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Home » Business And Finance Articles » Effective Interviewing

Effective Interviewing

"If you are not using the right bait, you'll catch nothing."
- Bryce's Law

INTRODUCTION

Key to any Information Technology development project is the ability to effectively interview with end-users, people from business units who are not necessarily graced in the acumen of I.T., yet need solutions to some rather pressing business problems for their departments. Yet interviewing skills seem to be in decline lately, particularly among I.T. personnel. Its really not that difficult, but it requires a certain type of person to perform it adequately; someone who is naturally curious and works well with others, a "people-person."

How you interview someone in business is somewhat different than how Barbara Walters interviews a celebrity on television. Although there are lessons she can teach us, you must remember you are not there for anyone's entertainment. True, you want to be sociable, but you also need to get to the point.

There are essentially three types of situations for interviewing a user during an I.T. development project:

1. To specify information requirements (as to what is needed and why).
2. To review designs for viability and acceptance.
3. For current systems analysis.

In all three situations the interviewer must be one part detective, one part lawyer, and one part translator. The interviewer must be a detective in order to know how to investigate a problem and know what to look for; he must be a lawyer in order to know how to ask the right questions, and; he must be a translator to interpret what the user is saying.

KNOW THY USER

The first thing the developer must know is some background information on the person to be interviewed. The developer must be able to assimilate the user's job and his interests to better serve the user as well as to gain his trust. To do so, pertinent organization charts and job descriptions should be referenced in advance to study the scope of the user's area of responsibility and employee reporting relationships. Further, the developer should understand the user's products or services he is responsible for, along with the customers and vendors he works with. The more the developer knows about the user prior to meeting him, the more credible he will be and the better his chances are for satisfactorily serving the user.

To develop the proper rapport, dress presentably, act professionally, and communicate effectively. Appearances in this regard are very important. Nobody wants to confide their interests in a Huckleberry who doesn't appear to know what he is doing. Dressing and acting professionally expresses respect for the other person, as does a firm handshake. Very important: speak to communicate. This means the developer should communicate in terms the user will understand, not the other way around. Technical jargon should be avoided as this may be misinterpreted by the user and may even alienate him, thereby creating a hostile or uncooperative working relationship. Further, avoid the temptation to use slang, try to be as articulate as possible.

Learn to read the body language of the person you are interviewing. Look for signs of being guarded versus being open and candid. Likewise, consider your own body language so that you invite discussion. You want to convey an image that you are genuinely interested in what the user has to say. For example, don't let your eyes wander around the room during the interview, stay focused on what the other person is saying.

Observe protocol. Remember, when you are visiting the user, you are on someone else's turf. Do not be presumptive, take nothing for granted. Ask permission to tour the user's area, talk to pertinent people, and gather notes. A little professional courtesy can go a long way.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Prior to meeting with the user, prepare a thorough interview outline highlighting the questions or subject areas you will be inquiring about. True, the actual interview will undoubtedly stray from the outline, but it offers you some structure to maximize your use of time. Also, to enhance productivity during an interview, it is a good idea to communicate the purpose of the interview to the user and what your objectives are. This should be done well in advance of the interview to give the user ample time to prepare for the meeting. Ideally, the user should be presented with a copy of the interview outline prior to the meeting.

During the interview, take plenty of notes. Frankly, I am of the old-school whereby I use nothing more than paper and pencil. I still find users who are intimidated by computer laptops and other recording devices. As an aside, some of the best interviewers I have seen over the years knew "shorthand" which simplified taking notes, but I'm afraid this is a language facing extinction. If you wish to use computer technology during the interview, be sure the user doesn't have a problem with it, nor that it will inhibit his dialog with you.

In terms of venue, the interviewer must determine a suitable site to conduct the interview, either in the user's office, your office, or a neutral site. Users tend to be more comfortable in their own offices where it is easier for them to reference paperwork for you. The only problem though is the possibility of interruptions (phone calls or people stopping by). Holding the interview in your office tends to be more threatening and may actually inhibit the person by making him think it is an inquisition. A neutral site near the user's area is better to minimize distractions and allows the user to remain comfortable in his own area of responsibility. For example, I have seen some excellent interviews conducted in sequestered meeting rooms where the interviewer can scribble notes on a blackboard or flip chart. This can be very conducive for clarifying points during the interview, as well as general brain storming sessions.

During the interview, the developer tends to play the role of a lawyer, which means he probably knows the answer to a question before asking it. A well structured interview, therefore, is used to confirm your suspicions more than anything else. As in the lawyer analogy, avoid "fishing trips" whereby the interview goes down pointless avenues of discussion. Remember, if you are not using the right bait, you'll catch nothing. Stay focused, stay in control and don't let the interview digress into meaningless ramblings.

During the interview, there will be a lot of "give and take" in terms of controlling the direction of the interview. The interviewer should avoid jousting but always remain firmly in control of the meeting. Stay on target and accomplish the objectives as specified on your interview outline.

"WHY?"

More than anything, the interviewer is trying to understand the rationale for something. Because of this, it is no small wonder the term "Why?" is the most commonly used expression in his vernacular. When I am specifying user information requirements, I like to approach the question in another manner. For example, I'll say something to the effect, "Assuming I can deliver the information to you in the manner you want, what will you do with it?" In other words, I am looking for the user to describe the business actions and decisions to be supported by the information, thereby justifying the need for it. This is a nice alternative to constantly asking, "Why?" Another technique is to simply ask the user for examples in order to illustrate his points.

