When I first arrived at the managerial level in my career, I started to do a lot of entry-level interviewing for my firm. Some of that involved going to colleges and business schools where we would interview 8-10 candidates back-to-back. It became a taxing chore, trying to stay attentive to each person as the day wore on. The faces, resumes, and responses all started to blend together.
I had the good fortune to team up on one of these campus trips with a wiser, more experienced colleague. Rishad Tobaccowala is now one of the most respected global voices in the advertising industry, but then he was just a very insightful guy who gave some terrific advice. His suggestion was simple. Put aside the standard questions, and instead just try to learn something useful from each person you meet.
That simple tip almost immediately elevated the experience on both sides of the table. It made me a better interviewer, and it made each interview a more substantial conversation. If you really focus on learning something new from a person, it has the following effects:
It makes you ask better questions
Instead of leaning on old hacks like “tell me about yourself” or “share an example of where you overcame a significant obstacle,” it makes you want to uncover what is special in their experiences and background. It creates a game-like dynamic that motivates you to search for clues about what makes this person unique.
It’s more revealing
We tend to reveal our truer selves when we talk about something that’s a real passion for us. It shows what’s important to us, how we think, how we pursue goals. By bringing out something the other person feels drawn to, you get a clearer sense of who they are. As a result, you get a better gauge of what that person could or couldn’t bring to the role you’re hiring for.
It increases the value of the conversation
The traditional interview creates a filtering mentality. The time is only worthwhile if the candidate passes muster. By transforming it into a learning opportunity, it creates a reward even if the person isn’t a fit for what you’re looking for. It brings a benefit to the conversation itself, not just to the chance of a hiring outcome at the end. Practically speaking, it also opens the potential for seeing a different fit down the road.
Interviews are a problematic evaluation tool for a number of reasons. But I found this advice makes them more effective for what interviews do best, which is providing the opportunity to get a fuller sense of a person beyond their acquired skills and experiences.
The Ryan Report 