Naturally, no one can do a better job than you. And no one has a more vested interest in the outcome. Or do they?

Unless this is your first hire for the first person on your team (and if it is, you definitely need help doing the interviewing), whoever you hire will be a coworker to the rest of your team. They will also have to live with your choice. Depending on the size of your team and your expectations of them, they may have a greater interest in a successful outcome than you do. Wouldn’t you if you were in their place?

Besides making the team feel good, what are the pros and cons of having multiple people in the interview process?

Pros:

1. No one, not even a genius, renaissance man can see every angle, can pick up on every nuance, can think of everything.

2. During the actual interview, team members can ask a variety of questions that you would have to have multiple personalities to pull off.

3. The team can get a feel for the personality and capabilities of the candidate. Believe it or not, candidates will tell things to an interviewer they know is not going to be their boss that they would never dream of telling you! And not all of it is constructive to their case.

4. The candidate gets a feel for your team and what kind of boss you are. And that’s good! Remember that interviews are always two-way streets. You are looking for a good fit–and that means someone who will fit in with your team and with your style.

5. More ways to spread the blame if you end up making a bad decision. [big smilie here] While this is, indeed, true, the likelihood that you will need this reason is seriously lessened with team interviewing and decisioning. If you follow this process fully (including properly picking the interview team), there is little likelihood that the team will make a bad decision. Disclaimer: Anybody can make a bad decision, even a team. But if you picked your interview team with an eye to diversity; gave them some coaching on interviewing (what to look for and how to interview); and let them express their doubts and excitements about candidates, your chances of making a bad selection are significantly reduced.

6. Depending on your personality, you may or may not like breaking bad news to the candidates. It can be easier to say “The team has selected someone else” than to say “I have selected someone else.” (I am not going to get into a discussion about whether this is a good or bad thing. But it is a fact of life.)

7. It can make it easier in the phone interview when you explain the process, that there will be joint decision as to who to call back.

Cons:

1. It takes up more time.

You have to work with the team’s schedules (and if they aren’t busy, why are you hiring?)

You have to work through the process with them. It is definitely faster for you to do it yourself (but not necessarily better.)

You spend time working up the questions each will ask, accounting for different viewpoints.

2. It takes more energy.

Working through team dynamics. (This is no time for controlling behavior.)

Working on handling different viewpoints, opinions, and priorities.

Coaching them on interviewer skills. (Don’t leave this out if you go the team route.)

The pros and cons are roughly equal in number and that’s a good thing from my point of view. That means that you can’t pick one or the other based on numerical superiority but must actually weigh them and determine what is best for your situation.

I know of situations where a team was the wrong choice. I also know of some where they were the only good choice. And I have been on one team where it would have been the right choice if we had had the training and coaching I spoke about above.

So what’s my recommendation? Look at your situation, weigh the pros and cons, and go with what is best for you this time. And look at it all again next time. Because the situation will be different next time and you may come to a different conclusion then.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=

Need some help with hiring? Check out our resources.

Perhaps a training seminar is just what you need to get your processes and team up to speed.

Maybe an eBook is all you need. (available soon)

Or perhaps you need customized assistance (either in-person or by telephone).

Whatever your needs, let me help fill them.