marketing expertise and you are looking forward to contributing to their continued success.
Does the advertisement ask if you are willing to relocate and what your salary requirements are? If it does, respond to the requests. If they ask if you are willing to relocate for this job, and you are not willing to do so, you should not be responding to the ad. If they are asking if you would be willing to relocate in the future and you are not tied to the area in which you are living, who knows? You may fall in love with your job, management, and the company. As far as salary goes, do you really want to waste your time—and theirs—if the highest compensation package that they are willing to offer is worth $25,000, and you need $55,000 in order to cover your bills? However, if the advertisement does not ask for this type of information, do not offer it. It will probably be addressed when they call you to set up an interview.
Businesses want to know how you express yourself. After all, everyone needs to write reports of one sort or other. Make sure to use “spell-check” on your letter and then double check the spell check. You might have accidentally spelled a word correctly, but still have written the wrong word. This is easy to do with words like accept and except, for example. The letter should be easy to read and grammatically correct. It is always a good idea to have someone else proof your cover before you send it out.
Cover letters should showcase your efforts and achievements. They should tell the reader why they really need to talk to you in person. The letters should be positive, positive, positive. You be prepared to be proactive. When you close the letter, tell them that if you have not heard from them within a week or ten days, you will call them. Then do it.

Resume And Cover Letter Guidelines

Writing an attention-grabbing Professional Resume and Cover Letter is not difficult, once you learn the proper techniques.
The purpose of the resume is to attract the attention of the interviewer. A good resume is a summary of your skills, talents, abilities, and experience in the field in which you are applying. Your resume should stand out and be distinctive. You are marketing yourself to the interviewer. In so doing, you are convincing them that you most closely possess the skills they seek.
Writing Your Cover Letter
A cover letter is a summary of your resume. It contains key words that illustrate your potential value to the company to which you are applying. The cover letter asks for an interview for a job. A cover letter is job specific, meaning it includes details pertaining to the specific position you are seeking.
Guidelines for Writing a Cover Letter

1. For a professional job, your cover letter should be typed. The best way to type your cover letter is with a computer word processor, which can aid in the accuracy and conciseness of your letter. If you do not possess such equipment, a word processor should be available at your local public library.
2. To start off your cover letter, you must include a salutation, or greeting. Do some homework to find out who you will be interviewed by in the company. Usually the interviewer will be your direct supervisor, if you were to be accepted for the position. Call the company to find out who this person will be. Address your salutation to this person, not the head of the company or its personnel department.
3. The Introduction of your cover letter is essentially a way of selling yourself to your potential employer. You want to pique the reader's interest in your cover letter in the introduction. Write about the company's achievements instead of your own to draw the reader's attention. Do some research to find out favorable information about the company, and include it in a complementary way in the introduction.
4. The Main Body of your cover letter is a preview for your resume itself. It gives a concise statement summarizing your skills, and points the way toward reading your resume.
5. In concluding your cover letter, ask for an interview. Close in a complementary manner. Make sure you include space at the bottom for your signature. You might also wish to type your name and phone number.

How to Organize Your Resume and What Information to Include

1. At the Top of your resume, state your objective. Your objective is a single sentence which includes the job title desired and your career path.
2. Optimally, as a professional applying for a job, you will want to include your work experiences as the first topic in your resume. You will want to arrange you experiences starting with the most recent, and working backwards towards the oldest experiences chronologically. This information will enable your prospective employer to gauge where your career is currently, and where it may go in the future. Highlighting your individual skills, specifically those that set you apart from other potential applicants, will increase your chances in getting noticed.
3. Secondly, you should list educational achievements on your resume, usually after listing your skills and experiences. It is necessary to include details such as Universities and Colleges attended, degrees earned, awards and scholastic achievements awarded, and other impressive honors. These details are important when applying for a professional position.

