1. Focus Questions on…  Candidate’s competencies  How they would translate those skills to this setting  How they see themselves fitting into the position and accomplishing the tasks  Strengths, weaknesses, & future perspectives…without asking directly

2. Interview Questions should…  Stay away from “yes/no” responses  Avoid illegal subject matter  Be professional & consistent

3. Illegal Subject Matter…  Age  Race & ethnicity  Religion  Number of children  Sexual orientation/marital status  Credit ratings  Arrests, court records  Political affiliation  Union activity  Disability  Gender

4. Illegal Subject Matter… Legal  Military experience  Photo required after hiring  Name of emergency contact  No religious questions Illegal  Type of discharge  Photo required prior to hire  Relationship to the emergency contact  Holy observances, name of minister

5. Tie ?’s to Competencies  Don’t ask strengths & weaknesses  Push for details….

6.  Competency: –Possess an understanding of customer service practices  Question: –Describe a time when you delivered superior customer service. –What was the most embarrassing customer service situation you have had? –Tell me about a situation when you had to deal with an angry patron.

7.  Competency: –Ability to manage multiple tasks & set priorities  Question: –Describe a situation in which your workload was too heavy. How did you handle it. –What system do you use to establish priorities and manage tasks?

8. Putting Questions in Order  Begin with general questions about the individual and their experience –relax the individual  Then focus on specific tasks/skills –probing for knowledge  Increasingly focus the questions  Be prepared to respond to individual questions from candidate General Questions First level focus questions Narrowly focused questions