Businesses normally stick to one-on-one interviews when screening prospective C-level staff. However, many in the executive recruitment arena swear by another more collaborative evaluation method: panel interviews. Why? Such proceedings save time and reduce the likelihood of personality bias, Inc. reported.
Arranging an effective panel interview isn't as simple as pulling some colleagues into your office when a candidate arrives. You must plan ahead and ensure everyone involved is on the same page. Review these panel interview tips to get started:
Assign a leader
When assembling your panel, you will be inclined to set aside time for each person to ask questions and contribute. Resist this temptation. Instead, assign an interview leader and ask the other members of the panel to act as fact finders.
The leader sets the agenda, so to speak, while the fact finders ask follow-up questions and quietly observe candidate behavior. With this methodology, you can facilitate an efficient, yet thorough, screening experience.
"The leader sets the agenda while the fact finders ask follow-up questions and quietly observe candidate behavior."
Ask conversational questions
Panel interviews usually occur during the second stage of the hiring process, meaning questions pertaining to past work experiences or skills are no longer necessary.
You and your fellow interviewers should look to prompt long-form responses and start conversations by asking in-depth, analytical queries, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. Candidates with top-tier industry knowledge and executive experience will excel in these situations, while pretenders will fall apart.
Keep score
Although you may trust your colleagues to ask great questions and carefully evaluate candidates, don't trust them to take detailed notes. Put together a standardized scorecard that will allow them to rank potential hires on specific role-related competencies. This will ease the post-interview recap process and provide actionable data on which hiring decisions can be made.
Of course, before you can assemble your panel, you're going to need some qualified candidates. A retained executive search firm like YES Partners can help. Our executive search consultants can connect you with talented business leaders who have the executive experience and skills to move your organization forward.
To see some of the roles we have already successfully placed, click here.
Finding people is easy, but finding the RIGHT people is not. YES Partners helps companies FIND the right people for all company functions, across many industries.