Tips to Know

1. Avoid writing a dull and mistake-ridden resume. Include descriptive language to liven up your writing. Also, use meticulous grammar and ALWAYS proofread you work. When you are applying for a job, it is very important that your resume is mistake free and professional. Make sure you resume is well planned, with such features as generous spacing, headers, and bullets. Being creative is permissible; anything that will make you stand out in a positive way is good.
2. Keep your resume sharp and to the point. Your resume should be informative. However, a resume should not be too complex. The reader of your resume should be able to quickly scan your resume for your key skills and experiences.

Controlling The Interview

The Key to Controlling the Interview

Effective interviews are focused, yielding important information about a candidate in a special amount of time. Maintaining control of the interview is a vitally important task. Following are some valuable techniques that can help you stay in charge of the interview from beginning to end.
Preparation
Controlling the interview begins with the interviewer being well prepared. Preparation is essential to good interviewing. The more time you spend preparing, the more likely you'll hire successfully.
When preparing for an interview, don't skip any bases:

• Research the job thoroughly to identify mandatory success factors.
• Make copies of the current job description to provide candidates that you interview.
• Talk with previous jobholders and others who are familiar with the requirements of the job.
• Choose interview panel members who have a stake in finding the right person for the job.
• Structure the interview by developing position-specific questions that will be asked of all candidates and that correspond to mandatory success factors.
• Develop an evaluation tool to rate each candidate on the basis of behavioral responses to questions

Remember The 80/20 Rule
Don't forget the 80/20 rule. Let the candidate do 80 percent of the talking. The 20 percent of talking done by interviewers should be in the form of asking questions or using follow-up probes.
Many time during an interview you may feel tempted to abandon structured questions and simply converse with the candidate. Resist the urge. An interview (especially a behavioral interview) is not meant to be a casual conversation with a candidate. Its purpose is to obtain and assess specific behavioral information so that you can identify the best candidate of the job.
The 80/20 rule implies more for the interviewer than simply allowing candidates to do most of the talking. Interviewers should listen actively and intently to what a candidate says (and does not say) during the 80 percent of the time that they are not talking. Active listening provides you with a unique opportunity for insight into a candidate's behavioral patterns. Attentive listening also enables you to construct follow-up probes to further explore behavioral issues while keeping the interview on track.
The Clock Is Running
During an interview, be mindful of the clock. Take responsibility for starting and ending on time and for accomplishing all that needs to be done during the course of the interview.
Don't let yourself run out of time or let the interview run long because you allowed candidates to respond to questions at length. Also avoid rushing through the last few questions because time is running out.
You provide adequate time for interviews by planning ahead. Estimate the time that candidates need to answer each set of behavioral questions and follow-up probes.
And don't forget to reserve time for evaluating the candidate after the interview has concluded. Both the candidate and the organization are short-changed when evaluations are postponed to a later time.
Probe In Depth
Controlling the interview and obtaining the behavioral evidence that you need means following up each primary behavioral question with several follow-up probes.
Although it's true that some follow-up probes will be spontaneous, based on behavioral information provided by the candidate, you should develop several follow-up probes for each primary behavioral question before the interview. Probe deeply to obtain all the behavioral evidence that's available.
Supportive Feedback
Use supportive feedback to calm and reassure candidates and to encourage sharing of important behavioral information. You should use supportive feedback throughout the interview, but it's particularly important early on, when the resume-related exchange of information takes place. Helping the candidate to build confidence when easier questions are asked will pay off when the candidate is asked more sensitive questions.
Comments such as "that must have been very exciting for you" or "That must have been very difficult for you" provide the encouragement and support necessary for some candidate to talk freely. Supportive feedback is important for every candidate, to be sure, but it's essential for the candidate who's nervous or distressed.

Listening Actively, Talking Freely

Several years ago, I completed a graduate program in therapeutic counselling. My hope was to be able to help people regain control of their lives after experiencing some type of psychological trauma.

One of the things I learned back then, and have since had reinforced more times than I care to count, its that counsellors really can't help anyone until they know what the problem is -and counsellors can't know what the problem is until clients tell them.

Active listening skills, one of the most important tools that a counsellor has to work with, help encourage clients to talk freely and openly about problems and difficulties that they're facing. And the more freely a client talks about problems, the better equipped the counsellor is to help. Getting people to talk about subject that they may not want to discuss is the first step in any effective therapeutic intervention.

