ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

For too many practitioners, the interview process seems easy. Spend half an hour with a candidate who has applied to become a security officer or supervisor, and make your mind up about them. OK as far as it goes, but the interviewer can actually gain much more from the process by structuring this part of their day in the right manner. You'd be surprised how much a little bit of preparation in advance will make the process all the smoother. And, at the end of the day, the best person for the job will win out.

Before conducting any interview, set down some basic criteria by which you're going to judge your applicant(s). Of course, some of those criteria can be met simply by looking at an individual's CV. Are the right NVQs there? Does he or she have a track record with other security companies or in-house teams?

For more qualitative judgements, though, you really need to use the interview to find out how the applicant stacks up. For instance, if you are looking for a Control Room manager or an operations director, you're going to need to know how organised they are. Do they have an ability to 'spin plates', and are they prepared to be 'on call' at anti-social times of the day? The CV will not tell you this detail.

Next, you need to work out how you might judge the criteria laid down. You don't necessarily have to use the standard interview format. For example, just walking around the building(s) and talking about how things are arranged – and what's happening at the time – can tell you much about a candidate's degree of experience. Not just in terms of their basic ability to 'get the job done', but also what they think about it, whether they have any good ideas to take the role forward and whether or not they understand the importance of good organisation. Even whether or not they're in tune with the spirit you're already trying to foster within the security team.

All the information you need...
If you are determined to use the 'standard interview' as your guideline, you'll have to give much thought over to the kind of questions that will need to be asked in order to elicit the required response. Responses that will tell you everything you need to know about the applicant. While an interview should indeed be seen as a two-way conversation, it's important to have at least four or five questions drafted ahead of time – for two main reasons.

First, you need to ensure that when you've finished the interview proper, you have all the information you need at your disposal that will enable you to reach a reasoned conclusion. Better to have a checklist to hand rather than rely on your memory – and realise that, as the candidate has just left, there was a crucial question left unasked and thus unanswered.

Second, many managers find that it's difficult to kick-start an interview. In this case, a list of pre-prepared questions can help prevent any awkward silences.

You may also wish to use a scoring system during the interview or shortly afterwards, adopting the criteria already identified. The advantage of having the sheet in front of you during the interview is that you will not forget to cover all the bases. Thus you will not forget the candidate's performance with regard to all of these key issues.

The human memory being what it is, when you're filling in the sheet afterwards you may find it difficult to recall precisely what each candidate said about a given topic. That's particularly true if you're interviewing a number of candidates on the same afternoon. There's also evidence that a 'halo effect' happens when you fill in sheets after the event.

Candidates who have performed well on two or three criteria tend to be marked up on the others as well, while those who performed badly in one topic area tend to be penalised even if they gave an otherwise creditable account of themselves.

There are really two issues at stake here. One is that, by filling the sheet in during the interview, and keeping the records afterwards, you're protecting yourself against any potential discrimination claims (ie you can clearly show why it was that a particular candidate was or wasn't selected). Second, you're avoiding falling prey to the 'halo effect' where a particularly friendly or charismatic candidate might be marked up ahead of a less memorable, but nonetheless better qualified and more suitable individual.

At all times, make sure you put candidates at their ease. While you would expect a security officer or supervisor with much experience to be able to deal with an interview situation, a newly-trained candidate may not offer a complete overview of their competencies if they're intimidated and made to feel nervous.

High pressure, aggressive questions in an interview are not a good idea. You might well be impressed by the way in which someone handles such questions, but will they be so impressed by you for asking them in the first place? That said, you can still pose

Communication: an essential art
Throughout the interview you need to consider how the candidate communicates. Since you're going to put them in front of clients, you'll want to ascertain whether or not they strike you as being enthusiastic and friendly. Are they communicating well during the interview? What's their body language like? Are they keeping the conversation going on their side?

On the other hand, if you're talking to someone who will be in charge of your accounts, do they strike you as having chosen their words well? Do they take care to be accurate in their answers?Someone who's imprecise in speech may be approximate in adding up the figures, too!

Always remember that the way in which someone communicates, as well as what it is they're telling you, is a key indicator of how well they'll fit the job.

Ask candidates about what they perceive to be their strengths and weaknesses. Many candidates find it easy to play on the former, but somewhat less easy to describe the latter. One useful technique here – for both strengths and weaknesses – is to wait. The first answer you receive is often a prepared one. Sit and wait, and let the candidate 'open up'. That's when you'll find out what makes them tick.

Don't forget to ask them what they think they can do to minimise their weaknesses. A candidate who admits to not being very organised but has taken the time and trouble to turn up ten minutes early with a Personal Organiser to hand has beaten the problem!

Always ask for examples of times when the interviewee has used qualities they regard as their strengths. For instance, if someone claims they're good at dealing with people, ask them for a specific instance of when this ability was important in handling a situation. It's easy to say "I'm a people person". What you're looking for is someone who says: "I had to defuse a fight in the hospital A&E Department where I was working, and this is how I did it..." Ask why they think they were successful, or whether they might do certain things differently the next time around.

You might also want to ask when a candidate has felt really stretched in their job. What did they find difficult or challenging about their previous post? How did they cope? The answers to this question will highlight several qualities. It will show you whether the interviewee is proactive in identifying and solving problems, rather than hoping that you or another manager will sort things out.

Assess both strengths and weaknesses against the background of qualities that you want to see in a candidate. If you need someone who takes customer or client care seriously, then a candidate whose only weakness is "too much enthusiasm" might be acceptable. On the other hand, someone who likes to cut corners in order to make sure things are done on time will not be appropriate.

Leave that aggression behind
High pressure, aggressive questions in an interview are not a good idea. You might well be impressed by the way in which someone handles such questions, but will they be so impressed by you for asking them in the first place? That said, you can still pose questions that put people on the spot without the need for any aggression. "Why don't you spend a couple of minutes telling me why we should hire you?" is a classic example.

Interviews sometimes begin to flag when an interviewer asks too many questions designed to elicit either a 'yes' or a 'no' in reply. Instead, it's a good idea to keep the conversation flowing by asking open-ended questions deploying words like 'what', 'why' and 'how'. Make sure the candidate goes into detail. And keep on asking questions to lead on from the answer you've been given, or explore further.

So far, it's you that has been asking the questions and the candidate has been talking. You also need to evaluate the kind of questions they ask and what that says about them. For instance, someone who's concerned about what sort of training your security department and company can offer – or could support – is obviously focusing on professionalism and their long-term career prospects.

Equally, someone who asks about the best selling products in a retail environment is likely to be clued up on the company's major product lines with a view to preventing in-store theft. If their first question is: "How many days' holiday will I be entitled to each year?" then your business is not uppermost in the mind.

Ultimately, the real key to successful interviewing is knowing what it is you want to find out. It all goes back to the preparation you did beforehand. Making a list of what qualities you want in the candidate and working out how you can assess them.