If you have been tasked with holding job interviews, then there’s a lot that you need to know. A lot of interviewers have absolutely no idea what they are doing. If you aren’t confident in your skills as an interviewer, then you might not be able to effectively select the right candidates for the company that you work for. Not holding effective and concise interviews could actually get you into a lot of trouble with your bosses, putting your job at risk.
This post will tell you about nine professional tips that you can use to make each interview count.
Interview Training
It is very common for people applying for jobs to go to interview training. Something that you might not know however is that it’s also common for interviewers to attend training courses. A professional interviewer training course will help you to improve your skills. In addition to improving your skills, you will also learn from experts what the most effective questions to ask are and how interviews should be held. Make sure to do your research and only ever hire experienced and well-reviewed course providers, so you get the most out of your training.
Question List
Before holding an interview, you need to know exactly what questions you are going to ask. It’s unfortunately very common for people chairing interviews to make questions up on the spot. It’s better to plan out questions in advance, so you can get learn as much about the candidate as possible. If you aren’t sure what questions you should ask then there are lots of articles online that you can lift questions straight out of. During interview training, you will probably learn about some effective questions, too.
Behavioral Questions
When you are planning what questions you are going to be asking, you need to make sure that you include some behavioral questions (as in questions designed to determine how the candidate would behave in certain situations). These kinds of questions can be an extremely effective way of establishing whether or not a candidate will be a good fit for your company. Make sure that the questions that you ask are relative to the area that the candidate is going to be working in. Such questions can also give you an idea of their experience level.
Job Responsibilities
A job interview is as much about candidates selling themselves to you as it is about you selling the job to them. During interviews make sure that you outline and explain all of the responsibilities that come along with the job. When you are doing this, you should also explain all of the benefits of the job and what the candidate will get out of working with your company. If there are any development opportunities, then make sure to mention these, too. Explaining development opportunities will incentivize joining your company to the candidate. You should not give candidates false hope about development if there is no room for it, however. Be honest with them.
Interview Structure
Most experts recommend sending candidates an email explaining how the interview’s going to be structured, before holding it. The reason for this is quite simple: by notifying candidates of the interview’s structure it will be easier for them to prepare. You might also want to get your company’s hiring manager or the person responsible for liaising with candidates to explain what kind of questions they are going to be asked, too. Telling them about the interview’s structure and the questions will help them to prepare more effectively.
Remain Silent
Other than when you are asking questions, be quiet during the interview. A lot of people conducting interviews make the mistake of talking too much. While having a bit of light conversation when the interview first begins is okay, it is not sensible to chat throughout. If you are constantly talking, then you won’t be effectively recording the candidate’s answers. Additionally, talking too much could also give the candidate the idea that you aren’t professional, which could prevent them from wanting to come and work for you. It will also make them feel overfamiliar with you, which could lead to them dropping their guard and behaving unprofessionally.
Invite Others
It is often a very good idea to invite other staff members into interviews with you, especially if they are more experienced at interviewing staff than you are. You may also want to consider inviting the candidate’s new boss in, too. If they are going to be working in a specific department then inviting their boss will give the boss the opportunity to learn about the candidate, and also for them to both meet each other for the first time. Meeting in an interview can make it a lot easier for the candidate and boss to get along if the candidate is hired.
Negotiating Terms
If you want the candidate badly, then you should negotiate with them in the interview. However, it is usually only a good idea to do this in a follow-up interview. If you try to negotiate during the main interview, you could seem overeager. When you are negotiating terms try not to be too rigid. You should be as flexible as possible. Make sure that you consult with your managers regarding the candidate’s salary. You shouldn’t ever make any salary offers unless you have first verified that it is okay for you to do so with your bosses. Doing this could give false hope to the candidate and also get you into a lot of trouble.
Offering Job
Finally, if you like a candidate, then you should always wait until after the interview has been completed before you offer them the job. A lot of business owners make the mistake of offering candidates jobs in the interview, but again, this can make you seem overeager. If you seem too eager, then the candidate could then begin trying to negotiate a more favorable salary and job package for themselves.
Whenever you are holding an interview with a potential new hire, you need to be prepared. Going into an interview unprepared can make you and your company look very bad, not to mention put good candidates off.
