“Who here is hiring right now?” Nancy Newell asked the attendees of SHRM 2011 in Las Vegas this past week, before quickly answering her own question: “Every hand should be up. We’re always looking for great talent.”

To help the human resource managers and recruiting professionals in her audience do just that, Newell, SPHR and a principal at nth degree consulting, led the audience in a session called, “Beyond Behavioral Interviewing: Asking the RIGHT Questions, Evaluating the Answers.”

Newell discussed the following strategies for what to do – and what to avoid – when it comes to finding the right candidate through behavioral interviewing.

Do This: Look beyond interview skills.
Not That: Mistake a good interviewer for a good candidate. Candidates today are more sophisticated than they used to be, Newell told the crowd. They know what interviewers want to hear.  “They’re good at interviewing, because a lot of them have had a lot of practice at it.” Someone who has been in the workforce for five, 10 or 20 years, however, will have rusty interview skills. That doesn’t necessarily predict what sort of employee that person will be.

Do This: Gather information during the interview.
Not That: Evaluate information during the interview. The interview process is your data-gathering process. The assessment should come after the interview. “If you find yourself evaluating during interview, I’m not going to tell you not to do it, but I want you to be aware of when it happens,” Newell said.  Everyone has biases, Newell admitted, but theses biases create “a filter that isn’t necessarily there, and that precludes you from making an accurate assessment for how this person will live in your organization.” You can’t always help it when your biases come out, but be able to recognize them for what they are so you can move on and focus on the purpose of the interview: gathering information.

Do This: Ask about past behavior.
Not That: Ask about potential behavior. Asking about specific past behavior will give you the most accurate predictor of future behaviors – and the more recent, the better.  A question that begins with “Tell me about a time when…” for example, is much more predictive than “What would you do if…” which tends to lead candidates to say what they think you want to hear, rather than give a real-life example that provides insight into their skills, personality and work ethic.

Do This: Get the information you need up front.
Not That: Give the milk away for free. Ask the questions first, then talk about the job and the company. Start by coaching candidates through the interview process, explaining the format and that there will be time for questions at the end. But don’t lead them by talking up front about the job and the organization, which enables them to give you the answers they know you want to hear. Remember, what you say and when you say it matters.

Do This: Consider the skills and competencies needed for the job.
Not That: Consider ONLY at skills and competencies need for the job. “There’s more to a job than skills and competencies. There’s a whole team to consider,” Newell said. When interviewing candidates, consider what skills are needed to round out the team, which skills will work best with the manager, and which skills will work best for your organization’s customers. Also, be sure to consider the skills you’re willing to train them on, so you don’t waste time asking about those. In short: hire for cultural fit as well as skills and competencies.

Do This: Ask the same questions of every candidate.
Not That: Apply the above rule to follow-up questions. “If we aren’t measuring candidates by the same yardstick,” Newell said, meaning asking the same questions of every candidate, “we have no reliability or predictability in the interview process…the yardstick doesn’t measure anything.” Follow up questions, however, can and should be different. Don’t be afraid to “pull the thread” to get the entire picture. Not only will you be able to ensure the behaviors your candidates talk about are consistent, but you’ll also be able to see whether or not their initial responses were genuine.

Finally, do this: Accept that there’s no “magic bullet” to getting the right answers from candidates and ensuring the right hire. If you invest the time, energy and discipline into the process, you’ll reap the rewards in the long term. According to Newell, “It’s not an easy process, but it’s so worth it.”