Interviewing efficiencies or interviewing efficiently?

Purpose – This paper seeks to challenge library leaders to consider different ways of facilitating the interviewing and questioning of candidates during hiring searches with an overall focus on containing the costs related to time and staff effort. Design/methodology/approach – Various aspects of current hiring and interviewing facilitation methodologies are reviewed and critiqued as a way of generating critical thinking about the standard view of best practices in this arena. Findings – Contrarian positions to prevailing practice in the writing of questions and interview facilitation are shown to have significant time and cost savings, if political costs can be mediated effectively through the hiring of consistently top‐performing candidates. Originality/value – The paper examines common assumptions regarding who should organize and lead the interview process, and how the process impacts candidates. It encourages library leaders to self‐examine their own role within the process while also searching for ways to enable others to take ownership as a means of good delegation and professional growth.