Dharmendra Satapathy

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Techniques of interviewing

How often have we successfully made a cool first impression during an interview and have played into the hands of some cool dude while interviewing. That's the main flaw in the interview technique. While referencing does hedge us to some extent but all said and done the results are usually biased. Why would the interviewee offer a name of a person if there exists even an iota of a chance of the reference running him down. Simple logic isn't it? And that is exactly what happens when you speak to the reference. He has a responsibility to oblige and he does so graciously singing praises and almost making you doubt your sense of judgement.
However what works as the most spontaneous mirror for the candidate and even at times speaks more than what he could speak for himself are blogs and networking sites. Instead of wasting time talking to the referred person, simply check the candidates profile on Orkut or some other network ( these days most have one ). You are likely to get to see him in his true colors here. A blog/network is also the best testimony of the candidate's abilities to communicate and express himself. Strength in such areas augurs well to win in the corporate landscape.
The comments of peers and others helps to paint the true picture about his character, beliefs and values. This is one place where he is likely to have exposed his vulnerabilities as well. Therefore do away with typical "tell me your strengths and weakness" cliches and instead experience his underlying traits on the world wide web.
Blogs or networking sites bring you face to face with the candidate in the true sense and can prove to be a really effective tool for hiring talent.