5 tips on choosing between your two best equally qualified candidates

By Rob Hayter, Director at TPP Not for Profit

Imagine you are in that lucky situation that many would like to be in; you don’t have one great candidate for a role, you have two! Sometimes though, having two great candidates can make the decision process even harder. There are many elements to think about, recruitment can be expensive and you don’t want to regret your decision in a few months’ time. This month we give you our top tips on how to ensure you are choosing the best candidate for the job.

Testing

You can test candidate’s skills and experience pretty well in a formal interview, however testing, such as psychometric assessing, can give you a better idea about their personality and cultural fit. This kind of testing typically consists of numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning or situation judgements. There aren’t always right or wrong answers in these tests, for example, situational judgement tests look at the way someone may handle a situation.

Before commencing these tests, ensure you have a good idea about the type of person that will fit in; do you want someone that thinks on their feet and takes action? Or are you looking for someone that seeks advice before making decisions? Are you looking for someone who can work well on their own (maybe home working is an important element to this role) or someone that works well in a team (based in a busy office)? Having these details before your candidates commence the test will make analysing them much easier.

Meeting in a relaxed setting

If the interview process has been very formal or included panel interviews, then invite each candidate for an informal relaxed meeting, maybe even a morning’s visit to the office. Incorporate the team into this; this will give you a good indication how the candidates will work with other members of your team and how they’ll fit in with your culture.

Seeing a candidate in a relaxed setting will also show you more of their personality, which isn’t always easy to determine in a formal interview. By meeting the team, you are getting them on board for whichever candidate you choose and they may even have a favourite too.

Take references

Obviously you would not want to contact the candidate’s current employer; however this does not stop you taking references from previous employers. Ask each candidate for details on their previous employer and contact these, ideally for a verbal reference. This will give you a better idea on the candidates’ cultural fit and personality, than a formal reference form around absence and employment dates.

Look at the future of your team

Hopefully this person will remain with your organisation for the foreseeable future, so it’s a good idea to look at your organisation’s future plans. For example, if your team is going to expand rapidly, someone who has worked in larger teams before may perform better in this environment. If you are going to expand internationally, someone with languages may be beneficial.

Equally, just because an applicant doesn’t have experience working in a particular environment, does not mean they won’t perform well. However if you know what’s likely to happen in the future, you can construct scenario-based questions which will help you assess the candidates’ abilities to cope.

Do you have any other skills gaps in your team that one of these candidates could help fill in? For example, one of them might be a whizz with social media, something you are lacking. Could they help support this until you are ready to recruit for this role?

Ask them directly why you should choose them

One candidate may be more motivated for the role than the other. By asking why you should hire them, you should get an indication about their motivations for their role and a good candidate should be able to ‘sell’ themselves and tell you what skills they feel they would bring.

Finally…

Ensure you have asked the candidate their thoughts on the role, salary package, notice periods etc. You may end up being in a position where one candidate is more likely to accept an offer than the other, or one wants a higher salary than you can realistically offer. These are better sorting out before offer stage.

Ensure you keep both candidates in the loop during this process, especially if it becomes lengthy, or you may end up losing two good candidates. And finally ensure you take the time to give the candidate that is not hired feedback. You can read more about the importance of providing feedback on our blog. 

If you aren’t in the fortunate position to have two candidates to choose from and would like to see a selection of candidates for roles you are recruiting to compare or benchmark against your current shortlist please contact us on 020 7198 6000 or info@tpp.co.uk

The Top 10 Mistakes Made in Recruiting

Recruiting a new member of staff is an expensive and time-consuming business, so it pays to make sure you get the best person you possibly can.  Pressures on budgets and time mean that it can be tempting for organisations to cut corners when recruiting, but this rarely pays off in the long run.  Here are some of the most common (and fairly easily avoided) charity recruitment mistakes.

1.    Not asking the right interview questions

With many not for profit employees being asked to do more with fewer resources, it can be extremely difficult to take the time to prepare properly for interviews.  This means that interviewers can end up just asking superficial questions about previous experience and not really probing a candidate to see how well they will do in the job.  Not preparing detailed questions in advance also makes it much harder to establish a level playing field for multiple interviewees and avoid bias.

Read our past blogs on common interview mistakes and behavioural interviewing to make your interviews more effective. 


2.    Not recruiting for a cultural fit

While no organisation wants employees who are clones and all think in the same way, it is important that any new member of staff fits in with the rest of their team.  Their personality has to mesh with others and it’s important they have similar ethics and values, particularly in charities, where the organisation’s mission should be the primary staff motivator.

Find out how to determine your organisation’s working culture and choose new employees to fit.


3.    Relying solely on an interview

Although the interview is one of the most effective tools in an employer’s kit, decisions on hiring should not be made purely on that basis.  After all, according to a study done by the Chally Group, an interview only increases the chance of finding the best candidate by 2%.  You need to include as much supporting material as you can when shortlisting, including CVs, emails, covering letters, references, personal recommendations and their web presence and social media profiles.

Here’s some guidance on using cover letters to recruit effectively.


4.    Not checking references

A survey from the Society for Human Resource Management reports that 25 % of employers never check references and the Charity Commission estimates that only 23% of charities carry out checks on prospective trustees.

Not taking the time to check references leaves you entirely reliant on the candidate’s view of themselves, which can be accidentally or deliberately distorted.

Find out more about checking references here.


5.    Automatically rejecting overqualified candidates

When initially screening candidate CVs, it can be tempting to take out any candidates who exceed the required experience; dismissing them as ‘overqualified’ and not matching the person specification.  However, the advantages of taking on someone with more experience and extra skills can often outweigh any possible downsides.  In this candidate-heavy market, it seems strange that more employers are not taking advantage of being able to get more for less.

