Kildare: 
The Halo Effect
Part Two: Yesterday we looked at six ways companies can improve their hiring and interview process. Today, we will explore the Halo Effect, good interviewing advice and warning signs.
THE HALO EFFECT
One particularly common interview problem occurs when an interviewer forms a strong positive impression based on one characteristic – perhaps where the candidate previously worked, a shared interest, their confidence or one impressive achievement. That initial impression can then influence how everything else they say is interpreted. The reverse can happen too. Structured questions, scoring criteria and multiple sources of evidence can help reduce this effect.
WHAT DOES A GOOD INTERVIEW PROCESS LOOK LIKE?
Before interviewing:
· Define what success looks like
· Agree essential versus desirable criteria
· Prepare structured questions
· Establish a scoring framework
· Decide who is assessing what
· Review the candidate’s CV properly
During the interview:
· Ask candidates comparable core questions
· Probe answers for evidence
· Take appropriate notes
· Allow sufficient candidate questions
· Explain the opportunity accurately
· Avoid premature conclusions
After the interview:
· Score candidates independently against agreed criteria
· Compare evidence rather than personalities
· Document the rationale for decisions
· Provide timely feedback
· Move quickly when the right candidate is identified
10 WARNING SIGNS YOUR MANAGERS MAY NEED INTERVIEW TRAINING
Interviews are largely unstructured
· Different candidates are asked completely different questions
· Managers regularly rely on “gut feeling”
· There is no interview scorecard
· Managers haven’t been trained on appropriate interview questions
· Interviews focus heavily on talking through the CV
· Candidates regularly decline after interview
· Interview feedback is vague or subjective
· Hiring decisions take too long
· Different interviewers disagree because there was no agreed assessment criteria.
If several of these sound familiar, it may be worth reviewing your interview process.
