53 The 5 Biggest Interview Pitfalls: 1. Asking hokey questions about ridiculous topics “Which color would you be if you were an M&M? And why?” might feel creative and even deep to some, but the odds of you learning something that will help you to determine whether this can- didate is likely to grow in their job, reach and ex- ceed their goals, and consistently replicate their success over time are pretty slim. Don’t waste their time or yours with questions like that. 2. Failing to spend time preparing for the interview Even with the best intentions, most hiring managers don’t take enough time to get ready for their interviews. Especially if they are short-handed and balancing more on their plate than they normally do! Instead, they pull out the resume right before the candidate arrives and proceed to fly by the seat of their pants, asking questions about resume items that look inter- esting. It’s often a long time later when they re- alize their missed opportunity. 3. Asking questions for which the right answer is always "yes." Most interviews that I have observed (outside of the structured talent interviews that I con- duct) seem to fall into this pattern. Candidates might elaborate after each question, sharing a bit about the why or the how, but they intuitively know that the right answer to these questions is yes. Open-ended questions will provide you with much more to work with. For example: • “Do you think you can handle the tough nego- tiations that go along with the major accounts that are on this list?” "Yes." • “We focus a lot on our goals here and it’s im- portant that everyone makes budget every month. Is that a good environment for you?” "Yes." 4. Allowing glare to interfere with objectivity If the candidate attended your alma mater, shares aninterestinoneofyourhobbies,orjustreturned from your favorite vacation spot, it is much more difficult to get an unbiased read of their potential. It’s easy to fall in love with the person you are in- terviewing and, with those rose-colored glasses on, throw a bunch of softballs at them before you make what might ultimately be the wrong hire. 5. Trying to cover too much ground during one interview In an effort to get to know the candidate bet- ter, hiring managers often toss a wide variety of questions at them in one sitting. They ask ques- tions about skills, experience, goals, personality, preferences, resume highlights, and past failures instead of taking the narrow and deep approach that would have provided great insight. They may leave with lots of notes, but little of value. How to Avoid These Pitfalls There is a simple and easy way to avoid these 5 pitfalls and prepare for an interview that will determine whether or not you should move forward with your candidate. For years, I have taught clients to begin their interviews with an open-ended, experiential question like, “Tell me about a time when you accomplished something that you felt was remarkable.” Or, “Give me an example of a goal you reached that you believe was life-changing.” These are what I call founda- tion questions. Then, after asking that foundation question, I instruct them to continue asking a series of fol- low-up questions that steadily dig deeper and uncover more specific information related to the candidate’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.