Conducting effective interviews

The key to successful recruitment is having clear objectives and a consistent technique for assessing candidates. Here's how to get the most from an interview...

Limit your number of interviewees

Review the CVs you receive and weed out anyone who does not meet your essential requirements exactly. Select only good candidates for interview with a maximum of five (if possible). Sometimes it can be helpful to hold an initial screening interview (perhaps over the telephone) to eliminate anyone who might be overqualified or who wants a bigger salary than you can offer.

The introduction

Before you begin to interview initiate some small talk and general chit chat. This will help put the interviewee at ease. You could also ask them what they know about the company and tell them a bit more, or outline the role you are offering. Keep it short here, you can expand later if you feel the candidate is suitable.

Techniques to open up candidates

A good interviewer is a good listener and observer. The best candidate is not always the most relaxed or outspoken, confident or extrovert. The skill is to draw out the shy, modest or scared ones. Use a lead-in to move to each major segment of the interview. Prompt the candidate by saying something like, 'I see you were with Aka Inc for three years. Tell me about the sort of work you did there.'

Use their CV as a prompt and ask leading questions, listen carefully without interrupting and let them sell themselves.

Probe for specifics

When you want to know more try asking questions that start with who, why, when, how or what. 'What happened when you reported the incident to your boss?' 'Did he say why?' When a candidate seems to skirt around a topic, use follow-up questions to fill in the blanks. Get them to expand on their skills and demonstrate how they relate to your specific job requirements.

Be cool

Keep your tone mild and non-judgmental, particularly when asking difficult questions such as 'Can you give an example of the sorts of problem you faced in technical support?' or 'Tell me a little more about why you left.'

Remember, you may not ask questions of a personal nature, such as whether they are married, single, have children or belong to certain religious groups. If you do you could land in court, so beware.

Let them shine and keep notes

Not all candidates will shine immediately but this doesn’t mean they won’t be right for you. You may have to coax them into selling themselves with questions such as 'Why should I hire you?' or 'Why do you want to work here?'

Finally, do not rely on your memory; keep notes of all their replies so you have something to refer to later.

Sell the job

If you are impressed with a candidate, explain the job in more detail, how it fits in, the growth potential, the pay package and other benefits. Remember, interviews are a two-way process: it is as important to sell yourself to the applicant. A good applicant will undoubtedly have other opportunities, so be careful not to presume they will jump at your offer without listing the incentives.

Close the interview

Don't forget to ask the candidate if they have any questions. It's a good way to find out how much homework they've done and if they are really serious about the position.

Finally you should try to summarise what's been said, clarify any grey areas and explain how the next contact will be made.

Get a helping hand

Recruiting and employing staff can be a legislation minefield these days and you must be aware of anti-discriminatory regulations when going through the employment process. If it all seems a bit much and you’d like a helping hand, there are a number of employment compliance services that will do just that and more. If you’d like more information then visit our Business Manager pages, to find out more about the HR management service available as part of this essential business software and service package.