SILENCE – A POWERFUL TOOL IN THE EVALUATION OF EMPLOYMENT CANDIDATES

Recruiting executives are proud of the companies they represent. So proud that they spend a lot of time and effort telling their company’s story during the early phases of interviewing candidates for the position. Company history, product development, gleaming facilities, employee teamwork are all examples of high-visibility topics highlighted by executives.

These topics are seen as a crucial part of the interview. After watching organizational monologues, she often asks the executive “what have you learned about the candidate that is critical to making a hiring decision” or “describe and compare the candidate’s values ​​to those of your company.”

Managers dance rhetorically and describe general observations but do not provide detailed information. In this type of interview scenario, managers talk 80% of the time: candidates 20%. It is obvious: an interviewer can speak or listen… Not both at the same time. Information gathering, difficult at best during an interview, is seriously hampered when the company representative talks and talks and talks.

Having sold the company to the candidate (and having essentially told the candidate the answers to upcoming interview questions), the interviewer often has an anxious need to question the candidate. Armed with their template questions, employers ask one question after another.

What happens when the candidate hesitates? Or do you answer in a way that is not consistent with a previous answer? The preferred response to hesitation or no response is SILENCE.

Silence gives the hesitant interviewee an opportunity to collect his thoughts. They can frame answers in a logical and well thought out way. This comfort-building respite gives them time to collect their thoughts and builds confidence in their ability to answer more questions. Obviously, this is mutually beneficial for both the candidate and the interviewer.

When the candidate does not answer a question, silence is again in order. Having created a non-threatening atmosphere, the interviewer calmly waits for the candidate to respond. Yes, time may seem to pass slowly when you first use this technique. It can feel uncomfortable as we tend to want to fill all interludes with noise. Our conditioned clothing tells us to hurry up and ask another question.

Candidates interpret our pause as a clue that we want an answer to the question at hand. They know that we are going to be patient and wait for them. Yes, the interviewer is exercising silent control in the discussion. Not in a negative or prerogative way… rather in a constructive way.

I found that self-discipline is the key to staying silent as an interviewer. For example, curling your toes is a useful technique. Obviously don’t cut off traffic. Just a pinch of pressure acts as a reminder not to comment until the candidate responds.

Silence is one of the many constructive techniques available to facilitate dialogue. The interview is intended to be a civil, collegiate and honest exchange. It’s not an interrogation or “gotcha” exercise. Silence can contribute to this positive and mutually respectful conversation.