Interviewing and Evaluating Candidates
The interview process is crucial for not only hiring the best candidates for our roles, but also for ensuring that we continue to act in the best interest of Carnegie Mellon’s mission: “To cultivate a transformative university community committed to (a) attracting and retaining diverse, world-class talent; (b) creating a collaborative environment open to the free exchange of ideas, where research, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship can flourish; and (c) ensuring individuals can achieve their full potential.”
With the latest enhancements in Workday, the hiring team has increased visibility into their candidate pool, access to recruiter notes and functionality to record and evaluate candidates using a standardized scoring system. These improvements ensure we conduct more productive interviews with candidates and provide additional insights for interviewers.
The Interview Process
Your Interview Process and Panel
Candidate Details in Workday
For a Successful Interview
The Interview
The Interview Schedule in Workday
The Interview Panel
Interview Feedback
Need Additional Support?
1. Identifying Your Interview Process and Panel/Search Committee
A Collaborative Interview Process
At the launch of your search, you should identify and determine your interview process, including how many rounds of interviews, the format of interviews and interview panel/search committee participation. It is recommended that you involve your recruiter in this phase, as they can act as a consultative partner to help you align your search in a way that best serves the hiring team and ensures a top-tier candidate experience. Additional guidance on determining your interview process can be found in the Interview Guidance – Best Practices Document [pdf].
To support a fair and equitable hiring process, the Office of Human Resources recommends using a collaborative interview approach through interview panels/search committees during the hiring process.
Using Search Committees
Search committees play a vital role in supporting the university's objective of attracting and retaining top talent by assisting in identifying and selecting the best available candidates. These committees are utilized during the recruitment phase of the hiring process, particularly when a greater diversity of thought can enhance the selection process and increase the likelihood of a successful search.
Please review the Search Committee Guidance Document [pdf] to ensure you consider all aspects when selecting the interview panel/search committee.
2. Reviewing Candidate Details in Workday
Audience: Hiring Managers
When planning the interview process for your position, it's important for managers to regularly check the candidate profiles in Workday for more details about their background and experience. This helps managers create a shortlist of qualified candidates for the next stage of the recruitment process which may involve a telephone screening by the department or recruiter.
Recruiters can now upload their telephone screening notes into the collaboration panel in Workday for the hiring manager to review. This will provide a better understanding of the candidate's background and the important aspects highlighted by your recruiter for the role. Watch this short video on how to view a candidate's profile and access the recruiter's notes.
3. Preparing for a Successful Interview
Now that you have scheduled the interview, it is important to take some time to prepare. The better prepared you and those participating in the interview panel are for the conversation, the more you will get out of the interview and have the information you need to make an informed decision.
Use the Interview Guidance and Best Practices to consider equitable questions to ask the candidate and prepare your interview panel/search committee. The Interview and Evaluation Tools will set you up for a successful interview that aligns with CMU’s core competencies.
We also encourage the hiring team to record the interview schedule in Workday. This allows the interview panel/search committee to record their final, overall ratings for the candidates for the hiring manager to review.
Interview Guidance and Best Practices
- Do’s and Don’ts of Interviewing [pdf] — Information on what types of questions can or cannot be asked during the interview process in addition to other actions to help eliminate bias and ensure a compliant interview experience
- Interview Etiquette and Best Practices [pdf] (Preparing for the Candidate Interview) — Recommended best practices to consider throughout the interview process
- Virtual Interview Guidance [pdf] — An overview of the steps to take to schedule an interview via Zoom and guidance on how best to prepare for virtual interviews
Interview and Evaluation Tools
The Office of Human Resources has created a customizable interview guide and evaluation tool for hiring managers to use when preparing for interviews, conducting interviews and evaluating candidates. These tools are designed to be flexible, allowing managers to customize them according to the specific critical competencies required for the position.
- Core Competencies and Interview Questions Guide [pdf] – select interview questions based on CMU’s core competencies as well as others that may be important for the role.
- Behavioral Interview Guide [docx] – use this guide to add competency-related interview questions and assign them to specific interview committee members.
- Candidate Evaluation Matrix [docx] – use this matrix after the interview is completed to evaluate the candidate on the competencies and consider aspects of their interview responses.
4. Scheduling the Interview
Once you have selected your interview panel and identified the candidates you would like to interview, you should begin to coordinate and schedule interviews to provide a positive and consistent experience. The Office of Human Resources has provided communication templates for hiring managers and others involved in the interview process to use when reaching out to candidates to invite, schedule or confirm interviews. Use the provided templates for on-campus or virtual interviewing. For additional guidance, please review the Candidate Outreach and Communication section in the Interview Etiquette and Best Practices [pdf].
On-Campus Interviews
5. Recording the Interview Schedule in Workday
Audience: Hiring Managers, Department Recruiting Assistants, Interview Coordinators
Once the interview details are confirmed and the interview invitations have been sent, the department (Hiring Manager, Department Recruiting Assistant or Interview Coordinator) should record the interview schedule in Workday for each candidate by completing the “Record Interview Schedule” task in Workday.
Watch this video to learn how to record the candidate's interview schedule in Workday.
6. Equipping Your Interview Panel/Search Committee
Now that your interview guide is prepared and interviews are scheduled, it is time to establish clear expectations with the interview panel/search committee before conducting interviews. Make sure everyone involved has the necessary information about the position and the interview process. This includes clarifying their roles, outlining the job responsibilities of the position, explaining the interview format and assigning panel members questions from the interview guide. The Office of Human Resources has created the following communication templates for hiring managers and others involved in the interview process to use when preparing the interview panel/search committee participants.
7. Recording and Reviewing Interview Feedback in Workday
Audience: Interview Panel/Search Committee Members, Hiring Managers, Department Recruiting Assistants, Interview Coordinators
After the interview process is complete, interviewers can record their candidate ratings within the Workday task received. As a Hiring Manager, you can review the ratings and make an informed decision on the candidate and next steps.
This short video includes steps for interviewers on how to record ratings. It also provides helpful tips for the hiring manager on reviewing the ratings submitted by the interview panel/search committee participants and next steps in the hiring process.