06/24/2021 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/24/2021 08:37
Stuck wondering what to do or bring to an interview? Never feel unprepared again.
Becoming a strong interviewer is really quite simple. Knowing how to conduct a successful job interview comes down to putting effort into the following areas:
When these elements are addressed, you're far more likely to have a focused, smooth and productive interview that gleans the information needed to identify the right person for a job.
It also means that job candidates have a good experience with your company, whether they join it or not.
Remember: An interview is never solely about a job candidate answering your questions and then you decide whether to hire them. Candidates are also interviewing you and scoping out your organization, which you represent, to decide whether joining your company is the right move for them. In tight job markets, or when you're recruiting highly qualified job candidates who can afford to be choosy or passive candidates, this is especially true. In other words, the interview is an opportunity for both parties to shine.
The last thing you want is for a job candidate to be so turned off by your interviewing technique and process that they tell other prospective applicants about their bad experience with your company or post a negative review online. This can hurt your employer brand.
With this in mind, let's walk through an optimal interview process, highlighting the actions you should take for the best chance of a successful outcome for both parties. As you'll see, the themes of preparation, organization and time management are woven throughout.
These tips are relevant to both in-person or remote (video or phone) interviews.
Before the interview
Gather all relevant information about the open position.
Are you an HR generalist or an assistant as opposed to the direct hiring manager? It's often the case that the person conducting the job interview is not the same person who will manage the new hire. In this circumstance, it's especially critical that you speak with the hiring manager and team members to understand all facets of the open position and its requirements, including:
Make sure that you can answer these types of questions. Job candidates are almost guaranteed to ask them, and they may be frustrated with vague, inadequate answers.
Know who you're looking for.
It's important to define the type of job candidate you're looking for upfront because these are objective, consistent standards by which to measure all candidates. You don't want to rely on gut feelings, which are subjective, tend to be based on personally liking someone and can often turn out to be wrong.
Once you have a good idea of who's needed for a particular job, you can structure your questions around these requirements to determine whether a candidate is a good fit.
Become familiar with each job candidate.
Have a standard interview guide ready.
This guide covers questions you'll ask every job candidate who interviews for the same position, including a blend of:
Behavioral questions are beneficial because job candidates can't easily prepare beforehand, so you're more likely to get a genuine answer that's not rehearsed.
It's possible that assistants and other team members will put these questions together. Know the content of your guide well, in the event that a candidate asks you to elaborate. You don't want to seem unprepared or keep breaking your connection with a job candidate by constantly glancing at notes.
It's fine to go off script when asking follow-up questions. However, stick to your planned questions as much as possible. This is so:
Anticipate the all-important question: What do you enjoy about working for your company?
You want to show enthusiasm and generate excitement about your company. If you haven't thought about this question and look unprepared, or struggle to produce a positive answer for why you enjoy showing up at work day after day, the message to job candidates will be that yours isn't a workplace they want to join. Also think through other, related candidate questions you might encounter - these can be signs that you've got a discerning candidate who has done their homework.
Plan the interview process.
You want to offer each job candidate a good experience interviewing with your company and be respectful of their time. To that end:
During the interview
What you should bring with you:
Leave behind anything that could distract you, such as a cell phone. At the very least, put your cell phone in silent mode and store it away - out of sight - for the duration of the interview.
Location
Conduct in-person interviews in a quiet area with no distractions, such as a meeting room that you can reserve in advance. Avoid conducting interviews in a personal office, where there are too many distractions, such as phone calls or emails and IMs popping up on the computer screen.
For video interviews, be selective about where the interview happens. Select a neutral, professional environment, in quiet area free of family interruptions or barking dogs. Be mindful of your background and conceal any personal or sensitive information that may be visible. Make sure your Internet connection is stable, and have a back-up plan in case something goes wrong.
Your behavior, body language and tone
Questions to ask
Lead the interview by asking what a candidate knows about your company. This saves you valuable interview time in describing the company - which the candidate should already know anyway, at this stage of the hiring process. Asking this will help you gauge how much research and preparation a candidate has done.
You also want to ask why they're interested in the position and your company. This will indicate their level of motivation, passion and commitment.
In addition to your other planned questions, including those specific to a candidate resume, use these examples of strong behavioral questions as a starting point for your standard interview guide questions:
Adaptability: Tell me about a situation in which you were under a great deal of pressure because of numerous demands competing for your time and attention. How did you resolve the situation?
Customer service: Tell me about the most difficult customer encounter you've experienced. How did you handle it?
Dependability: Tell me about a time when you had difficulty keeping a commitment. How did you handle it?
Ethics: Describe a situation in which you worked with someone you didn't like or respect. How did you cope with the relationship?
Initiative: Tell me about an opportunity that presented itself to you but you were reluctant to take the risk. What did you do?
Interpersonal skills: Tell me about a time you had a serious conflict with a co-worker. How did you handle the situation?
Judgment: Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision. What process did you go through to arrive at the decision?
Leadership: Tell me about a time when you had to inspire or energize an unmotivated individual or group? How did you do it, and what was the result?
Planning and organizing: Give me a summary of the techniques you use to plan and organize your work. Describe how you applied one of these techniques in a specific situation.
Teamwork: Tell me about a time you had to set your own interests or priorities aside in the interest of the team.
Conclusion and after the interview
Always conclude each interview by asking the candidate if they have any additional questions. Then:
Professionalism and transparency say a lot to others about your employer brand. You want to behave in a way that leaves a good opinion with as many people as possible. Frankly, ghosting a candidate is as bad - and perhaps worse for your brand - than having them ghost you.
Summing it all up
The three drivers for how to conduct a successful job interview are preparation, organization and time management.
If you do all these things, you'll have a higher likelihood of delivering an outstanding experience for job candidates and can better identify the right people for any role.
To learn more about how to hire the right people, download our free e-book: How to develop a top-notch workforce that will accelerate your business.