The Step-by-Step Hiring Process: Interview Team Training

Interview Team Training

The goal of a selection process is to find the candidate that best matches the pre-established criteria, skills, and qualifications desired.

		Interview Team Training Handout

		Interview Team Training Handout

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Two "e-keys" in Interviewing

Equity
We don't want to violate a candidate's rights under our district's equity/affirmative action statement or state/federal laws. This means we may NOT ask questions about a candidate's race, color, creed, age, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, or disability OR other protected class per our equity statement. (Writer's note: some districts have added sexual identity as a protected class.) We may not ask about the health or medical condition of a candidate prior to offering him/her the position. We may not use a criminal background check to pre-screen candidates.

We must ask questions of the candidate's references that adhere to the protection of these rights.

Any question that might lead an interviewer to learn about any of the above protected statuses may be interpreted as a violation of the candidate's rights.

Equality
We must treat all candidates in the same way(s). We will give each candidate the same opportunities to meet people or tour the facilities. We will ask every candidate the same questions. We will ask all members of the interview team to be present at all the interviews. (There is some latitude to ask follow-up questions. However, great care should be taken to not stray off the basic idea of the original question.)

Other Tips for Interviewing

Examples of questions/topics NOT to ask:

Where did you grow up?
In what year did you graduate from high school?
Did any family members travel with you to Cedar Rapids?
How will you handle the rigors of this job while pregnant? (or) knowing you have children at home?
How do you feel about being in a position of role model to (fill in the blank for what one may perceive the candidate as being: African American, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Indian, Anglo, Pacific Islander, Christian, Republican, etc.) youth?

Further things to note:

Jot down notes as you listen to the candidate to remind you of what you perceived as a good or an insufficient response, based upon the established criteria, skills, and qualities desired.
Avoid writing anything down that isn't pertinent to the discovery of how the candidate meets the desired criteria, skills and qualities.
Remember that the candidate is interviewing us as well as we are him/her. Smile. Be outgoing and honest. Treat all candidates with consideration and enthusiasm.
Be aware of BIAS...we know that interview teams tend to select people who "are like them." Research shows we try to avoid candidates who may demonstrate that they may ask us to stretch and grow. We tend to avoid people who don't look like us. (socio-economic status, race, color, wearing a suit we don't like, having brightly colored nails, etc.) We also tend to overrate everyone (the Lake Wobegon effect).
Remember that most of the information shared while or learned through the interviewing process is confidential. Avoid sharing data about the candidates with those outside the experience.
Educators are kind people...resist the temptation to learn about a protected status (equity) while making conversation during "down time" such as after the interview, during a tour, or as you are saying hello/goodbye.

The Step-by-Step Hiring Process

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