Jim Barrett   on Thursday 12/15/2011 at 04:49 PM

Great article. How does this apply when during the course of panel interviews of several subjects, standardized questions must be used to avoid potential litigation or claims of unfair interviewing practices?

Darren Brooks   on Friday 12/16/2011 at 05:32 PM

Jim - thank you for your comment. As I mentioned in the article, the principles described can be utilized with any interview method. A standard question can be asked of all interviewees. The difference lies in the follow up exchange that is driven by the interviewee's response. Remember, the point is depth of understanding. The standard question is simply the mechanism to elicit initial information. If you need clarity and depth you have the legal right as an employer to ask follow up questions. The scenario you described is one of the common misunderstandings about what an employer can ask or do during an interview and the main cause of a process-orientation to interviewing.