'Flip' Your Interview When Hiring

Focus: HUMAN RESOURCES

For both interviewers and interviewees involved in a hiring process, planning for a panel interview involves considerable work.

As thoughtfully scripted as interview questions might be and as prepared as candidates might be to answer them, the typical panel interview may not be the most effective method of measuring a candidate’s qualifications for a school leadership position.

I certainly found this to be the case during my 10 years as an assistant superintendent for human resources for a large suburban school district near Boston. Based on my experiences, I’ve generated four recommendations for “flipping” the panel interview to improve the hiring experience and job search outcomes.

• Engage, don’t entrap.
  If your goal is to see how well candidates can think on their feet, then continue to ambush them with questions during the panel interview. However, if your goal is to elicit thoughtful responses that will show a candidate’s ability to reflect, prepare and cogently communicate their thinking, then consider flipping the process by giving them the questions in advance.
  
  In hearing and evaluating a candidate’s well-prepared answers rather than their spontaneous, off-point and frequently canned utterances, interviewers have a greater opportunity to follow up with more probing questions and begin a more meaningful dialogue from the start.


• Illuminate, don’t intimidate.
  Job interviews can be stressful. Imagine how disquieting it can be to walk into a room with 10 complete strangers around a table, poised to interrogate you. Panel interviews are about asserting power by requiring a candidate to run an intellectual gauntlet for an hour. While some argue this tests a candidate’s mettle for the real-life experiences he or she may encounter on the job, I see this experience as intimidating by placing interviewers and interviewees in adversarial roles.
  
  As an alternative, flip the process so a candidate’s first exposure to your school system is with one experienced interviewer who has a deep understanding of the qualifications necessary for success in the position. In doing so, you will build the trust necessary for candidates to feel safe when their time comes to enter the arena of a panel interview.


• Open with your closer.
  At the end of the interview, after responding to a grueling set of 10 multipart questions, candidates are usually asked if they have any questions for the panel. Due to time constraints, the lead interviewer usually answers these questions politely but with little substance.
  
  In the alternative, flip your sequence of questions and begin the interview by saying, “You have taken a great deal of time and effort to pursue this career opportunity and likely have many questions for us. Let’s start by giving you the opportunity to ask us questions that will help you make an informed decision about working here.” This approach makes the interviewee feel valued and the questions he or she asks may be more revealing than the ones your panel contrived.


• Reverse roles.
  Most panel interviews begin with the following “softball” question: “Please tell us a little bit about yourself and why you are interested in this position.” While the question is intended to elicit a brief response, some candidates take 15 minutes to lead the panel on a genealogical expedition through their family’s educational pedigree. As compelling as their stories may be, beginning with this question can derail the panel interview from the start.
  
  In the alternative, begin by flipping the roles of interviewer and interviewee by saying, “Let us tell you a little bit about our school system and why we are considering you for this position.” This approach will bring immediate focus to the interview, model the desired response length, demonstrate that you care about the candidate and show him or her that your team has done its homework. Now, the interviewee has the opportunity to provide you with examples to support his or her candidacy.