Read more about the potential benefits of 'overqualified' candidates.


6.    Recycling job descriptions and person specifications

Re-using the job description for your outgoing employee might be seen as a good way to save time, but cutting corners like this can definitely backfire.  Roles change over time and the job description might be out-of-date, meaning that you’ll be hiring against an incorrect set of criteria.  Recruiting is also a good time to review a role’s responsibilities – it may make more sense to reshuffle duties around the team, or to split up overstretched roles into more than one job.  Vague and imprecise job descriptions also make shortlisting difficult, as you’ll get many more unsuitable applicants.

Find out more about writing effective job descriptions and person specifications here.


7.    Missing the opportunity to sell your organisation

As there are so many jobseekers around looking for work at the moment, it can be easy for employers to assume that anyone would be grateful to work for them and that they don’t need to ‘sell’ the role or organisation.  In reality, there’s more competition than ever for the very best candidates and particularly in certain niche areas.  And even if they don’t end up with the job, anyone interested enough to interview with you could be an excellent potential advocate or supporter for your organisation.

Read more on selling your organisation at interview here.


8.    Waiting for the perfect candidate

In recruitment terminology, the elusive perfect candidate is referred to as a ‘purple squirrel’ and like their namesake, they can be very thin on the ground.  A candidate-rich market can leave organisations paralysed by choice, as they reason that there must be a jobseeker out there who matches every requirement on their list and they only have to find them.

In reality, perfect candidates are so rare that it is usually best to go for someone who meets all of the key requirements and can be trained in the “would-like-to-haves”.  Training up a candidate builds loyalty and productivity, and they might have other qualities that could come in useful in the future.  Leaving the role open risks drops in productivity and damaging morale as other employees struggle to cover the responsibilities.

Find out more about purple squirrels here.


9.    Asking ‘illegal’ interview questions

While some interview questions are obviously discriminatory and are easy to avoid, it is possible for employers to think they are innocently making conversation but they may actually be straying into potentially illegal areas, and making themselves open to litigation.

However, planning interview questions in advance, and being aware of exactly what you can and cannot ask, will help you avoid any problems.  Find out more about illegal interview questions here.


10.    Mishandling rejections and not supplying feedback

This is probably the most common mistake made, as employers find it hard to devote time to candidates who have not made it through the interview process.  But, as well as simply being polite to take the time to give feedback to a rejected candidate, it can also benefit your recruitment process and employer brand.

Discover the best way to handle rejections and give interview feedback here.

Why you need to review your application form

Even though many job applicants dislike filling out application forms, lots of non-profit employers prefer to use them for their recruitment.  In this post, we look at the pros and cons of application forms and how to tailor them to get the best possible response for your vacancy.


Why do employers use them?

There are some distinct advantages to asking a candidate to fill out an application form, rather than send in a CV.  They usually save an employer time and effort, especially if it’s an online form that feeds directly into an ATS (applicant tracking system).  They also make it easier to reduce bias when shortlisting candidates, as each candidate is forced to give exactly the same information.  Many of the questions on application forms are there for legal or institutional reasons, and ensure compliance when recruiting.

The fact that application forms are so very unpopular also encourages some employers to use them. Filling out an application form tests the candidate’s commitment to that role and discourages unsuitable candidates or those who simply send off untailored CVs to every role going.

However, one of the most common reasons for organisations to use application forms is simply because they always have done.  Each time they recruit, extra questions are added to the form, without reviewing it as a whole – resulting in forms that are extremely long and full of redundant questions.


What are the negatives?

The main problem with application forms is that they tend to be far too long and extremely tedious to complete.  Candidates have usually already spent a long time polishing up their CV prior to starting to look for roles, and having to start from scratch each time can be very repetitive and time consuming.  The questions asked are also not always obviously relevant to the job a candidate is applying for.

At TPP, we have a lot of anecdotal evidence that really good candidates simply don’t bother applying for roles if the process is too complicated.  Application forms may discourage unwelcome responses, but they can also deter some candidates who might be ideal for your role.  It takes most jobseekers at least half a day to complete an application form, which is time that’s hard to find if you’re already working full time.  Exceptional candidates can be greatly in demand, and if they can get a job easily elsewhere with less effort, they are not likely to apply for yours.

The more senior your vacancy, the more likely it is that your ideal candidates are ‘passive’ jobseekers, ie those who are not actively looking for a new role but might be tempted by the ideal job.  These candidates are even less likely to sacrifice the time it takes to complete a long and complicated application form.

Other problems with application forms are that they lack flexibility and make it difficult for good candidates to distinguish themselves in a creative way or to really demonstrate their personality.  Also, if a candidate makes a small mistake filling out the form, their application may be automatically rejected, even if they are perfect for your role.


So what should you do?

First of all, you need to find out if you are required to use application forms for every role in your organisation.  If not, it’s worth deciding on a case-by-case basis whether to use them.  The more senior, specialist or niche your role, the less likely you are to have high volumes of suitable applicants, so it’s worth making it as easy as possible to apply.

A compromise solution might be a two-tier process.  Ask candidates to send in their CV and do an initial quick shortlist of those with the right skills and experience.  You can then ask those applicants to complete an application forms to make the final shortlisting process easier and fairer.  These candidates will also be motivated to fill in the forms as they have already passed one hurdle.

The most important thing you can do to improve your recruitment process is to review your application form and make sure it is doing its job – allowing you to identify excellent candidates while filtering out unwanted applications.  The golden rule is, the shorter and easier your form is and the more relevant the questions, the more likely candidates are to make it to the end.


