The dos and don’ts of interviewing
Introduction
How do you conduct your interview process for your business? Do you have a list of questions that you ask everyone? Do you go with the flow of the conversation? Do you let the candidate steer the interview? Do you take notes? We’ll address these questions in this blog surrounding the dos and don’ts of interviewing.
The Dos - Questions
There are many ways to interview potential employees for your business, and everyone has their interviewing style. However, there are some key things that you can do in every interview to ensure you’re giving everyone a fair chance at working with your team—the more specific the job posting, the better! The questions during an interview should mirror those on a list of responsibilities associated with this type of task because it helps steer conversations. So, both parties know where they stand from each other's perspective, enabling one party (in our case here: employers) can receive all necessary information regarding qualifications needed before making any final decisions about hires.
“Interviewing is a lot like talking, but you have to guide the conversation. You have to know what you want and go about getting it.”
The Dos - Consistency
Consistency is key to ensuring that all your employees feel included and cared for. You should ask every candidate the same questions, so there are no surprises when their responses come back from HR! A considerable part of the Human Resource portion of your business is providing an equal and inclusive opportunity for employment. You don’t want anyone to feel like they didn’t have a fair chance at answering the questions you’re asking or that you are uninterested in their responses to your questions. Being consistent with all candidates will ensure you maintain a level playing field.
The Dos - Taking Notes
Speaking to candidate after candidate can make it challenging to keep up with what they said in their interview. It is essential to take note of each candidate's name and their responses to your questions. There’s no need to take extensive notes, just enough to jog your memory when it comes time for evaluation later down the line or at a future meeting with other interviewers. Due to its popularity, many employers are using video conferencing software; to make use of any record options available to playback the interview.
“Recording interviews is like magic. a) It stops you from taking notes in the middle and b) you can play that recording for people.”
The Don’ts - Unstructured
Now that we’ve reviewed the dos of interviewing potential employees, we need to touch on a few don’ts. Having inconsistent criteria and questions during the interview is a sure way to hire the wrong candidate potentially. Not knowing what the new hire's role will be within your company isn’t a great way to hire an employee, and it will confuse both you and them shortly. Overall, having an unstructured and unorganized interview can lead to a complicated process of fulfilling your company's needs.
Conclusion
It is important to have a list of questions to ask all candidates during any interview you may conduct and consistent criteria to judge their fit within your company. By taking notes and maintaining a structured interview process, you will have the best new hires to fulfill any role. At Talk to Me Consulting, we have job descriptions, questions, and trained interviewers to get you the best new hires. Feel free to reach out to us at any time; we would love to help bring new talent to your team!