Do you have to interview candidates? Lacking skills and experience? This art can be easily learned, and with good preparation, the results will surely please you. Why is it worth it? Once you learn the basic rules, you will more easily assess candidates' skills, suitability for the position, and easily create a positive candidate experience about you and the company you represent.
We share our practical tips on how to prepare for an interview.
Good start, half work done. Time management and interview schedule
Depending on the complexity of the position, schedule the first interviews from 40 minutes. up to 1.5 hours and be prepared to sway candidates' overly detailed answers in order to meet the deadline. The plan for all interviews looks like this: warm establishing contact, questions about the candidate's experience and competences, a realistic presentation of the position and the selection process. This plan will help you become an effective listener and conversationalist, gather accurate information about the candidate, and highlight the most important points about the vacant position and the company. If you plan to conduct interviews with other colleagues, agree on who will ask which questions and in what order. So, more about each stage of the interview:
A warm contact and a cozy interview environment - a prerequisite?
Not only for the candidate, but also for you, participating in the interview can cause some tension, and in order to reduce it, you should first inform your colleagues in advance, prepare the meeting space (place a glass of water, clear the room, etc.). Your office is not very suitable for an interview space, especially when you are sitting behind your desk, because this way you will create a status advantage over the candidate. If you don't have the conditions to create a suitable environment, you can confidently choose restaurant, hotel spaces or a remote interview via Skype, Zoom, or WhatsApp apps, which becomes a real everyday thing in the practice of selections.
Crafting the perfect interview questions is an easy task
Prepare interview questions responsibly for a specific position. They must be asked for all candidates with the aim of evaluating each as objectively as possible. It is important to anticipate additional questions based on the information in the candidate's CV to decide which skills are most important and which should be improved, so prepare more than one question to assess each candidate's skills in as much depth as possible. Don't forget to review the candidate's CV again before each interview and note the most important points related to their skills and previous experience. It works very well in our practice STAR method, so we present guidelines on how to properly form questions for evaluating candidates' competences:
S – Situation - Give an example of a difficult conflict situation with a client.
T – task - What goal did you set to control this situation?
A – Action - What measures did you take? How long did it take?
R – Result - What were the results and what did you learn?
You are a company ambassador and why is feedback important?
Know information about exact position responsibilities, prospects, company structure, mission, selection process. Very important not too embellished but realistic presentation - it is he who reveals your excellent preparation for the interview and attention to the candidate. By using this practice, you will create a positive experience for the candidate, thereby increasing his motivation for the position, encouraging him to develop a closer dialogue, and ask questions. When answering, don't be afraid to give your personal reasons why you are happy to work at this company and what are the team values or company atmosphere. Provide feedback on the candidate's success or failure in the selection before the promised deadline, and if the candidate asks for the validity of the decision, try to provide a constructive message that will encourage the candidate to improve, gain the necessary knowledge and encourage him in the further job search process. Remember that being informed of a negative answer is much more pleasant than not being informed. A responsible approach to informing candidates reinforces the positive experience of the candidate even if he was not suitable for a specific position.