What should you include?

Always start off with basic information and questions that are easy to complete, such as name and contact details and the post applied for, as this encourages candidates to start filling out the form.

You should ask applicants to confirm their right to work in the UK, give details of previous employment, education and qualifications.

It is also very important to include a free text box to allow candidates to write a personal statement in order to sell themselves, along the lines of “why should we consider you for this role”.  It is also a good idea to give applicants room to comment on their answers, eg to explain gaps in their career or unusual career choices.  However, avoid asking too many open-ended questions, as this will lead to repetition, which makes application forms tedious to complete and to read.  Keep behavioural questions, asking candidates to demonstrate their experience, for an interview setting instead.


What should you take off?

Quite simply, take out anything that is unnecessary.  For example, do you really need details for every one of the candidate’s previous employers?  Or just the most recent or relevant?

It is also important to make sure that the questions elicit responses that are non-discriminatory.  For example, you should not ask for a candidate’s date of birth, native language or religion.  Some questions are borderline, eg asking for reference details is standard but may result in average candidates being shortlisted purely because they have impressive referees.  See our post on interview questions to avoid for more tips on avoiding discrimination.

Many not for profit employers like to collect equal opportunities information to monitor the success of their policies designed to promote diversity.  TPP’s advice is that this is a separate, completely anonymous form and not simply tacked on to the application form.


Make the process easy

Even if you can’t improve your application form, there are steps you can take to make the application process as a whole better for candidates.  Your application form should be attached to job advertisements wherever possible; requiring candidates to contact you to request a form is simply creating more work for both you and them.

Online forms are usually the easiest to complete, but even these can be difficult.  Make it clear to applicants how many sections there are to the form and what stage they have reached, and make sure that they can save their progress mid-way and that the form won’t time out.  Adding validation to required fields means that candidates can only submit the form when they’ve given you all the mandatory information you require.

Finally, after making candidates jump through hoops to apply for your job, you should always acknowledge receipt of their application and let them know the outcome, whether successful or not.  After all, people interested in working for you may also be those most likely to donate, refer or volunteer, and you don’t want to damage your relationship with them or your organisation’s reputation.


Finally, test the process

The last stage in improving your application forms is to make sure that they are clear and unambiguous and as easy as possible to complete.  The best way to do this is to have several current employees pretend to be candidates and complete the form for you, giving you feedback on the overall process.

It’s also worth getting hold of the forms used by organisations similar to yours and comparing them to your own.  If it’s much harder to apply for your roles, candidates may choose to go elsewhere instead.


Useful Resources
Application form template for charity jobs from HRBird

CIPD – How to design application forms, including good tips on avoiding discrimination

How to sell your organisation to interviewees

An interview is a two-way process; it’s an opportunity for both the organisation and the candidate to find out whether they are suitable for each other.

It looks like the job market is starting to recover, meaning that there will be more roles out there and jobseekers can start to be more selective.  And as we mentioned before, the very best candidates are always in high demand, and there are some roles that will always prove difficult to recruit for.

Particularly for smaller charities, who may not be able to compete on salary, or those in less attractive locations, it is important to sell the benefits of working for your organisation, both functional (location, salary, benefits) and intangible (passion for our work, workplace culture), so that candidates will choose to work for you.  In this month’s blog, we look at some of the most effective ways to sell your organisation during the interview process; giving you the best chance of attracting and appointing the best candidates.

Start with what your candidate wants

‘Know your customer’ is a basic rule of successful sales – in this case your customer is your candidate.  To make your organisation as attractive as possible to them, it’s important to know exactly what they’re looking for and how you can meet their expectations.

Although it’s important to keep competency-based interview questions standard to all interviewees, the section where you talk about your organisation should ideally be tailored to each individual.  Bear this in mind when you are reading through their CV or doing online research prior to an interview.  For example, if they have children (and voluntarily mention this) they are much more likely to be interested in family-friendly policies and benefits.

It’s also a good idea to find out if your candidate is interviewing elsewhere, and if so, where and when.  This gives you an idea of the timescale in which you’ll have to act to get them on board, but also gives you an idea of what they are looking for.

Of course, the easiest way to find out what is important to a candidate is simply to ask them in the interview.  You can then immediately tell them how strong your organisation is in these areas.

Do your research

You can find out a lot about how attractive your organisation is as an employer by simply asking your candidates and existing employees a few questions.  For example, speak to employees who have recently joined and ask them how they found the interview process and what particularly attracted them to the organisation or role.

After a round of recruitment, it’s best practice to follow up with candidates (particularly those who went to other organisations instead of yours) about the interview process and their decisions.  This can help you find out what’s missing from your offering and either correct it or stress other areas in which you are strong.

There’s also a lot of information out there to help you benchmark your organisation.  Use salary surveys and monitor charity job  advertising to find out if the salaries and benefits you offer are competitive and to discover which areas you’ll need to compensate for.  A good recruitment consultancy like TPP will include this in their recruitment service.

Sell the mission

People who work for charities almost always do so because they are passionate about their cause and want to make a difference.  Your organisation’s mission is one of the most valuable recruitment sales tools you have and it’s important to be able to effectively communicate the values and vision of the organisation.

In the same way as you’d attract potential donors, you can use stories to illustrate exactly how important the services you offer are and the impact that they have on the community.  Make sure you cover both what your organisation is and does, and what you hope to achieve in the future.

Wherever possible, relate what you do to the interviewee’s background and previous experience.  One of the easiest ways to do this is to ask interviewees why they want to work for you and use their reply to tell them why they should work for you.

