Picture this: You’re in the middle of an interview, and suddenly, something feels off. You glance down at your list of questions and think, “I don’t want to ask these anymore.” So, you go off script. Instead of sticking to your well-thought-out questions, you dive into irrelevant conversations. Maybe you start asking dumb questions, or worse – questions that won’t help you find the right person for the job.
Sound familiar? It’s a common scenario, but a dangerous one. Whether it’s you or someone on your team going off script, this problem can cost you more than just time. Consistency is key in the hiring process and when it’s lacking, your chance of hiring success decreases dramatically.
Why Interviewing Feels Uncomfortable
Interviewing isn’t fun for most people. That’s especially true when you’re not 100% sure about who you’re looking for or how to find them. You might feel like you’re wasting time or that the conversation is going nowhere. This discomfort may drive you to abandon your pre-determined questions and resort to conversations that feel more familiar, but here’s the problem: going off script can ruin your chances of hiring success.
You see, scripts, questions, and playbooks exist for a reason. They keep you focused, organized, and on track to make the best hiring decisions. When you or your team go rogue during an interview, you lose consistency. You lose the ability to compare candidates fairly, and worst of all, you may miss out on a great hire or, conversely, hire the wrong person.
The Cost of Going Off Script
When you deviate from your interview script, you’re doing more than just wasting time – you’re wasting opportunity. A poorly structured interview means you might overlook important qualities in a candidate or misjudge their fit for the role. Even worse, going off script can lead to biased or illegal questions that could land you in a lot of trouble.
For example, imagine a mid-size company with a well-established process for interviewing technicians. They have a script, a scorecard, and everything they need to make data-driven decisions about who to hire. But when one hiring manager starts feeling uncomfortable in the interview process, they begin asking random questions – completely irrelevant to the role. In the end, they hire someone who knows how to steer an interview but doesn’t actually have the skills or mindset for the job. That person will last a few months before quitting, which puts the company back at square one.
This happens more often than you think. Deviating from your interview playbook leads to inconsistent hiring decisions and, ultimately, more turnover and wasted resources.
How to Get Comfortable With Your Script
So, why do people go off script? It’s simple: we go back to what feels comfortable. Interviewing is stressful and when that stress builds up, people often retreat to familiar territory, abandoning the very tools that are designed to help you succeed.
If you find yourself, or your team, straying from the hiring process, ask yourself why. Maybe your questions don’t align with what the company actually needs to know. Or perhaps you’re not clear on your goals and vision for the role. When that happens, it’s easy to get thrown off your game by a candidate who knows exactly how to steer the conversation.
The key is preparation. If you know your script inside and out, and you’re crystal clear on what you’re looking for, it becomes easier to stick to then plan. Your script is a roadmap to hiring success. It’s there to help you make objective, informed decisions, so use it!
Aligning Hiring With Your Company’s Vision
Another reason people go off script is because the hiring process doesn’t always align with the company’s bigger vision. If your team doesn’t understand the “why” behind the questions you’ve crafted, they’re more likely to veer off course. That’s why it’s essential to make sure your hiring process isn’t just a set of steps, but something that connects with your company’s values and vision.
The Power of Consistency
When you stick to your script, your hiring process becomes repeatable, predictable, and scalable. This is crucial for small and medium-sized businesses, where the wrong hire can have a significant impact. Consistency in your interviews helps you compare candidates on a level playing field. It allows you to identify patterns in responses and see which candidates truly align with your company’s values and needs.
At Core Matters, we’ve developed the Core Fit Hiring System to help businesses like yours build a hiring process that leads to lasting success. When you implement a system like this, not only do you gain confidence in your hiring decisions, but your team also starts to rally around the process. Even if it feels uncomfortable at first, when everyone sees the results, they’ll get on board.
Hiring Success for the Long Haul
The next time you or someone on your team is tempted to go off script during an interview, stop and ask why. Are you uncomfortable? Are you clear on the goals and vision for the role? Remember, interviewing might be unfamiliar, but it’s a critical part of hiring success.
Stay consistent, stick to the playbook, and make sure your hiring process aligns with your company’s values and vision. When you do, you’ll start attracting, hiring, and retaining the quality people you need to grow your business.
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If you’re navigating the hiring landscape without a structured interview plan, you’re not alone – but you don’t have to stay that way! A well-defined interview process is essential for attracting the right candidates and ensuring a consistent hiring experience. Without it, you risk making decisions based on gut feelings rather than objective criteria, which can lead to costly hiring mistakes.
To help you get started, we’ve created a comprehensive interview guide that you can download for free! It provides step-by-step guidance on how to conduct effective interviews, from crafting the right questions to evaluating candidates fairly.
Don’t leave your hiring success to chance – download our guide today and take the first step toward a more structured and successful hiring process!
