Interview advice for hirers

First Impressions Count.

As a hirer, you will be judging your potential employees from the moment that you meet them. However, it is important to remember that this works both ways and they will also be judging you. If you arrive late or dishevelled and appear to be flustered, then this will impact on the applicant’s perceptions on your ability as a manager. Make sure that you make the applicant feel welcome, that you are on time and that you are clearly expecting them. As first impressions last, it is important to make sure that you set the standards of how you expect potential employees to behave.

What are you hoping to achieve by in interviewing

It is important that before you start interviewing applicants that you have a clear idea of what you are looking to achieve from this potential hire. What skills do you require? What role are you looking to fill? What skills requirements are essential and what skill requirements are simply desirable? Asking these sorts of questions will give you a clearer idea of what skills you would be willing to train somebody up on and what is a basic requirement.

It is important that you have a clear idea of what you are hoping to achieve by filling the role you have, as the candidate is likely to have a clear idea of what they are looking for and are likely to ask questions. You will need to be prepared to field these questions in a satisfactory manner or risk leaving a bad impression. With this in mind, it is beneficial to try and anticipate what questions candidates might ask you, so that you are able to articulate clearly what the role is, how they will report in and other useful company information.

 

Do your homework…

It is amazing the amount of hiring managers that simply print off a candidate’s CV and walk into the interview with no plan or structure and in some cases, no idea who they are seeing.First of all, re-familiarise (or in some cases actually familiarise) yourself with the applicants CV and make notes. If you have any queries about anything within the CV or seek further clarification, then it is important to flag this beforehand. Doing this will also help you structure the interview, as you will have a better idea of which areas of the candidates CV are of interest in terms of the role you have and what questions might need to be asked.

Prepare your Questions in advance and be consistent with them.

Preparation is the key to a good interview. If you prepare your questions in advance, the interview will run more smoothly. If you have clear person specification, then plan your questions around this. It is important to be consistent in your questioning, otherwise you will be unable to compare candidates fairly.

Competency based interview questions are a useful tool if you wish to explore the candidate’s experience. These highlight traits within an applicant and can be tailored accordingly.  Example of these questions are: “Describe a situation where you have led a team” or “What is your greatest achievement to date”.

It is also important to listen to the candidate’s answers and use clarifying questions, if you wish to probe further.

Sell your opportunity…

Whilst you are interviewing candidates, it is important to remember that an interview is a two way process. Good candidates will often have several options, so it is important to explain the benefits of working for your organisation.

Candidates are often looking for Career development or simply to work in a stimulating work environment. If you are able to offer these attributes, it is important to make sure that the candidate gets to know about them during the interview process, as it could be a deal breaker!

Let people down gently…

Finally remember that whilst you were will be keen as mustard on trying to progress the better candidates that you have interviewed. It is also important not to build the hopes up of those that you do not wish to move forward with.

Do not make false promises if you have no intention of progressing with a candidate, as it will lead to resentment. Whilst the candidate you are interviewing may not be suitable, the person that they sit next to in the office may well be the perfect match for your company. If that person has heard negative comments about your organisation from somebody who you have interviewed, they may well avoid applying to you when they are looking!