Talk about the future

When you’re talking about your organisation, and the role in general, it’s important to cover any plans for the future, as these could have a dramatic effect on both the organisation and job.  Is the organisation planning to expand or take on new responsibilities?  Do you have an ambitious strategy or a 5-year plan?  How will this affect their department or team?

Exciting plans for the future are generally attractive to potential employees as they suggest that the organisation is ambitious and forward-thinking and that their role could develop as the organisation does.

Benefits

Benefits are one of the key ways for charities to distinguish themselves as employers without increasing salaries and jobseekers in the third sector generally expect better benefits.  Some things to consider mentioning include:

• Paid benefits like medical or dental cover or travel insurance
• Salary sacrifice schemes for computers or mobile purchases, travel loans, childcare vouchers or cycle to work schemes
• Do you offer more than 20 days annual leave?  Are there extended breaks around holidays?
• Extra payments to cover relocation or travel
• Parental leave cover
• Pension contributions
• ·         Flexible or home working options
   

TPP has done a great deal of research into charity employees’ motivations for moving roles and we have found that two areas score consistently highly: pension contributions and flexible working.  Make sure you are familiar with your organisation’s policy on flexible working and pension plan, as these are the areas that are most likely to affect a candidate’s decision to join you.

While some organisations have a fixed benefits package, others are willing to negotiate with key employees to get them on board.  Make sure you know if this is an option prior to interview, as offering them better benefits can head off rejections based on salary from the outset.

Employer Brand

While all good interviewees should have done their research into your organisation’s performance as a charity, they may not be aware of your track record as an employer.  Look for opportunities during the interview to talk about your organisation’s reputation as an employer and show them why you have this reputation.

If you have a particularly low turnover of staff, this is a good sign that they are happy working there.  You can also mention employee satisfaction surveys, if you conduct them, or any employer certifications or awards you have received.  You need to discover the things that make your organisation a good place to work and distinguishes you from other potential employers.

Office culture

We’ve talked before about the importance of recruiting to fit your organisation’s culture.  The day-to-day working atmosphere can have a big impact on how happy your employees are and it’s important to cover this in interviews so candidates know whether it will suit them.

Obviously, different candidates want different types of environment, so consider how your organisation could appeal to people at different stages of life.  Are you a ‘fun’ employer with lots of social activities, do you offer stability and family-friendly benefits, or are you a diverse organisation with a wide range of characters?

Don’t duck any issues

No organisation can be perfect for every employee and there are always going to be areas in which you score lower than others.  However, there might be some obvious things that could put candidates off.  In this case, they are best addressed in the interview, when you can put a positive spin on the problem, rather than it being swept under the carpet.

For example, if you are a smaller charity in an out-of-town location which might put some candidates off, you could stress the benefits of a rural location such as less noise and pollution, an easier commute with plenty of parking, support for the local community etc.

In this period, job stability is one of the most important motivators for jobseekers, so if your organisation has just had a reorganisation or round of redundancies, make sure you talk about the reasons why this occurred and the benefits it has brought to the organisation, as well as stressing that this period is now over.

Or get someone else to do it for you…

A significant advantage of using recruitment consultancies like TPP to fill your vacancies is that jobseekers will often trust third party endorsements more than those from the horse’s mouth.  We are experts in recruiting for the third sector, and we know exactly what best motivates our candidates.  We take the time, wherever possible, to get to know your organisation and its culture, so all the candidates we send to interview will already have a positive (but honest) impression of your organisation.

How to reject candidates without turning them off your brand

All too often, when candidates apply for roles, they are never contacted if they are unsuccessful.  Even attending an interview does not guarantee you any constructive feedback.

When employers do send out rejections, they tend to be impersonal and non-specific, either through a lack of time or from fear of causing offence.  Failing to give feedback is one of the most common mistakes employers make.

Why bother?

This is especially important for not for profit organisations, as their employees usually overlap to a great extent with their supporters and donors.  You want candidates to feel good about your organisation, even if they are unsuccessful, so they don’t spread negative comments about you among their friends and relations.

Candidates also might not be right for one role, but could be a good match for a future vacancy, or could be a potential employee after they have gained skills and experience elsewhere.  Turning them off your employer brand means you’ll lose them as a potential candidate (and possible donor or advocate) forever.

Finally, if a candidate has taken the time to fill in an application form, or to attend an interview, it’s only polite to let them know the outcome.  It may even save you time in the long run, as you won’t have to field calls or emails from candidates following-up.

When should you do it?

Best practice is to give a candidate feedback as soon as you are absolutely sure they are not right for the role, and to let them move on as soon as possible.  You don’t need to wait until you have filled the post if you are sure the candidate isn’t right.

Many employers already know at the end of interview (either on the phone or in person) if a candidate is a definite rejection, and it can be a good idea to let them know right there and then.  Candidates usually have an idea if an interview has not gone well, and most appreciate candour and honest feedback.  By giving a candidate feedback at the end of an interview, you won’t have to spend time following up with them at a later date.

Very occasionally, the candidate will be able to counter your points, bringing them back into the recruitment process.  You don’t want to miss an ideal candidate just because they may be a nervous or inexperienced interviewee.

However, most employers still prefer to take some time after an interview to reflect on a candidate’s performance or compare notes, and contact them at a later date.

What should you say?

The rule of thumb is to make feedback as constructive and personalised as possible.  A standard email may be acceptable for candidates rejected prior to the interview process, but more detailed feedback is important for interviewees.

There is really no excuse for not sending at least an email to rejected applicants – most email software will allow you to set up a mail merge or autotext that enables you to do this in seconds.  At this stage, all you need to say is that there was a high level of response to the vacancy and that other candidates met the person specification more closely.