Active Listening: An interview technique, with origins in the field of psychotherapy, that helps assure candidates that the interviewer is listening to them intently. Active listening involves encouraging candidates to talk openly and freely by often reflecting back to them the meaning of their communication, both verbal and nonverbal, in ways that promote further exploration and awareness.

Interviewing candidates for employment involves the same basic challenge. To hire the right person for a job, it's necessary to gain a real understanding of each candidate who applies. It's important to know who they are, how they think, what their goals and aspirations are, and whether they have the competencies needed to be successful in the job.

But to evaluate each candidate fairly and accurately, the interviewer must obtain the necessary information, and that means getting the candidate to talk even about subjects that may be uncomfortable to discuss (past failures, weaknesses, problems with former employers or co-workers, and so on). The more the candidate talks, the better the interviewer understandings the candidate and can decide whether he or she is qualified for the position.

Be sure that your questions about a candidate's weaknesses or past failures have direction application to the job he or she is seeking. Past problems that involve a candidate's personal life are not appropriate for discussion during the interview process.

The Benefits Of Active Listening

Active listening skills promote warmth and honest communication. But even more important, they help strip away superficial levels of communication by encouraging candidates to talk about skill-related experiences and the deeper personal meanings that often accompany them.

Communication: Any means (verbal or nonverbal) of giving information or news to another. One of the main functions of communication in the context of a job interview is to impart knowledge and provide job-related information.

Here are some of the benefits of active listening, along with some typical interviewer responses that help bring them about:

• Active listening demonstrates to a candidate that the interviewer is intensely interested in what's being said; "You seem to be saying that you have felt undervalued in your present employment and that you feel frustrated as a result."
• Even more important, it demonstrates that the candidate has not only been heard, but also understood; "If I am hearing you correctly, you would like a chance to work for a company that would value someone with your skill and abilities."
• It provides an opportunity for the interviewer to discover and correct any misunderstandings or inaccurate interpretations that may develop during the course of an interview; "If I understand you correctly, you like the company you're presently working for, but you dislike your immediate supervisor. Is that correct?"
• It communicates unconditional acceptance to the candidate, which encourages further exploration; "You feel undervalued in your present work."
• It keeps the focus where it belongs -on the candidate and the specific behavior being probed; "It seems that you feel that your ability to lead others is being overlooked in your present employment, and that you want to find employment that will allow you to not only manage, but also lead. Is that correct?"
• It encourages deeper levels of communication; "You want to be recognized for your leadership abilities.... Tell me about a time when you were placed in a leadership role. What is there about it that you liked? What did you dislike?"
• It encourages open and honest communication; "You say that you resent not having a leadership role in your present job, and you seem hurt by it."

Active listening is a technique that has its roots in psychotherapy and helps encourage candidates to talk freely and openly about behavioral situations.

Active listening help move an interview from superficial levels to deeper levels, giving the interviewer an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the person being interviewed.

Among other important benefits, active listening provides the interviewer an opportunity to immediately clear up any misunderstanding or to obtain needed clarification.

Interviewers should be constantly aware of the messages that they are giving applicants through verbal and nonverbal forms of communication. How an interviewer responds to a candidate (verbally and nonverbally) will be either facilitative or inhibiting.

Plan Each Stage Of The Interview

The ensure consistency in the interview process, be sure that your interviews contain three major parts:

• Opening
• Information exchange
• Closing

Although each stage is distinct and has a unique purpose, the overall process should be seamless. Moving from the opening to the information exchange and finally to the closing should be done smoothly and naturally.

The Opening
Interviews should open with a genuine attempt to put the candidate at ease. The interviewer (or primary interviewer, in panel interview formats) should use body language that conveys warmth and genuine pleasure in meeting the candidate -standing when the candidate enters the room, leaning forward to offer a handshake, and smiling are great ways to break the ice and establish instant positive rapport.

