FOUR TIPS FOR CONDUCTING A SUCCESSFUL JOB INTERVIEW
Do you regularly interview applicants in your role? Or are you new to interviewing? Whatever your level of experience, it can be useful to think about good interview techniques. When you’ve got an average of 30 minutes in a room with a potential new hire, you need to make the most of your time. Get your interviewing right and you’ll reap the rewards.
Here are four tips for conducting a successful job interview.
- Set the right scene
The interview might be the first inperson contact the applicant has with your organisation. You’ll want to make a good first impression. Consider who will be conducting the interview and where.
Who: Ideally the line manager will be one of the interviewers. You might also want to involve another senior interviewer, or perhaps a couple of the applicant’s potential co-workers. By having multiple people involved, you’ll likely gain valuable insights.
Where: You should aim to conduct the interview somewhere quiet, clean and uncluttered. A meeting room at your workplace can be a good choice, as the applicant will gain direct exposure to your business. Otherwise, look for a suitable location offsite.
- Ask relevant questions
Here, you’re looking not only at the applicant’s potential fit for the role, but their fit for the organisation.
Role: Think about what the applicant needs to know and do in order to be successful. Looking at the job description is a useful starting point for this. Does the applicant have the required knowledge, skills and experience for the role? How can they demonstrate this?
Organisation: Focus on your core values. What qualities are important in your business? Does the applicant share these values? How can they demonstrate this?
Structured interviews are often considered the gold standard. To use this approach, you’ll need to create a set of standard questions to ask the applicant, and any other applicants for the role. Next, you should define a rating scale to record their responses. Yes, it does take time, thought and preparation, but then you’re all set! Plus, a structured format helps to keep the interview on track, reduces the potential for bias, and ensures a level playing field for all applicants.
- Conduct a successful interview
There are so many ways to make the actual interview work well – for you and the applicant.
- Prepare for the interview by reading through the applicant’s resume, cover letter, job description and your list of questions
- If you are interviewing alongside a colleague, decide who is the main interviewer and who is taking notes
- Greet the applicant warmly and invite them to take a seat
- Start with an icebreaker – on the weather, their journey, their interests – rather than launching in with the first question on your list
- Give the applicant time to think and fully respond to your question
- Actively listen to what the applicant is saying and ask for more information if you don’t have enough, or feel they have more to say
- If the applicant is stumbling or digressing, it’s ok to rephrase your question or prompt them
- Winding up the interview
The interview isn’t over when you’ve run through your set of questions! Always ask the applicant if they have any questions. Before winding up the session, provide them with clear information on next steps. This might include when they can expect to hear back from you and how, and if there’s another stage in the selection process. Then, make sure you keep to your word and follow up with them within that timeframe.
You can make interviewing work for you and your applicant with advance planning and preparation, a structured set-up and a warm, professional interview technique. And, as a result, you should see a marked improvement in the quality of your new hires, their fit for the role and for the organisation.
If you’re looking for applicants to interview for a current or upcoming role, contact our professional team on info@optimalrecruitment.com.au or 02 8416 4181.