Sweeten the pill

When you’re giving constructive criticism to a candidate, whether on the phone or by mail, it’s always a good idea to start off with the positives and give them some compliments before you tackle the areas where they fell down.  Wherever possible, you should also end by repeating their strong points.  This softens the blow of any negatives and is more likely to leave them with a positive impression of your organisation to take away.

Be honest and specific

Unsuccessful candidates who have turned up for an interview expect and deserve a clear reason for their rejection, even if it is just “we have other candidates who better matched our requirements”.

Wherever possible, tell them exactly which areas of the interview they could have handled better - most will already have a good idea of where they struggled.  Make sure your reasons are concrete, not subjective like “I didn’t feel your personality would fit with the rest of the team”.  You also need to avoid any comments that could be misinterpreted, like “I didn’t feel you could handle the workload” that could leave you open to potential charges of discrimination.

Be candid but gentle in the language you use – being honest is not the same as being blunt and ultimately you want to leave the candidate feeling good about your organisation and about themselves if possible.

Don’t mention the person you decided to hire in any way, even as a comparison.  Feedback should focus exclusively on the person you are talking to.

Finishing up

To make the feedback process feel less one-sided and more of a conversation, why not ask the candidate to supply their own comments on the interview.  This can help head off problems with your recruitment process and gives you the chance to improve your interview technique.

If you are likely to consider the candidate for future opportunities, letting them know you’ll keep their details on file will help soften the blow of the rejection.

If the candidate has been interviewed, thank them for their time and wish them luck with their future job hunt.

Always sign-off from a person, not just “HR Manager” or similar, and give them a way to contact you for further details if they need to.

Of course, all this takes time

Using a recruitment consultancy like TPP will take most of the administration of recruitment out of your hands, freeing you to concentrate on your day job.

We do the initial sift through candidate responses to advertisements, only shortlisting the ones we are confident will be a good match.  We’ll also contact all unsuccessful candidates and pass on your feedback to them, ensuring they leave with a good impression of your organisation.

We’ll also pass on any comments they make on the interview process back to you, which can be extremely useful as candidates are also more likely to be candid with a third party.

For more information or to talk about a specific role, please contact the relevant TPP division.

Further resources

Some sample rejection letters:
Sample Letter 1
Sample Letter 2
Sample Letter 3

And some examples of how not to do it!
A job rejection letter to end all others
A famous rejection letter allegedly from the BBC
Rejection letter from a candidate

Using behavioural interviewing to look behind the mask

What is behavioural interviewing?

Behavioural interviewing is an increasingly popular type of job interview, where an interviewee is asked to provide examples from their past employment of specific situations and go through how they behaved in those circumstances.  The logic is that past performance is predictive of future performance, ie how you behaved in the past will forecast how you will behave in the future.

Why use behavioural interviewing?

Behavioural interviewing is said to be the most accurate predictor of a candidate’s future performance.  Rather than simply taking a candidate's word for it that they have the skills and capabilities required for the role, this method of interviewing allows them to prove their worth.

Traditional interviewing, using open questions like “tell me about your past work experience”, often doesn’t give you enough data to accurately evaluate a candidate.  As each candidate can choose to answer these questions in a completely different way, it also makes it hard to compare candidates in an objective way.  Ultimately, a traditional interview tends to mostly judge candidates on how well they interview, rather than how well they will do the job.

Situational interviews are better, as they ask the candidate to describe how they might handle a certain situation.  However, this does allow the interviewee to talk about what they might do, rather than stick to what they did do.

By focussing purely on actual examples, behavioural interviewing makes it easier for an interviewer to objectively judge how a candidate will perform in the role.  Each question can be followed up by further questions to get more detail and depth on specific behaviours, such as “what factors did you consider when you made that decision?” or “what were you thinking at that point?”.  This makes it very difficult for interviewees to exaggerate or ‘fudge’ their answers to give you the responses they think you want to hear.

Behavioural interviews are also a really good way to discover new talent and avoid age discrimination, as they do not require the candidate to have a great deal of direct work experience, but concentrate more on transferrable skills and competencies.  Answers do not necessarily need to come from the workplace but could use examples from volunteer experience, extra-curricular activities or even family life.

Preparing your questions

Before you start putting together your list of questions for the interview, you need to establish exactly what behaviours are necessary for the role.  Use your job description and person specification to put together a list of the key responsibilities for the role and then determine how an employee would be judged successful in those responsibilities.

You’ll then need to think about the characteristics and traits necessary in an employee to deliver those successful outcomes.  Look at current successful employees in similar roles, and the qualities and skills they possess, to form a picture of your ideal candidate.  You should also consider your organisation's culture and whether you want your new employee's personality to be similar or complementary. A typical profile would include competencies like interpersonal skills, decision-making skills, creativity, flexibility, enthusiasm, time management etc.  Stick to the most important skills or you could be interviewing all day!

Once you’ve got a list of your ideal behavioural traits, you can start to make up a list of questions to judge interviewees against.  Make sure you use the same questions, in the same order, for every interview so it’s easy to compare candidates.

Typical behavioural interview questions

Behavioural interview questions are generally more specific and more probing than traditional interview questions.  Each question should be designed to elicit an example of performance from past experience and should be followed up with further tailored questions to get to the key behaviour shown.

Typical questions include:

• Give an example of an occasion when you used logic to solve a problem.
• Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.
• Describe a decision you made that was unpopular and how you handled implementing it.
• Have you gone above and beyond the call of duty? If so, how?
• What do you do when your schedule is interrupted? Give an example of how you handle it.
• Have you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren't thrilled about?
  How did you do it?
• Have you handled a difficult situation with a co-worker? How?
• Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure.

