Depends on the test they use. Many tests are simple and graded right there. Smart companies realize solid recruiting/hiring costs money. Killing candidates time will leave the company with a poor image. Companies develop poor reputations quickly when their interview methods take forever. I’ve been a part of a process, where everyone that we interviewed had their background check complete before the interview. This made things quicker. Sure, we paid a heck of a lot more, but it moved candidates through quicker. We didn’t need to worry about losing talent to competitors since our process was fast. Candidates thanked us, and even when they didn’t get the job they still raved about our process to their friends.

Larger companies should always consult with HR at some form of the process. While many managers are solid interviewers, they need to be trained on the legal aspects of interviewing. One slip up, and the company could be paying out mucho bucks. I trained my entire company on Behavioral Interviewing and I sat in on their interview prep sessions helping them form the skill sets that we would target, and which questions would be asked. To answer your question, I think it really depends on the process the company goes with. I will say that a company with no standard interview process across the board is in big trouble. The company must decide which method managers/recruiters will use, whether its situational, behavioral, directive, etc. One standard interview process helps bring a legally defensible system, and one that is easy for managers to train other managers on how to conduct an interview. HR should be used for guidance and training, but HR needs to eventually ensure managers are effective, and then let managers take over. I’m not a fan of HR doing pre-screens. HR should be used to locate talent, guide managers and candidates through the hiring process when needed, and help with the hiring decision if needed.

My biggest concern is developing 1 solid universal hiring practice. Ideally one where every position in the company already has an interview written out. An example would be every Software Engineer position follows the same exact questions and process. This makes it easy for managers and HR to locate talent. Again, its also easy to train new managers since many people are familiar with the same process.

Sorry for my rant, but you asked a great question.

What are your thoughts on HR supplying interviewers with questions to use, during the interview, to assess competencies of the interviewee?

It’s amazing how people think they have the liberty to play with people’s career aspirations in these tough times.

On to your questions.
#1 – If they don’t have a sense of humor basically go with their flow. They may be having a bad day, or maybe instructed to keep everything business in an interview. Just stay yourself, keep smiling, and get through the interview.

#2 – Recruiters/managers are like doctors. They’ve seen (almost) everything. Move passed it, say excuse me, laugh it off, or do whatever is needed in that particular situation and than move on. They will most likely want to move on as well.

#3 – Time tests do happen, however not for what you described. I’ve seen time tests for typing, as well as for basic knowledge tests like child level math, grammar, and spelling. As long as EVERY candidate goes through the test, and they can say it is job related, than it most likely is safe legally for the company.

Thanks for the great questions.

Rich, what do you do if the interviewer doesn’t have a sense of humor?
What do you do if soemthing awkward/embarassing happens in an interview?!
And have you ever heard of stop watch drills during an interview?