We are back after a scorcher of a Memorial Day weekend here in Minnesota (record highs this past weekend). Instead of overheating as I read more candidate interview preparation articles, CareerBuilder.com finally chimes in with some tips for the interviewer with Top 10 Interview No No’s. We do enjoy top 10 lists here at the Hire Sense! Good fundamental advice in this column that are always a good refresher. (You cannot ask about race, age, religion, etc.).
Point #3 cannot be stressed enough:
3. Avoid Closed Ended Questions – The first type of question to avoid is one that can be answered by a “yes” or “no”. Even if you think “yes” or “no” is your desired response, rework the question to allow for a more thorough response. Unexpected, beneficial information is often revealed when your questions allow the interviewee to elaborate with his/her response.
– EXAMPLE – Poor: Do you have experience in customer service?
– EXAMPLE – Good: Tell me about your customer service experience?
Yes/no questions lead to dead ends and you have to work hard at formulating your next question without getting a detailed answer on your previous question. All – ALL – of our interview questions are structured in an open-ended structure. We do not use yes/no questions in phone screens or face-to-face interviews.
As an aside – this advice is also crucial to salespeople who are qualifying prospects. You should not hear yes/no questions coming out of your salespeople’s mouths in front of a prospect.