You should be asking two-three behavioural questions for each competency to give you enough information to make an accurate assessment of the candidate’s ability.

STAR statements

When answering a behavioural interview question, candidates are expected to use the STAR method to shape their responses.  When all candidates answer the question in a similar way, it makes it much easier to compare them afterwards.

STAR is an acronym for the four parts of an answer to a typical behavioural question:

Situation – the background to the example.  The situation the candidate was in or the problem that faced them. 

Task – the ultimate goal or what the candidate needed to achieve.

Action – what the candidate did and the reasons why they made this decision.  If the action was a team initiative, it is important for the candidate to focus on their role only.

Result – what did the action achieve and was the goal accomplished?  It’s not necessary for all examples to have positive results, as long as a candidate can justify their actions and show that they learnt from the results.

Assessing interviewees

Once all the interviews have been completed, use your interview notes to rate each candidate on the answers they have given.  One of the benefits of using behavioural interviews is that it helps avoid bias in interviewing, so stick to a scoring system.

For each question, identify the key behaviours that would separate an excellent candidate from a poor one.  The interviewee can then be scored against each competency.

A typical rating scale would be 1-5 where 4 or 5 was an excellent demonstration of that competency, 2 or 3 was adequate and 1 was extremely poor.

Things to consider

• Make sure your list of desired behaviours is actually reflected in the job description and person specification that you use to advertise the role, or you will end up with unsuitable candidates for interview.

•  Make sure candidates know it will be a behavioural interview when they are invited, giving them a chance to prepare their answers.  Giving a candidate the chance to prepare will get you better interview answers and should help you judge their responses more easily.

• Taking very detailed notes is an essential part of the behavioural interview process, so that you can score a candidate’s performance accurately.
   
• If you are using a recruitment agency like TPP Not for Profit, they should be able to help you put your list of desirable competencies together and help you construct behavioural interview questions.

Useful Links

Lists of behavioural competencies:
http://questionsininterview.com/list-of-core-behavioral-competencies
www.nielsongroup.com/articles/list_of_competencies.pdf
www.hr-guide.com/data/A302.htm

Top Ten Behavioral Interview Questions

75 Behavioural Interview Questions To Select The Best Candidate

TPP’s guide for candidates to competency-based interviews

How many candidates should you interview?

Have you ever spent days interviewing jobseekers for a role, only to find you don’t have anyone who really fits the job description or that you can’t agree on a favourite candidate? In this blog post, TPP looks at the pitfalls of interviewing too many (or too few) candidates and how you can get to the perfect ratio.

Why not interview everyone who’s suitable for the role?

Some organisations take the view that you should interview everyone who may be suitable for the role, so that you can compare different skill sets to find the best possible candidate. While this is a good idea in theory, in practice it creates a lot of problems for the interviewers.

First and foremost, interviewing a lot of candidates takes a huge amount of time, both in the interviews and in pre- and post-interview discussions. Having many different possibilities also means that everyone involved in the process could have a different favourite candidate, who supports their own aims or ideals, making it difficult to come to a consensus.

Lots of interviewees also create more administration. It’s important to keep in touch with your candidates and give them feedback, to manage their expectations and ensure they have a good recruitment experience that doesn’t damage your employer brand. This adds even more to your workload and eats up time.

All this prolongs the decision-making period when recruiting for a new role. Even though there are lots of jobseekers in the market at the moment, top-notch candidates still tend to get snapped up swiftly. Delay the recruitment process and you risk losing your best candidates to another organisation.

Interviewing too few candidates is also a problem, as you many not be able to fill the role, and if you do you may feel you have had to settle for a less than ideal candidate.

So what is the right number of candidates to interview?

Obviously, there is no magic formula to find the right number of interviewees. Some roles attract a wider pool of applicants, giving you a huge pool of candidates to choose from, while others may only have a couple of potential interviewees.

In TPP’s experience, admin or communications roles tend to attract huge numbers of applicants, while harder to fill roles in fundraising or at the senior end usually only result in a few candidates. But huge responses do not mean you have to interview hundreds of candidates.

As a general guideline, we suggest you meet with 3-5 candidates in the first round of interviews, and 2-3 in the second. If you are interviewing more than these, it may mean that you are not qualifying your candidates sufficiently prior to the interview. Spending some extra time in putting together a job description and person specification can save you hours spent debating the merits of different candidates later on.

How do I narrow down the list?

First of all, you shouldn’t be interviewing people with different skill sets. When putting together a job description, you should create lists of essential and desirable competencies. Also decide on the level of training you are willing to provide. Anyone who does not have all of the essential competencies can be discarded and the remainders ranked by the number of desirable skills they possess. The interview can then be used to judge cultural fit and personality instead of skills.

You can further narrow down your list of potential candidates using pre-screening techniques, such as aptitude tests and personality profiles. You can also check references and qualifications and make CRB checks if required to rule out candidates before you invest time in interviewing them.

A common reason for organisations to interview too many candidates is that they are trying to duplicate their existing star performers. This can waste far too much time and rule out candidates who many perform just as well, but in a different way. A mixture of personalities tends to work best in most organisations, as it aids idea generation and innovation.

Any potential deal breakers, like salary expectations, should be brought up in advance, not at the end of the interview; a very common interview mistake.

If you are using a recruitment agency to preselect candidates for you, make sure you give them all the available information and that they truly understand your needs. TPP always take the time to make sure we fully recognise your requirements, however urgent the role, and present you with only those candidates we are confident fully meet the brief. At TPP, the offer management process starts as soon as we meet with a potential candidate, so there will never be any nasty surprises when you’re ready to make them an offer.

