What to Listen for in the Hiring Process

Listening in the hiring process enables both the interviewer and the job candidate to connect with each other to determine if there is a good match for a new working relationship. Listening from the interviewer's perspective will be slightly different than the job candidate's, but both involve focusing on what the other is saying or not saying and getting clarification as the need arises.

Awareness can Improve Listening
Whether you're the job candidate or the person performing the interview, take a good look at your ideas and thought process on how you believe a business should be ran and other business practices. Examine your own past good and bad business experiences with your boss or other manager. Understand that the company you're interviewing with or the candidate you're interviewing will not always possess the same viewpoint. Take note of what types of statements trigger you at an emotional level and be aware that a statement that seems to put you "off" during the process should not necessarily be construed as negative.

Interviewers Should Listen for Facts First
Whether you have a list of formulated questions your company requires you to ask candidates or whether you formulate your own list, listen for facts first. Facts will usually entail specific details. For example, listen for concrete numbers and figures from the candidate. If a candidate can tell you that he increased his sales quota by 25 percent over the course of six months, that indicates thoughtfulness, attention to detail and maybe indicates accuracy. If a candidate says instead, "I did good at my last sales job. Worked there for a year and got a promotion and I liked the people I worked with," this could indicate that a candidate did not put a lot of thought into their accomplishments or may not be thinking too much about their career future or the candidate may not possess the skills to articulate his accomplishments.

Candidates Should Listen for Objectivity
Candidates want the best shot at getting the job as possible and while there are rules and regulations in place during the hiring process to prevent discrimination from happening, candidates should be on the look out for indicators they may not be given the most objective evaluation. Questions that have nothing to do with the job qualifications really should not be asked an in some cases are illegal. For example, your age, your marital status, your religion or whether or not you have kids do not determine whether or not you're capable to do the job unless the job specifically requires it. Those cases could include serving alcohol in which you must be 21 years of age, be able to drive a company vehicle so you have to be at least 18 years of age and so forth.

Body Language Plays a Role
Both the candidate and interviewer should "listen" to the other person's body language. Note how the other person carries himself. Take note of how clean the desk is or how appropriate the candidate's attire is for the interview. Watch to see if the interviewer or candidate makes eye contact and if so for how long. Interviews can cause a candidate to be nervous and cause palms to sweat or other things to happen during an interview where it may cause the interviewer to become uneasy. Asking clarifying questions on either end can help clarify and get to the facts. The pupils of an eye will get smaller under stress and sometimes people will look away or change their breathing patterns when they are not telling the truth.