The recruitment process is a two-way street between employers and candidates, which means it’s necessary for both parties to prepare appropriately before an interview. There is plenty of discussion surrounding how candidates should organize themselves pre-interview; however, there is an equal amount of responsibility that falls on the interviewer’s shoulders and which is discussed far less often.
In this blog post, we’ll be shedding some light on some tips for how employers can prepare before an interview to make the most out of the experience.
- Know your interviewee. Before you sit down to interview a candidate, make sure you’ve familiarized yourself with their CV, experience and personal information. Having a basic sense of their background and skills from the outset will end up saving you time to talk about more important matters during the interview.
- Organize your questions. Writing down the questions you intend to ask, making sure they’ll fit within the allotted time period, and organizing them into a logical order will ensure the conversation moves along at a good pace.
- Be prepared to answer questions. Most candidates will want to ask some basic questions about the role and the company at the end of the interview. Anticipate this by writing down some notes or rehearsing beforehand the need-to-know details about the role, the company’s workplace culture, and how the candidate, if hired, would fit within the whole.
- Know your selling points. In a sense, you are also being interviewed by the candidate. Especially if an applicant appears to be a good fit based solely on their CV, be sure you’re well-rehearsed in the attractive aspects of the company that will make them more interested in the role.
- Make all interviewees feel comfortable. Everyone knows job interviews are stressful, but as an interviewer, you’re in a unique position to put everyone in the room at ease. Open the conversation with a friendly overview of what your goals are for the interview and be mindful of your body language. Offering them a glass of water or a coffee doesn’t hurt, either.
- Conclude the interview by being clear about next steps. This is as much for their sake as it is for yours. When you carefully provide an interviewee with a detailed plan for the next steps in the interview process, you will end on a positive note as well as help keep the recruitment process organized on your end.
Looking for talented new candidates for your business? We’re here to help.