Things to remember

You only actually NEED to interview one person and if the first person you see is perfect for the role, you can offer it to them straight away. Recruiters often simply don't believe their luck, and continue to interview more candidates just to compare or see who else is out there. This risks losing the original interviewee, as a candidate who is that good for you is likely to be highly viable for other roles and greatly in demand. If the candidate truly meets all your requirements, and is a good personality fit, strike while the iron is hot or you risk losing them.

If your first round of interviews fails to come up with any suitable candidates, there may be a problem with your job description. Limiting the number of applicants you see gives you a chance to fix the problems before launching on a second round, and means there are still potential candidates out there to interview.

If you are in any doubt about the ideal number of candidates to interview, your TPP consultant will be able to advise you. Plus, all of the candidates we suggest to you are pre-screened in face-to-face meetings, so we can be confident they will be a good fit for your organisation both in terms of competencies and personality.

Further resources

8 ways to effectively shortlist candidates
How many people should you call in for a first in person interview
The guerilla guide to interviewing
How many candidates should I interview

Interview questions you should avoid (and what to ask instead)

Job interviews are the best opportunity a recruiter has to find out whether a jobseeker has the skills and personal qualities required for the role, as well as determining whether the candidate’s personality would fit with the organisation’s culture.

There are some interview questions that are obviously discriminatory and avoided by almost all employers. However, when trying to build a friendly rapport during an interview, it can be easy to innocently stray into ‘grey’ areas which may seem harmless but are in fact discriminatory, and therefore potentially illegal. Employers may think they are making conversation but could be leaving themselves open to litigation.

In this blog, TPP examines how you can find out all the information you need in an interview without straying into potentially litigious territory

This information is for guidance purposes only and not legal advice. Not all the questions below are necessarily illegal, but it is best practice to avoid straying into any of these areas.

Before you start the interview…

Although anti-discrimination legislation can feel like a minefield, it doesn’t have to complicate the interview process.

By simply asking questions in a different way, you can find out the information you really want to know (ie the candidate’s suitability for the role) without asking the interviewee to divulge information about their personal life (that you don’t need to make a decision).

The exception to these guidelines is when there is an occupational requirement for a role, when an employer can objectively justify why a specific type of candidate is required, eg a religious organisation may stipulate that only candidates of that religion should apply, if it is a genuine requirement of the role.

Place of Birth, Ethnicity or Religion

Employers should steer clear completely of any questions regarding a candidate’s birthplace, background or religious affiliation. If an applicant has an unusual name, don’t ask about its origin, as the answer could possibly be grounds for discrimination.

While it is legal to ask about ethnic background on application forms, this is for monitoring purposes only and usually anonymous, and should never be brought up in an interview.

You may want to ask about religious practices to find out about any scheduling conflicts around weekends or religious holidays, but you should never ask a candidate about their beliefs. Instead, simply confirm they are able to work when they will be required to.

Don’t ask: What country are you from? Where were you born?
Do ask: Are you eligible to work in the UK?

Don’t ask: What is your native language?
Do ask: This job requires someone who speaks more than one language. What languages are you fluent in?

Don’t ask: What religion do you practice? Which religious holidays do you observe?
Do ask: Can you work in the days/schedule required for this role?

Marital Status, Children or Sexual Preference

Asking questions about someone’s children is usually just making conversation, but not appropriate in an interview setting. You cannot ask a candidate if they are planning a family, if they are pregnant or about their childcare arrangements.

This also applies to questions about marital status, which could be grounds for discrimination, as some employers may believe that married employees are more stable, or single people may have more time to devote to the job.

Any mention of an applicant’s sexual preference should also obviously be avoided.

Don’t ask: Do you have or plan to have children?
Do ask: Are you available to work overtime on occasion? Can you travel?

Don’t ask: How many children do you have? Do you have childcare arrangements in place if we need you to work out of hours?
Do ask: This job may require some overtime work on short notice. Is this a problem for you? What days/hours are you available to work?

Don’t ask: Is this your maiden name?
Do ask: Are any of your references or qualifications under another name?

Don’t ask: If you went on maternity leave, would you come back to work afterwards?
Do ask: What are your long term career goals?

Gender or Age

Steer clear of any questions that reference a candidate’s age or gender. You should certainly ask about their ability to handle the challenges of the role, but never imply that their gender or age may affect this.

The only question regarding age which is acceptable is to establish whether they are of the minimum age required for the role. A prime example of what not to say to an applicant would be to ask of someone in their sixties, “and how many more years do you see yourself in the workforce?”

Don’t ask: We’ve always had a woman/man in this role. How do you think you will handle it?
Do ask: What can you bring to this role?

Don’t ask: How do you feel about managing men/women?
Do ask: Tell me about your previous experience of managing staff.

Don’t ask: How old are you?
Do ask: Are you over the age of 18?

Don’t ask: How much longer do you plan to work before you retire?
Do ask: What are your long term career goals?

Don’t ask: When did you graduate?
Do ask: Do you have a degree or other qualification related to this role?

Location

It is very common in interviews to ask about commuting distances and times, to make sure the candidate will be able to get to work on time. However, this can be difficult to judge, as how far people are willing to commute varies wildly. Some employees are willing to travel for over an hour, while others think 20 minutes is too long.

In addition, asking someone about where they live could create discrimination issues if it is in a neighbourhood heavily populated by a specific ethnic group or social class.

Don’t ask: How far would your commute be?
Do ask: Are you able to start work at 9am?

Disability or Illness

Interviewers should be careful around any questions related to illness. Asking a candidate to explain any gaps in their CV due to long term sick leave is acceptable, but asking directly if they have any health conditions is not.

