I often get asked for some quick and easy advice on ‘how to interview’ by clients or professional connections that do not have a lot of experience with the process. While I do have a system that I use, I should be clear in saying that there is not one perfect approach nor is there a clear industry standard. I believe that the key is to be organized and to put yourself in a position to make useful comparisons so you can come away the information that you need.

Everyone understands that making good hiring decisions is an essential part of being successful. In my experience, the mistake people make too often during interviews is simply being too conversational, allowing the process to flow naturally without a specific focus, and then coming away with a “gut feel” that represents a “yes” or “no” answer. This makes it very difficult to compare different candidates. Moreover, as the process usually involves different decision makers at different levels, each with their own experiences and priorities, the process often results in differing opinions and having candidates come and go without any learning going forward.

When I was working in industry I faced these problems. As a result, I pitched an idea to my CEO and, after he came back with a key addition, we ended up with a system we called the “3P Interview Approach”.

In short, the idea is you plan the interview with a separate approach for three different goals. For each of the “three Ps”, you should finish with a distinct impression rather than falling for the trap of having an hour long conversation and then trying to rely on a general comfort level. With this approach you balance and prioritize all three Ps according to your situational requirements with a clear understanding of what you are getting and what you may be giving up. It breaks down as follows:

1. Practical:

Here you are focused on the immediate day to day requirements of the position. It is the easiest portion to interview for as you are effectively working from a check list of existing responsibilities. If the individual has direct experience then you can be very conversational and get a clear sense of the person’s work style. If the individual is taking on significant new responsibilities you will need to have more of a behavioural approach, asking them for examples of when they have faced similar challenges and how they responded. In the end you make a decision about how well that you believe the person can function in the job in the short term.

2. Potential:

This is the most difficult portion of the interview – you are trying to get a sense of what additional contributions the person can make and how far in the organization he/she can progress.

Some of my favourite questions to help determine Potential: - What is the biggest mistake you have made professionally and what did you take from it? - At what point in your career were you most professionally engaged and most enjoying your work? What exactly were you doing? What were your biggest challenges at that time? - What do you consider to be your greatest personal (non-professional) accomplishments?

3. Person:

Here is where you want to get a sense of whether the person will be a positive cultural addition completely independent of his/her ability to perform the work. Although this is more intuitive it is something most people make the mistake of discounting. Mostly friendly conversation will give you a sense, but it is important to do some probing. Here are some examples: - What type of work culture are you most comfortable in and why? - Have you even been in a professional situation where you had a personality or culture clash? Discuss? - What do you think your references would identify as development points (humility check)? - Was there ever a time when you felt you weren’t getting the credit you deserved? When has your employer most frustrated you?

There are no correct answers here, but it is important you let the person talk as much as possible and listen to your instincts.

In the end, separating the conversation in this fashion allows different decision makers to have clear discussions with each other in order to understand why different people might be prioritizing different kinds of candidates. The most common example I see is that direct hiring managers often focus on the practical side because they want their day-to-day needs addressed, while senior management tends to focus on the potential. Unfortunately, by not organizing the conversation in this way, the two sides may never agree on who represents the perfect candidate.

Finally, I would say for all three Ps the most important advice I can give is “If you aren’t sure about something, ask a follow up question.” If you don’t understand, make them explain. Don’t make any assumptions.

I hope that some will find this helpful.

Mark