Talent Acquisition

Consistency Matters

Throughout the interview process, each candidate should get the same chance and evaluation. This includes using the same questions, objective criteria, and benchmarks. We don't make decisions about a candidate until we've followed these steps.

Equal Opportunity Statement
It is the policy of The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or The University) to provide an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. In accordance with federal and state law, the University prohibits unlawful discrimination, including harassment, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, disability, genetic information, and/or veteran status. The University also prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity, and gender expression. Retaliation against persons who oppose a discriminatory practice, file a charge of discrimination, or testify for, assist in, or participate in an investigative proceeding relating to discrimination is prohibited. Constitutionally protected expression will not be considered discrimination or harassment under this policy. It is the responsibility of all departments, employees, and students to ensure the University's compliance with this policy.

For more information, visit our Employee Engagement website.

Focus on Job Qualifications
During interviews, we should avoid questions that touch on these sensitive topics. If a candidate brings them up, don't write them down or use them for evaluation. Politely guide the conversation back to job-related questions.

No matter what job you're hiring for, whether you're the only decision-maker or part of a team, having a well-organized interview process is crucial. It not only helps you find the best candidate but also speeds up the hiring process.

Different hiring situations require different interview strategies. You might have a lot of candidates to start with, many people making decisions, or tricky details that need careful judgment.

Here's a key idea:
You can break the hiring process into phases and use different methods as long as every candidate gets a fair chance at each stage. For example, you could use phone or virtual interviews to check qualifications and then bring the top candidates for in-person meetings or panel discussions.

Here are some methods you can use:

• Phone Interviews
• Virtual Interviews
• Face-to-face one-on-one meetings
• Face-to-face group discussions

For more information on planning an efficient interview process, work with your recruiter and check out the Interview Planning Guide.

And don't forget these helpful checklists before and after the interviews:

Understanding the Job Requirements

Every job is different, with its own set of skills, knowledge, and qualities needed for success. Figuring out exactly what these requirements can be tricky, but it's super important for making smart hiring choices.

When you clearly spell out the kind of experience, knowledge, and behavior a job needs, you're basically setting up a solid framework to judge candidates.

Setting Clear Priorities

Once you've got a full list of these job requirements, you can figure out which ones are most important. This means you can weigh the significance of each requirement and focus your interview on getting the most important and relevant information to compare candidates.

Check out the Qualification Selection Template. This tool will help you with selecting qualification that contribute to the success of the position you are hiring for.

Preparing Your Questions

To ensure you're evaluating candidates fairly and focusing on the right job requirements, it's smart to plan your questions ahead of time. This way, you can measure every candidate using the same standards. Check out the Developing Interview Questions guide for help.

Interview Notes

Interview notes need to be maintained by only ONE designated person per department. This can be the hiring manager, or the chair, if there is a interview/search committee.

Only the interview notes from the final chosen candidate needs to be uploaded with the hiring proposal for approval.

If hiring managers or the interview committee decide to use one of the Matrix examples below or their own matrix, the full matrix must be uploaded with the hiring proposal in lieu of the interview notes.

Scoring and Matrix

When candidates answer your questions, score their responses using an objective scale, like "not satisfactory to excellent" or "1 to 5". Create an evaluation tool early in the recruitment process. This tool should include the skills, knowledge, and behaviors outlined in the job description or job posting. This tool will serve as a structured framework to objectively assess candidates. You create your own evaluation tool or use one of the examples provided below.

Remember, the tool you create or use needs to be the same tool you use throughout the screening process.

Different Question Styles

The way you ask questions can reveal a lot about a candidate's qualifications. Choose your question style carefully to get a better understanding of their experience, knowledge, and professional skills. Here are some types of questions:

• Preliminary (screening) questions: These help you filter candidates in or out.
• Traditional questions: Directly ask about a candidate's background.
• Technical questions: Focus on specific technical aspects of the job.
• Situational questions: Ask candidates how they'd handle common workplace situations
• Case questions: Describe a hypothetical situation and ask candidates to solve it.
• Behavioral questions: Have candidates describe real-world situations, actions they took, and the results.

For more information about planning and conducting interviews, see the Interview Planning Guide. It's a handy resource to help you through the process.

Once the interview is over, it's time to assess the candidates. Here's what you need to do:

1. Use Your Interview Questions: Evaluate each candidate based on the questions you asked during the interview. Think about how well they answered and how their responses match the job requirement.
2. Evaluate Everyone: Make sure to assess all the candidates who interviewed for the role. This ensures a fair and consistent evaluation process.
3. Equal Criteria: Judge all candidates using the same questions and criteria. This way, you can easily compare them to decide who is the best fit for the job.
4. Rating Scale: Consider using a rating scale to score candidates. This helps you provide a structured assessment. For example:
   • Rating 1 (Below Requirements): Demonstrates competency inconsistently, even with guidance. Few good examples.
   • Rating 2 (Meets Requirements): Demonstrates competency accurately and consistently in most situations with minimal guidance. Many good examples.
   • Rating 3 (Exceeds Requirements): Demonstrates desired behavior and competency accurately and consistently in almost all situations, often with no guidance. Many good examples.

By following these steps, you can effectively evaluate candidates and make informed hiring decisions.

Matrix examples/template are available to download under the Effective Interviewing Made Simple drop-down above.