How to Conduct a Successful Interview
The year 2021 is being called the Great Resignation, and for good reason.
If you've lost employees this year, you know that you'll need to start a hiring process to fill their positions as soon as possible. But these days, employees are interviewing you just as much as you are interviewing them. Are you prepared to successfully navigate the interview process in this changing landscape?
If you're not sure, don't worry. There are a few tried and true tips for each of the stages of the interview process. Follow them, and you're guaranteed to find great employees who will help you get the job done and who will be excited to join and grow with your team.
What exactly are these tips, and how do you incorporate them into your company's interviews? Keep reading to learn how to conduct a successful interview process.
Set Clear Expectations
Set clear expectations for yourself and the job candidate. This ensures that there are no miscommunications about the interview. It also helps everyone feel relaxed and comfortable walking into the interview room.
If possible, give the interviewee the list of questions that you'll be asking during the interview. Provide them with the dress code of your company and an estimate of how much time the interview will take (and plan for more time than you think you need). Removing these logistical unknowns will give the candidate space to focus on interviewing as best they can, and you'll be more likely to get relevant and detailed answers to the questions you ask.
Prepare Well
If you're scheduling in-person interviews, you've probably already gone through the phone interviews and screening process. This means that you've already weeded out candidates who don't meet your baseline criteria for the job.
Rather than repeat the list of basic interview questions in person, take the time to put together a list of open-ended interview questions specific to the job and its requirements. Review your recruitment strategy and make sure that your questions help fulfill the goals of the strategy.
The benefits of this approach are twofold. Candidates will appreciate your making the most out of your time together. Also, following a standard set of questions for all candidates helps you to conduct an unbiased interview process.
Additionally, just as you expect your job candidates to research your company, take the time to interview your candidates. Read their resumes and cover letters thoroughly, and look through their online presences. Front-loading this work will allow you to plan any questions that you want to ask about their skills and experience ahead of time.
Make Sure the Right People Will Be There
Assemble an appropriate and diverse interview team. It's generally a good idea to include the immediate supervisor of the position you're hiring for, the head of the department, and a member of your company's human resource team.
It can also be useful to include a peer to the position that you're interviewing for. This gives the interviewee an opportunity to ask questions of a peer. That peer may also have insights you don't have on whether the candidate can actually perform the day-to-day functions of the job.
No matter who you include in the interview room, give the candidate advance warning on how many people to expect to see in the room and what their positions are within the company.
Set the Tone in the Room
Once you've made it into the interview room, take charge by setting the tone of the interview.
Introduce your team and your company. Review the job that you're interviewing for and its main responsibilities. Do this with a warm and personable attitude.
The first few minutes of an interview are often the hardest. Leading through those moments with assertiveness and confidence tells the interviewee and your team that they can relax and enjoy the conversation ahead.
Listen Attentively
Now that you've set the stage for the interview, it's time for you to listen attentively to what the interviewee has to say.
Ask for follow-up details about the answers they give to your questions. Give them the space to share details about their life story and professional journey beyond what fits on their resume or their LinkedIn profile. Take this opportunity to get to know the person sitting across the table from you, not just the worker.
Include a Skills-Based Assessment
You don't want the conversation portion of the interview to feel like an exam. However, you may need to test a candidate's technical skills to find out whether they can actually complete the tasks that the position requires.
If so, a skills-based assessment can be an excellent addition to your interview process. If possible, give the candidate time to read the situation brief or work prompt and plan their action steps ahead of time. In the interview, ask them to talk through the process of how they would complete the task or handle the conflict you've provided to them.
Pay attention not only to the candidate's ultimate solution but also how they got there. The way in which they solved the problem will hold many clues about whether your working styles are compatible with each other.
Communicate Your Timeline
At the end of the interview, thank the candidate for their time and let them know when they can expect to hear from you.
If you have other things going on with the business that may disrupt or lengthen your decision-making process, let them know! Show the interviewees that you value open communication. Your candidates will also be less likely to reach out to you too soon if they know what your decision-making timeline looks like.
Once a candidate has accepted the position, let the other candidates know. This allows them to move on to other opportunities in a timely fashion.
Upgrade Your Interview Process Today
Now you know the steps to conducting a successful interview process. Use these tools to analyze your current interview questions, review your hiring process, and give your hiring manager the support they need to successfully navigate the stages of the interview process.
Looking for immediate support in the process? Fill out our contact form to speak with one of our consultants today.