Uncategorised

How to conduct a great interview

Tess,   26th October 2018

How to conduct a great interview

You’ve completed the job description, got HR’s approval, sifted through the CV’s. Maybe you’ve even completed your telephone interview’s but now comes the big event – the face to face Interview. We’ve put together a few helpful tips on how to conduct a great interview and get the best out of your prospective candidates.

Ask the right questions:

It’s important before you begin your interviewing that you think about what it is you’re looking for. It’s easy to put a list of questions together but if your questions have no substance, then you may as well not bother asking the question. A good way to do this is to look at the people who already work for you. Think about what it is that they contribute to the day to day running of your business. For example, if ‘Hannah’ is highly organised due to the way she prioritises her work; it might be worth asking candidates how it is they organise their workload. Or, another way to ensure you’re asking the right questions is to write a list of the traits you require the successful candidate to have. Your questions can then be worded around this list, meaning you’re less likely to go off course.

Lower the candidate’s stress:

Everybody knows it is common for candidate’s to feel stress and pressure when going for a job interview. To get the best out of your candidate’s and the interview itself you’re best to reduce the stress of the interviewee. To do this it might be worth taking a more relaxed approach. Smiling and nodding are great ways to ease tension and make the candidate feel comfortable. Another tip is to inform the candidate at the start of the interview what will happen. For example, we will tell you a bit about ourselves, ask you about yourself and then ask a few questions on how you think you’re suitable for the role. This way the candidate will ease into the interview and be more open and honest.

Sell your Company:

When it comes to interviews  it is both the interviewee and the interviewer who is being assessed. The candidate will want to know about your business and more often than not they will have looked at your website and social media. It’s equally as important for a candidate to feel that your business is suited to them and not just whether you feel they are suited to your business. At times a candidate can be offered a number of jobs, so you want your business to stand above the rest.  Therefore, it is important that you look to sell your business to the candidate.

Seek advice:

Recruiting doesn’t have to be a one person task, it is often beneficial to get other opinions. If you had someone else sat in the interview with you, (making notes so you don’t have to be looking down at your pad the whole time), you can then get their input at the end. Or, they could even ask a question or two themselves. This may even relax the candidate further as they’re unaware the 2nd interviewer is part of the process.

Give the candidate time to ask YOU questions:

Be prepared to answer questions about the business, the role, your company values, team socials, and everything else in between. Candidates want to know if the job is a good fit for them, as much as you want to know if they’re a good fit for the job.

We hope these tips have helped you get the best out of your interviews! If you require any further help, or have any questions, then please get in touch with us today.