5 Responses

1. an option
   Hi Hazel
   not a real answer but….
   when I was faced with this task two years ago I got a genuine job description/person specification from the business.
   We then give the managers 25 minutes in pairs, to plan the “6 Stage Interview Process”* and 25 minutes in pairs to draw up a “Weighted Scoring Matrix”*.

   They then compare and contrast and discuss the value of having a half decent JobSpec and an understanding of the team make up before trying to source candidates.
   It also proves the need to give the PSL recruitment agency a decent brief.

   We later move on to role play but you don’t want to do that.

   The proof of the pudding….we wrote the programme two years ago and we still run it every couple of months with great feedback.
   The organisation has also seen a drop in early resignation numbers too.
   Rus
   * these are both tools from the company “procedures manual” and they always interview in pairs

2. Recruiting Using Competencies
   Hazel,
   I have a day’s workshop with handouts and exercises which you are more than welcome to use & abuse.
   Please email me directly at Bsparks@awtxglobal.com
   kindest regards
   Buffy
   http://www.rippleeffect.eu

3. Competency framework?
   Hi Hazel

   If there is a competency framework in the organisation, could you get the group to interview each other, against the core competencies? This would give them real experience, rather than role playing. If I can help further feel free to email me.

   Jenny

4. 4 ideas
   The problem you have is that it is very hard to help people improve their interviewing skills without doing it. Although you could spend some time on the design & writing of appropriate questions that will really assess the person spec. criteria. Here is 4 ideas we use in our course:

   1. We use an exercise where we hand out 15 questions to learners have to decide whether they would ask each questions. As well as the usual equal opps stuff it also bring out lots of discussion on best practice issues for interview questions. (let me know if you want a copy of this).

   2. Handout person specs criteria (or ask them to bring them) and get people in pairs to write suitable interview questions to assess criteria, then swap with another pair anc critique each other’s questions.

   3. Ask these questions to the facilitator who gives deliberately vague answers. The challenge for participants is to probe for more meaningful answers.

   4. Staff who want to practice their interviewee skills (perhaps for career development/promotion) attend mock interview and course candidates have to write questions based on the person spec and interview person. This is not role play in the sense that the interviewee is practising for real. This has been very effective for us.

5. Re your recruitment and selection query
   Hi, I understand managers not wanting to undertake role plays but have found in practice this is the only way to measure competence before releasing them on unsuspecting candidates. I managed to get round it by working in the community to find people who needed interview practice (job Centre, return to work agencies, schools / colleges and universities) These candidates go through the interview process as part of the recruitment and selection training for managers and receive feedback on their performance as well as enbaling managers to have a realistic interview experience. We have actually recruited people from these events so everyone is a winner.

   If you would like to discuss further orwould like access to the training notes for the course please drop me a mail direct and I would be happy to share.