Once the candidate is seated, introduce him or her to everyone participating in the interview and ask each panel member to introduce themselves by name and position within the organization.

The opening of the interview is the time to talk about the interview process. Tell the candidate what to expect during the interview.

Begin by providing a context for the interview. You might say something like, "The purpose of our interview with you today is to provide you with an opportunity to learn more about our organization, and for us to learn more about you. We're particularly interested in learning whether you have the qualification we're seeking for the position of sales manager."

The Information Exchange
The information exchange is the central part of the interview. During the information exchange, question are asked and information is received that will lead directly to a decision to hire or not to hire. Don't hesitate to ask as many follow-up questions as needed whenever you feel that more information is required.

Be sure that all questions about the candidate's experience, education, and work history are asked and answered. Now is the time to explore any gaps in a candidate's employment history, and to confirm (if necessary) important information about education, experience, and job-related skills and abilities. Such questions should be limited; this is not a time to ask a candidate to make a verbal presentation of the entire resume.

To help put candidate at ease. It's wise to ask easier questions first. Questions about the candidate's resume or application having to do with experience or training work particularly well in the beginning of an interview, as do questions that elicit insight into a candidate's character and personality such as, "Of all the jobs you've held in the past, which was the one you liked best and why?"

As you move into the more difficult structured behavioral questions, be sure to allow the candidate time to think through each question and formulate a response. Allow periods of silence. Don't rush the candidate, either verbally or nonverbally.

Closing
The manner in which you close an interview will leave a lasting impression on the candidate. Interviews should be closed in a professional, unhurried manner. Ask one member of the team to "sell the company" by presenting the benefits of working for the organization and the opportunities that exist. Invite the candidate to ask any lingering questions. Finally, tie up any loose ends that need attention, and inform the candidate of what to expect next.

Don't forget to thank the candidate for participating in the interview. By standing and offering a handshake, you signal to the candidate that the interview has concluded.

Beginning at beginning to select candidate to interview

Beginning at the beginning is always the sensible thing to do. That's especially true when it comes to conducting employment interviews. But just where does the road to a successful job interview begin? The answer: with the job itself!

Begin by embarking on a systematic review of the job, a process known as introspective investigation. Your objective is to collect as much information as possible about how the job is done and what knowledge and skills are needed to perform it. Here is few suggestions that will help you collect the information you need:

• Take a close look at the official job description, paying particular attention to established performance standards.
• Consider the environment in which the job is performed. Are there any special skills required? For example, a public relations or sales position will usually be performed in an environment requiring exceptional interpersonal skills and an ability to relate to people with diverse interests.
• Determine the product produced by the job and what is required to ensure consistent quality of that product.
• Examine business plans that may affect the position. Will the job change as a result of changes in business strategy? A few years ago a friend of mine was hired as west coast field sales manager by a large national insurance company. In six months he was asked to relocate the home office located in the Midwest. The company was implementing a portion of its business plan that changed the way in which its products would be sold. Direct marketing would replace field sales. The business plan had been developed prior to the time my friend was tired, but no one bothered to inform him of the impending changes.
• Make note of any machines or tools that must be used to perform the tasks of the job.
• Solicit the input of the person who supervises the position.
• Talk with workers in the organization who regularly interact with the position to determine their perspective on what qualifications the successful applicant should possess.
• Don't forget to talk with those who have held the job in the past. What competencies and skills contributed to their success? Did the lack of certain competencies or skills cause or contribute to difficulties that they experienced on the job?

Through introspective investigation, you gather the information that you need to begin the hiring process. There are no shortcuts, but if you're serious about matching the right job with the right candidate, time invested in this task will be were rewarded.

Analyzing the Position

The objective of introspective investigation is to discover what skills and competencies are necessary for successful performance of the job. When you've identified these skills and competencies, organize them into the following categories: technical competencies, functional skills, self-management skills, interpersonal skills, and requirements of the corporate culture.

