Interviewing skills lacking in many organisations … Shannon Chamber members told

Helen Downes, CEO, Shannon Chamber (left) pictured with Sinead English, founder and CEO of Hilt, at the seminar on interviewing skills held recently in Shannon Airport House. Photograph by Eamon Ward

Shannon Chamber members have been warned about the impact bad interviewing can have on their business, particularly at a time when hiring is a competitive landscape.

A recent presentation to chamber members, given by Sinead English, founder and CEO of Hilt, a leading provider of career growth advisory services for both individuals and organisations, heard that, while hiring talent shapes the future of any company, 65% of those conducting interviews are not trained to do so. Many are simply volunteer interviewers, tasked with selecting and onboarding new hires.

The purpose of the seminar delivered by Ms English was to give members insights into how to interview and select candidates with the capability to deliver on what they promise in an interview.

“Being a great judge of people or phrases such as ‘I’ll know it when I see it’ are simply unacceptable when searching for skills critical to an organisation’s development. Interviews shape the future of a company; that’s why hiring managers need to have a system in place to get it right first time,” stated Ms English.

Ms English listed the five key steps which enable interviewing excellence, namely: identifying the skills required; mapping the questions that meet the criteria for the job; not taking candidates’ answers at face value but probing for deeper information; eliminating bias and selling the position so that those being interviewed know exactly what their future potential within the organisation might be, if hired.

“Unless the interview process is structured and people are trained to interview, the desired outcomes won’t be attained,” she added.

Having worked with thousands of individual and corporate across 30 industries over the past decade, Ms English also listed some of the pitfalls of interviewing which she has encountered, such as companies being unclear about what exactly they need to evaluate, bias in an interviewing mindset, and an elongated time lapse between interview and response to a candidate.

“Candidates expect feedback. If a company is slow in contacting a candidate post interview, that talent may be lost, particularly if the talent pool for a particular skill is limited.

“If candidates have a negative experience during an interview, or with the company, the likelihood that they will share this with others is extremely high. They may also share their view on social media, which could be damaging for a company,” she added.

She also warned attendees about evidence of ChatGPT use in interviews and cover letters.

“You need to be able to spot the use of ChatGPT. That’s why rote answers in an interview need to be probed. You need to know that the person you are hiring has the skills in practice and not in words on paper, written by someone else.”

Having worked as a Human Resources manager prior to joining Shannon Chamber, CEO Helen Downes was energised after the seminar.

“With companies competing for talent, the messages delivered were exactly what our members need to hear. The cost to a company of making a wrong hiring decision can be immense. It can result in lost production, disruption of productivity of other employees, missed business opportunities, and potential damage to company reputation.

“The time and money spent on recruitment, onboarding and temporary replacements for the role must also be factored it. When 85% of companies say they have made a bad hire, understanding how to recruit and who should recruit warrants more attention. It is something Shannon Chamber will be advising its members to zone in on, added Ms Downes.