Interviewing primer

Interviews are one of the most effective selection methods,99% of companies use Interviews, they are so common because they fulfill a psychological need to meet and see a person who might one day join the company. When conducted effectively, interviews can be cost effective and can accurately predict job performance.

Key Interviewing Skills

What skills should you  have to be a successful interviewer?

Prepare, prepare, prepare
Prepare – analyse the job, plan your interview, book the room, review your paperwork.

Have a clear structure for your interview
Follow a structure that ensures you cover all areas you need to cover as well as giving the candidate a chance to ask questions.

Build good rapport with the candidate
Establish rapport so you get the best out of each candidate and get an accurate insight into how they typically behave.

Set your Objectives in advance
Know what you are looking for from the candidate (experience, knowledge, skills, competencies).

Take a lot of notes
Take notes or you will forget information and not have a record to support your decisions later on.

Craft good questions
Ask good questions – open (to open up an area),probing (to explore an area further), closed (to confirm facts), targeted (tailored to key areas) TED questions (Tell, Explain, Describe) type of questions to get the candidate to open up, talk more to get to know more information about him/her.

Manage time
Make effective use of time and stick to your allocated time by following sound time management practices

Be Unbiased
Be aware of your biases. Make a clear and conscious effort to stop them influencing your decision making.

CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW PROFESSIONALLY Start the interview on time and give the candidate a warm welcome, introduce yourself and give the candidate an overview of the job and the whole organisation.

Stick to the questions you prepared in advance focusing on finding out specific competencies in the candidate that are required to do the job.
Listen actively, show interest in the candidate's responses and avoid showing approval or disapproval of what they say paraphrase or summarize what the candidate says to ensure your understanding and manage time to ensure you go through all the questions you had prepared.

Make sure to give the candidate a chance to ask questions and conclude by thanking them for their time and inform them what the next steps are and how they will know about the outcome.