How a manager perceives something may be different than what happens in fact. Consequently, I often find it necessary to interview key secretaries and clerks who are more intimate with the daily flow of business in the work area than the manager might be. Their answers may confirm or conflict with what the manager says. Nevertheless, it is the responsibility of the interviewer to find and substantiate the truth.

CONCLUSION

In interviewing, it is not so much what you ask as it is how you ask it. As such, both tact and diplomacy are part of the game. The interviewer has to convey a positive image of trustworthiness, professionalism, and organization. Further, he has to be able to ask pointed questions, as well as being approachable to confide in.

Aside from the human dynamics of interviewing, organization is vital for success, if for nothing else than to maximize your use of time (as well as the other person's). Take good notes during the interview, pick through them carefully afterwards, and document them for review by the user for clarity. This review is important. Its like saying, "This is what I understood you to say; is this a correct interpretation?" Clearing up misinterpretations and inconsistencies early in a development project will save considerable time and money later on. As the old adage goes, "The best surprise is no surprise."

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Business Strategies Straight from the Horse's Mouth

When I became a coach six years ago, I had a dream that took me a while to admit toâ€"even to myself. What I really wanted to do was to combine the two great passions of my lifeâ€"coaching and working with horsesâ€"but I had no idea what that might look like. As I bravely shared my fledgling dream with others, people began to point me to other people who had the same dream. I started exploring and discovered that the field of Equine Guided Education is a lively and growing one, where there's plenty of space for the coaching process to be incorporated.

You might be surprised to learn that coaching with horses provides a depth and immediacy that brings new information, even about business development. Synchronicity happens in the domain of energyâ€"energy from our thoughts, our emotions, our body, our spirit. Horses, unencumbered by language, read and reflect this energy, providing unbiased feedback. How does coaching with horses work, you ask? To give you an example of how this process works, I want to share my experience of doing my coaching process with horses around my own business questions.

Here's what happened...

Background: I am deeply committed to bringing Equine Guided Coaching and Education to the world, but unsure of how, exactly, to grow my business. So the question now is "What's next?"

Equine Guided Coaching Process: One warm, sunny October day when I had a few extra minutes at the barn, I went out into the pasture where the six horses I work with were grazing. As I stood in the middle of the pasture, I posed the questionâ€"to myself and so to the horsesâ€""What is next for my business, for this business with horses?"

Very quickly a horse named Digby came up to me. Digby is a thoroughbred horse who takes his rider over those 4- and 5-foot jumps you see in the Olympics. His athleticism and performance are not small potatoes. I said, "Hi Digby, why are YOU here?" As I looked at him, the thought occurred to me (openness to the synchronicity of thoughts is key to this work with horses) that he is large, the second largest horse in the pasture. I said, "Well, you are big. Am I supposed to play BIG with this business?" Just as I finished that thought, Colin came up. Colin is a Clydesdale-quarter horse cross and is the biggest horse in the pasture, with big feet, bones and a tall, strong stature. As I looked at Colin and petted his nose, it came to me that I'm supposed to play REALLY big. Gulp! I immediately noticed the fear that came up for me around this. Then I thought: "What does 'playing big' mean for me? How would it look in my business?" As I accepted that this was the message they came to tell me, both horses turned and went back to grazing, leaving me alone to let this idea settle in, confirming that I'd understood what they'd had to say.

Now these messages from the horses come quickly, and the full implication doesn't always sink in immediately. What happened in the hour after my time with Digby and Colin started to clarify what "playing big" actually meant. My business partner and I had invited our insurance representative to the pasture to experience a sample equine-guided coaching session since she had expressed interest in what we were doing. As is typical, she experienced deep and profound shifts in her thinking about the actions she could take in her life. She became aware of important new options that had simply never occurred to her before. For example, normally a type A personality, she had never thought of the possibility of a more relaxed lifestyle. She saw that she could use space and openness to see what is next for her rather than more busy-ness. As we talked about it over lunch afterwards, our agent expressed such enthusiasm about our work and strongly urged us to incorporate our business to fully professionalize our work. And she asked if she could invite people she knows in the horse world to a workshop so that they could also experience the power of this process!

Synchronously, once I offered my question about how to direct my business to the process of equine-guided coaching, I not only received an inner direction to consider building my business to be really big, but also began to discover what that might entail, actually taking a first step to begin to grow it. Coaching with horses this way grounds the process so that we step out of our minds and invite all of ourselvesâ€"body, mind, and spiritâ€"to engage with our intentions and clarified direction. The response is almost always startling and exciting, filled with the lively energy of newness. In these few months since Digby and Colin made the message known to me, we have conducted a workshop with eight influential friends of our insurance representative, incorporated a new business called Wisdom Horse Coaching, which will serve as an umbrella for all of our work with horses, and have presented a demonstration of our work at the first annual Equine-Guided Education Association conference held in California to 70 people from all over the USA and seven other countries in the world who are doing this work with horses.

For more equine coaching information go to www.WisdomHorseCoaching.com.