Conducting job interviews takes time and patience. But most of all, it takes preparation. Below is a step-by-step guide to successfully conducting and running job interviews:
Set Expectations/Identify Key Players
Identify key players who need to be involved in the interview process, which varies pending on size of organization. In small businesses, this can include any combination of the owner or vice president, human resources lead or manager, department manager or director as well as any members of the department where the employee may work. Make sure these members are prepared and ready to help during the hiring push and that their schedules are free to be actively involved and engaged.
“Ensure the right stakeholders are involved in the interview process. but that doesn’t mean the entire world,” says Brandy Hickerson, Regional People and Culture Manager for ManpowerGroup. “Be selective and smart about whose opinion matters when making the decision.”
Understand Key Qualifications of Candidates
Then, clarify what it is you are seeking in the ideal candidate, says Alex Morton, who is responsible for Global Talent and Organizational Development at Valspar, an international manufacturer of paint and coatings. That includes identifying:
- Key experiences
- Education/professional certifications
- Competencies/capabilities
- Specific personal traits that make a good fit for company culture.
“A lot of time and energy can be lost if you don’t learn about an important criteria until after interviewers have met a first round of candidates,” says Morton.
Hickerson agrees, saying the keys to any hiring push are clarity, preparation and consistency. The first step is determining a clear job profile/description which outlines the expectations of the role, along with general requirements.
Next, the role needs to be advertised in a location that reaches the greatest amount of potential candidates (job boards, universities, recruiting firms, social media, internal networking). Be smart about where you are advertising in order to get the proper candidates applying. Know your audience.
Determine an interview process including who will interview, in what order, what they will ask and what assessments/testing will be required. But also be sure to separate needs from wants, says Morton. In other words, spend the time to rank the criteria for an ideal candidate with hiring managers and other stakeholders.
According to Morton, these are two things that really slow down the selection process:
- Disagreement among the interviewers about candidates because they aren’t aligned on which criteria matter most for the role.
- Hiring managers holding out for possibly unavailable candidates that meet every one of their wanted criteria while overlooking otherwise very strong candidates that meet all the needs for the role.
Consider Phone Screens
Once candidates are identified, a phone screen can provide additional information and clarity: Is this person real the person they say they are on the resume and job application? After speaking with them over the phone, do we want to advance to the next step – an in-person interview? This can narrow down a large pool of potential candidates and help learn more about the person before an in-person interview.
Preparing for the Interview
Once you determine which candidates are qualified for an in-person interview, have a clear set of questions to ask which cover both the hard and soft skills required for the role, says Hickerson. Be consistent with all of your candidates so that you can easily compare. For certain roles, you can create a numbered ranking system to compare each candidate against the requirements. For higher level or more complex roles, consider using a selection assessment tool to help identify strengths against a success profile set up by your company. The results of a formal assessment can add valuable input not only with selection but for creating a development plan once hired.
Conducting the interviews
“Ensure there is time to talk about the role and the company,” says Hickerson. “The key is that both sides are making an informed decision.”
Talk about related experience, related technical skills and ask questions to determine if this person is a fit for the company culture. Also ensure the candidate understands the culture and environment they will be working in. For instance, if it’s a virtual environment tell them and talk about what that means. Some people prefer the in-office, teaming, and collaborative environment. Talk about the type of manager they will be working for (hands off, hands on, local, distant, new, and experienced). Discuss company ethics and compliance standards. See how they react, what their body language says and continue to learn about them to determine if they are the right fit.
Making an offer
Once the right candidate(s) has been identified, the hiring manager should make a verbal offer, while including information on why the candidate was selected, general compensation details and other related benefits, says Hickerson. A formal offer with all required/new hire paperwork can be followed post-verbal interview.
Rejecting candidates
All candidates who interviewed should receive a personal release call if they are not selected.
“A company can quickly gain a positive or negative reputation based on how they treat candidates in the market,” says Hickerson. “People talk, so treat them right and even if not selected, they will talk about the positive experience of interviewing with the organization.”
Look to the future
During any hiring process, Morton reminds HR professionals, recruiters and key decision makers to look to the future: When interviewing, look for candidates who may be a fit for other roles, or future roles within the organization. Each interview is an opportunity to prepare for future – not just current – hiring and recruiting needs.
Tips and Tricks to Remember
- Don’t be afraid to go off script: If the candidate says something of interest about a particular skill set or project – probe further, says Hickerson. Let them talk and watch for communication style, discussion around business results/focus and seek to learn what part they played (leader, do-er, coach).
- Ask value-added questions: Ask candidates how their actions/behaviors/decisions impacted or added value to the business, says Hickerson. This will allow the interviewer to see if the individual can tie back to business strategy. “A solid worker is a great asset – someone who is solid and understands the business and how to impact results is better,” she adds.
- Don’t let the process drag on: Set up interviews, provide timely feedback, make offers quickly.
- Don’t succumb to pressure to hire fast: Recruiting often feels the pressure to fill openings as quickly as possible, says Morton. Unfortunately, that pressure is in tension with the need to bring talented people who can grow into other roles.
- Look for talent and motivated people: Look for talent that seems both capable and motivated to do more. “Aspiration and willingness to develop new skills outside an initial comfort zone are traits not all candidates bring,” says Morton.
