#250 HR Theory (1) | Recommendations for Interviews

I haven't written about it at all, but since April of this year, I have also been in charge of "HR" and "Labor" operations, so I would like to write down my thoughts on HR tasks as a way of studying them.

What is an "interview"?

First, let's define the difference between a job interview and a casual interview.

Well, I understood it vaguely, but when defined in words again, it feels like the above.
Casual interviews have the nuance of "information exchange" and being "on equal footing."

In recruitment, we also conduct "casual interviews" that do not include selection elements, but this time I will write about interviews for our own employees.

What kinds of "interviews" are there?

There are various types of interviews, but in this note, I will not be discussing interviews like "goal-setting interviews" or "appraisal interviews" conducted by supervisors for their subordinates, but rather interviews conducted by HR department members for members of each business division.

1. New Employee Interview

This is exactly what it sounds like.
For both new graduates and mid-career hires, this involves early resolution of issues for employees immediately after joining, such as "Are there any gaps between the work before and after joining?", "Are you under any stress?", or "Is communication with colleagues going smoothly?".
In our company, we conduct interviews three times: one month, two months, and three months after joining.The ideal case is to have a certain amount of dialogue in the first month to let them vent, confirm in the second-month interview whether any concerns raised in the first month have been resolved, and by the third month, those issues are resolved and there are no problems.

2. Condition Check Interview

This is an interview to check whether they are physically or mentally exhausted or fatigued, such as by checking "working hours from the previous month" and "number of absences/lateness."
Fatigue is something you might not notice yourself, so we have them verbalize it through interviews and strive to resolve it.
In our company, we conduct this for employees who meet certain criteria (conditions).

3. Manager Interview

And I also think we need to conduct interviews for managers.
Managers carry various burdens, so I think we need to work on resolving those as well.
Since this has not been implemented yet, it is something I would like to work on.

Techniques for conducting smooth internal interviews

I keep these things in mind, so please use them as a reference!

1. Start with something completely trivial

This is what's known as an "icebreaker," but since I don't want the interview to feel formal at all, let's start with some lighthearted conversation or small talk. Personally, I think
there is room for about 10 minutes of small talk during a 30-minute interview, so communication is truly the most important thing!

2. The interview is a place to listen!

Focus primarily on listening. Even if you already know the answer, ask anyway. It is important for them to speak in their own words, so let's adopt a style of observation from our side.

3. Be sure to prepare what you are going to ask!

For second or third interviews, it is ideal to start where you left off, saying something like, "We talked about X last time, how is that going now?" That said, everyone always starts with a first interview, so be sure to organize the "things you should ask" for those times. Furthermore, you need to standardize the content of your questions and create a system so that any HR representative can conduct the same interview without it becoming dependent on a specific individual.

4. Be sure to take notes on what you hear!

This is obvious. The rule is to record it while your memory is still fresh.

5. Make sure to put the content of the interview to good use

This is the most important part. It is meaningless to just conduct interviews and store information as an HR representative. Information is only information when it is used correctly.

First, if a concern raised in an interview with Person A is a common issue that might also occur for Person B or C, whom you will interview later, you must think of a way to solve that problem as soon as possible. Elevate individual problems into company-wide issues.

However, most cases will not be like the one above. In those instances, offer a solution within your capabilities, and if that is not possible, ask for permission by saying, "Shall I try consulting with your supervisor about this?" Reporting what an employee said in an interview to their supervisor without permission is a no-go, as it leads to a loss of trust. Always get their consent.

Also, this is something I do personally, but I make it a point to convey not just negative information, but also positive information to the interviewee's supervisor. I believe that telling a supervisor, "Person A is working with very high motivation right now," leads to benefits.

6. Do not pack too many interviews into a single day!

Everyone has a different capacity for listening to others.
It is quite difficult to conduct too many hearings at once, so prioritize balance.

7. Interviews should basically be 1-on-1!

Let's eliminate any intimidating atmosphere!

The effects brought about by interviews

By talking about (or listening to) both good and bad news, things are verbalized and clarified.
While it is a psychological reality that the number of interviews increases your workload, it is also a psychological reality that the number of interviews reveals issues, so let's adopt a 'haste makes waste' mindset and conduct interviews proactively.

The primary purpose is 'problem solving,' but there is also an aspect of 'fostering communication,' which I believe is truly important, so let's make effective use of our limited time!