Top tips: How to be a great interviewer
Interviewing candidates is a critical part of the recruitment process. You want to get the best out of each person interviewed, whilst also gaining a good, honest assessment of their suitability for the role and company fit. We sat down with talent acquisition expert and Fertility Talent director Joanna Stroud to get some of her top tips for making sure you get the most out of every candidate interview.
Set the scene
Prior to the interview, make sure you provide the candidate with written information of what they should prepare. Explain the interview structure and remember to include any company brochures with links to your website and social media, so they can easily research your company. This will help to alleviate their nerves whilst helping to ensure you get the best out of them on the day.
Be prepared
We always give this advice to candidates, but how many of us follow it ourselves? Make sure you have read the resume fully prior to the interview, with notes on any areas you want to ask specific questions about.
Prepare competency-based interview questions that relate to more than just the job description. For example, imagine you rolled the clock forward 12 months, reflect on what outcomes you would like them to achieve and ask questions that relate to these outcomes.
Think about the interview environment
Make sure the interview environment reflects how you would like the company portrayed. Use it as an opportunity to highlight the workplace culture, and remember you are selling yourself to the candidate as much as they are to you.
Interviewing in a café might depict you as laid back, but it is not an appropriate venue to hold confidential conversations. However, I do feel it appropriate to hold an informal, final stage dinner interview with prospective applicants for managerial positions. This helps to ensure a strong connection with anyone entering this type of leadership role.
Put the candidate at ease
When they arrive, help make the candidate feel comfortable by explaining where the facilities are, make sure there is drinking water on the table, and offer them a hot drink. Show them you are a caring, considerate employer, and make them feel at ease.
A tense or distracted candidate is not going to perform at their best, and you might miss the perfect applicant because of interview nerves. You want to get to know the individual and build rapport, but you must be mindful about not asking questions that undermine equal employment opportunities. Instead focus on things they enjoy outside of work, plans and ambitions for the future, or any hobbies they have.
In an assessment scenario with multiple applicants, I am a fan of providing lunch. It gives me the opportunity to see how candidates might act in a casual setting, and it is a chance to get know them personally.
Get the candidate talking by asking open questions!
Try to avoid asking closed questions answered with a simple ‘yes or no.’ This way you can assess the candidate’s commitment and fit, giving them an opportunity to fully express themselves.
Open-ended questions you could use include:
What do you know about the company?
What do you understand about the position?
What questions do you have about this role?
Then tell them about the job: the good, the bad, and the ugly - and pay attention to the ugly. You need to be transparent about what challenges they may face. Give them a Q&A opportunity and listen very carefully to the questions they ask. It is a brilliant way to assess whether they have researched the role and are enthusiastic about the position.
Close with some commitment questions
Once you have a good picture of the candidate in front of you, close off with the more practical questions regarding commitment, and their likelihood to accept any offer.
Final questions might include:
If are you successful in this interview process, what are your salary expectations?
Are you in the process of interviewing elsewhere? If so, how does this opportunity compare?
If we offered you this role at the salary level you alluded to, would you accept?
What is your current notice period?
Finally, give the candidate a reasonable time limit in which they are likely to hear back from you – and make sure you stick to it. Now, more than ever, good candidates are likely to receive multiple job offers – they will not wait around forever!
Further Hiring Manager and Recruiter advice can be found through accessing Fertility Talent services or calling us on 01904 230002