Questioning a person over a disability and whether or not it would affect their ability to do the job is grounds for disability discrimination.

Don’t ask: How many sick days did you take last year?
Do ask: How many unscheduled days of work did you miss last year?

Lifestyle Choices

An employer cannot ask an interviewee whether they smoke or how much alcohol they consume. While an employer can set rules for professional conduct and substance use at work, what an employee does in their own time should have no bearing on whether they are suitable for the job.

While you can ask about criminal records on an application form, it’s generally not a good idea to bring it up at interview. Likewise, while some roles require a CRB check, you cannot discuss the findings in a job interview.

Questions about political affiliations or group memberships should not be asked during interviews, unless they are relevant to the role in question. Although you might want to find out if they are involved in any activities that may have an impact on their time commitments, it is better to simply ask if they are able to commit to the role.

Don’t ask: Do you belong to any clubs or organisations?
Do ask: Are you a member of any professional group that’s relevant to this role?

Don’t ask: Are you a member of the Territorial Army/Special Constabulary/Other Volunteer Force?
Do ask: Do you have any upcoming commitments that would require extensive time away from work?

Height or weight

Questions about a candidate’s weight or height are also best avoided unless there are certain minimum or maximum requirements required for the role.

Don’t ask: How tall are you?
Do ask: Are you able to reach items on a shelf that’s five feet tall?

Don’t ask: How much do you weigh?
Do ask: Are you able to lift boxes weighing up to 50 pounds?

How TPP can help

If you need more help with interviewing, please see our articles on Interviewing Advice and 6 common interview mistakes employers make. TPP are always happy to advise our clients on the best questions to ask to rate a candidate’s suitability for a role.

Achieving diversity from the bottom up

Almost all not for profit organisations now recognise the value of having a diverse workforce and that achieving this is something they need to work towards. Organisations often begin by seeking to increase diversity among their senior, high visibility staff. But it is equally important to make sure that you have a diversity strategy in place for entry and lower level staff, ensuring that you are creating a pool of employees to become future leaders.

Why embrace diversity?

Employing people from a wide range of ages, backgrounds and lifestyles can add a great deal of value to organisations. Diverse workforces have a broader mix of skills, knowledge and experience, giving an organisation more creativity and flexibility to overcome challenges.  It has also been proven that increasing diversity leads to better staff retention.

For not for profit organisations, it is particularly important that their staff empathises with the beneficiaries of their services, and a diverse workforce can help to achieve this. Charities also have a public duty to promote equality, as per the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003.

Top down or bottom up?

Bringing in top level staff from a non-typical background is a great way for not for profit organisations to publicly demonstrate their commitment to diversity. However, it is also important to diversify the composition of staff at lower levels, to ensure there is a ‘talent pipeline’ that will supply the next generation of management.

Improving diversity at all levels of the company is also important in encouraging staff to believe in and support equal opportunities policies and mission statements.

So where do you start?

Obviously, to ensure you have a diverse workforce, you have to be able to measure both your existing workforce and progress against targets. When setting these targets, you need to consider the populations you want to reflect – the public in general, your specific service users and your volunteers and donors.

Following are some specific ways in which you can introduce equal opportunities at the lower levels of your organisation.

Explore different advertising options

To improve diversity in your workforce, it is important not to rely on word of mouth, referrals and traditional routes to market to advertise your roles. These generally only bring in candidates who are similar to your existing employees.

Instead, explore different networking channels such as special interest groups or training organisations. Make sure your vacancies are advertised among your organisation’s beneficiaries, by putting them on your website and in any newsletters, magazines or other publications you produce.

Start at the interview stage

If you are serious about improving equal opportunities, you need to make sure your interviews take place in accessible locations and at flexible times.

Assess each person you consider against a predetermined person specification, and not against the other candidates. Take care when writing this specification to avoid your own beliefs and attitudes don’t skew the selection criteria, and be sure that the qualifications specified are really needed to do the job and not ones based on assumptions.

Consider positive action

Reverse or positive discrimination is illegal in the UK.  However, there are measures you can take to target particular groups that are under-represented in your company.

For example, including statements such as “we welcome applications from disabled people” in your job advertising or offering guaranteed interviews to disabled candidates can encourage more of these people to apply for your roles.  You could also consider allowing certain groups more time to submit their applications.

Other positive action steps that you can consider include offering on the job training or flexible working options targeted to attract a specific group.

Recycle unsuccessful candidates

If you’ve seen a candidate who you feel would work well within your organisation, but might not be suitable for that particular role, don’t automatically dismiss them but take a while to consider how they could fit into the organisation in other ways.

Are there other vacancies coming up which they could apply for? Or is it possible to place them in a role in which they could be trained up to do the job they originally applied for?

Mentoring and work placements
A great way to bring candidates from different backgrounds into your organisation is to offer mentoring or work experience schemes. This way, you can give disadvantaged candidates some valuable work experience and career training and advice. If you come across any who might fit particularly well within your organisation, you can then choose to move them to temporary or permanent paid employment.

See the DTI Work Experience Guidelines via the Skillset website for practical advice on offering work experience.

How can TPP help?

Many employers, particularly small organisations, simply may not have the resources available to devote to diversifying their workforces. This is where a recruitment consultancy like TPP Not for Profit can offer real value.

We have arrangements with a wide variety of associations, networks and job boards, meaning that your vacancy can either receive as wide a coverage as possible or be targeted at a particular population group, depending on your requirements.

Useful Resources

The Equalities and Human Rights Commission
Diversity works for London
Chartered Institute of Professional Development
REC factsheet on the access to work scheme (provides funding to employers to improve access for those with disabilities)
REC factsheet on the recruitment of ex-offenders