Technical Competencies

Technical competencies include any certifications, degrees, licenses, experience, and so on required to do the job. For example, an accountant position may require a degree in business as well as certification by a recognized board of accountancy. The job of personnel manager may require a human resources degree and experience in union/management affairs. Technical competencies are sometimes prescribed by law (as in the case of physicians, nurse, psychologists, teachers, lawyers, and so on).

What technical competencies, if any, are required to perform the job?

Functional Skills

Functional skills are skills that help people function effectively on the job. To help identifyfunctional skills, complete this sentence: "The primary responsibilities of the job include ___,____,___, and____." List each functional skill that is required to do the job.

Here are some examples of common functional skills:

• Communication (written and verbal)
• Management
• Analysis
• Supervision
• Leadership
• Delegation
• Listening ability
• Independence
• Entrepreneurial approach
• Safety consciousness
• Risk taking
• Detail orientation
• Judgment
• Initiative
• Development of subordinates
• Service orientation
• Resilience
• Flexibility
• Adaptability
• Innovation
• Negotiation
• Sensitivity
• Planning and organizing ability
• Training
• Mentoring
• Sales ability
• Stress management ability
• Public relations ability
• Teamwork
• Equipment operation

The function skills required for success in a typical organization vary widely depending on the job. For example, to be successful, a sales associate position may require someone with above average communication skills (both written and verbal) as well as highly developed time-management skills.

Functional skills are skills that can be learned. In fact, the acquisition of functional skills is usually an important goal of ongoing corporate training programs and postgraduate continuing education.

Functional skills are also transferable. Transferable means that an individual who has demonstrated specific functional skills in other employment or life situations can apply the same skills to the challenges of a new situation.

What functional skills distinguish top performers in the position under consideration? Remember to list them all, regardless of the degree of importance.

Self-Management Skill

Self-management skills are personal characteristics that enhance one's ability to do the job. In this category, you'll want to include such characteristics as these:

• Creativity
• Dependability
• Ethics
• Honesty
• Loyalty
• Reliability
• Tactfulness
• Appearance
• Competence
• Helpfulness
• Popularity
• Accountability
• Self-Sufficiency

Unlike functional skills, self-management skills are acquired over a period of time and often have their roots in childhood. Although it is possible for someone to alter personal characteristics, change in this area is often difficult and complex, usually requiring the assistance of a professional counsellor.

Self-management skills are an important part of the overall hiring equation. Concentrating on functional skills and neglecting to consider the personal characteristics of the applicant is a recipe for failure. Avoid it.

List each of the self-management skills that the ideal candidate should possess. Consider asking others for suggestions.

Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are "people skills." How people get along with each other, including how they communicate, is an important concern of any organization.

Good interpersonal skills include the ability to respect others, to be empathetic and caring, to listen attentively and respond accordingly, to maintain objectivity and refrain from emotionalism, and to communicate accurately and appropriately. These skills are rooted in a healthy understanding of one-self and others.

People with good interpersonal skills enjoy interacting with others. They recognize conflict to be a natural, normal, and sometimes even delightful part of life and are always prepared to explore ways to resolve conflict and reconcile differences.

Interpersonal skill help in any position. For some jobs, however, strong interpersonal skills are absolutely essential to success. For example, the success of a bean counter working in an obscure part of the office who rarely sees people will not be influenced much by his or her interpersonal skills. But the job of a sales and marketing executive who is responsible for conveying a positive company image as well as selling its products requires extraordinary interpersonal skills.

Consider the importance of interpersonal skills in the position under consideration. List any specific interpersonal skills that you feel apply to the position.

Analyzing Resume

You will know how to use a resume to select candidates to interview

In Latin the words curriculum vitae mean "course of life." That's precisely what a resume should be: the story of the applicant's life as it pertains to education and work experience.

The resume is your first opportunity to identify an applicant who may have the experience and training you are looking for. A few words of caution are in order before you begin, however.

First, don't be too impressed with slick resume that appear to have been professional designed. The other day, I went to a local office supply store and counted 11 different pieces of resume-producing software for sale. Each manufacturer boasted of its product's ability to produce print-shop quality resume in a matter of minutes. Sharp-looking resumes are the norm today, not the exception. Anybody can produce one.

Second, don't be overly impressed with a resume that's filled with fashionable buzzwords and terms that appear to have been written by someone of superior intellect. The truth is that in the cybersurfing age in which we live, anyone who is willing to spend a few minute surfing the Web can easily glean all the technospeak necessary to write an impressive resume.

You should consider three parts of the resume in the preinterview selection phase:

• Education and training
• Experience
• Personal information

Education and Training

This portion of the resume catalogs the applicant's formal education. Some applicants will also list seminars and workshops attended, especially when such programs have direct application to the job being sought. Applicants should furnish information concerning dates of graduation or completion, as well as dates that degrees were conferred.

Look for education and training that meets the requirements of the position. Be sure to note any questions or concerns that you may have so that you can ask the applicant for clarification or further information during the interview.

Experience

Experience is the most significant portion of the resume in the preinterview selection phase. Here you'll find the particulars about an applicant's work experience and qualifications.

In evaluating the experience of an applicant, be sure to do the following:

• Look for job descriptions that have particular relevance to the position that you hope to fill.
• Consider the level of the applicant's prior experience. Is it above or below that required for the job for which the candidate is applying?
• Is the applicant's experience written in a clear, concise manner, or are the terms used particularly vague and confusing?
• Based on the applicant's experience, does it appear that he or she possesses the mandatory success factors discussed in "Analyzing the Position"

Personal Information

Personal information contained in a resume can be of exceptional value in your preinterview screening process. Information such as personal interests extracurricular activities, and civic involvements provide a glimpse into a candidate's values and ambitions. Leisure pursuits and hobbies that relate to the responsibilities of the position suggest a candidate who is deeply interested and committed to the mission of the job.

References Cheking

You will read how to obtain good reference information that will help you conduct a more meaningful interview: You also learn what questions you can legally ask and what areas to avoid.

Why Check References

Of all tasks associated with hiring new employees, checking references has historically ranked among the least favored. All too often, managers don't bother to contact former employers because they think that reference checks are an exercise in futility. Some studies by the American Management Association estimate that the references of as many as 70 percent of all new hires were never checked. Big mistake.

Here are the two best reasons I know for conscientiously checking the reference of prospective employees:

• Reference checks help prevent lawsuits for negligent hiring. read more
• Reference checks help prevent costly hiring mistakes. read more

Here are some suggestions that will help you in your quest for meaningful reference information. Think about implementing them in your organization:

• Always have applicants complete an application that grants permission to contact references. A resume is not an application. Be sure that your application contains an authorization permitting you to contact any and all former employers and others who have knowledge of the applicant's work history, experience and education, and that allows them to provide information about the applicant.
• Include a "hold harmless" agreement with your employment applicant as a result of releasing reference information. Then send a copy of the signed agreement to each reference before contacting them. Hold harmless agreements can go a long way in lowering the guard of former employers.
• Check references before interviewing those you've selected for further consideration. Having done so will not only provide a better understanding of each applicant, but it may also direct you to areas that require further exploration.
• Check references yourself -don't assign the task to others. Managers will have more success talking with other managers. Also, by contacting references directly, the manger can listen intuitively to what is (and is not) being said.
• Be sure to ask each references for the names of others in the organization who may be familiar with the qualifications of the applicant. It's astonishing how much information you can obtain from those whose names weren't provided by an applicant.
• Share the information received from reference checks with other members of the interview panel.
• Always contact colleges and universities to verify degrees. The most common form of deception involves applicants who overstate educational accomplishments. Colleges and universities are eager to provide information about the academic achievements of former students. It's fast and easy information to obtain.
• Document all information that you receive. Your documentation will be vital if you ever have to defend your actions.
• Don't contact only one or two references. Make it a practice to contact all of them, without fail. And be sure to ask each reference to provide you with the names of others who have knowledge of the provide you with the names of others who have knowledge of the applicant's skill and work experience.

Methods of Interviewing References read more about this method

There are three primary methods of interviewing references

1. References by Mail
2. References by Telephone
3. Talking with Present Employers