You already have the list of interview questions ready for the evaluation of candidates. You think everything will be fine; everything will be as you expect. But, did you know that the success of an interview does not depend only on the questions but on many other factors as well?
Here are some little tips to help you do a really good interview preparation:
1. Before the interview:
· Clarify initial shyness; Since a candidate will often feel nervous at the beginning of the interview, he should create a pleasant enough environment for him to feel relaxed. Then you should start with simple questions so the candidate feels natural and more confident.
· Do not evaluate the candidate by the first impression. Making such an attractive first impression isn’t easy for many candidates, but they can make great employees. Therefore, you should not rush into a decision on candidates based on their perspective alone; let experiences and skills decide your real value.
2. During the Interview:
· Introduce about the position: it is necessary to inform the candidates about their functions, direct bosses, departments, difficulties and challenges that they may encounter during the job and, especially, the standards for evaluating the employee’s performance in the company.
· Don’t hesitate to “switch”: You’ve prepared a list of interview questions, but you don’t have to rely entirely on those questions. You may depend on the information the candidate provides to you to ask such questions in relation to it, which will help you understand more about the candidate’s experience.
· Always listen: don’t talk too much during an interview and let the candidates talk too so you can assess their real ability. Typically, in an interview, 80% of the time should be spent listening to the candidate, while only 20% should be spent asking the candidate questions and introducing them to your company.
· Record the necessary information: You should prepare a paper to record important information of the candidates, such as outstanding achievements and special abilities. This will make the evaluation of the candidates fairer and more correct.
· Encourage the candidate to ask: You will find many interesting points about the candidate with such questions! The candidate’s questions will help you understand why you decide to apply to your company, for an attractive salary policy, a vacation system or the desire to develop in a dynamic environment, etc. If the candidate doesn’t ask any questions (especially highly qualified candidates), that means he may not be interested in working with your company.
Avoid sensitive questions: You should only ask questions directly related to recruitment and absolutely avoid questions about regional discrimination or racism…
· Find out more and carefully about the candidate’s experience: Questions like “Tell me…?” or such requests by the candidate to resolve a particular situation at work will help you understand more about the candidate’s actual ability to work.
3. After the interview:
· Respond to candidates: Many candidates often claim that they have to wait a long time for the employer’s response after the interview or that they are invited to the next round of interviews but no employer is there. If you have decided to choose any candidate, you must inform him of the time of the next interview. This will be very convenient for you, since such a candidate can be “hunted” by other companies. In case the candidate is not a good fit, you need to find a proper way to end the interview, but be very smart and candid in assessing the strengths of said candidate (those strengths will be more suitable for another job). Never promise any candidate that you will call them later if you don’t mean it.
Leave a good impression on the Company: talent recruitment is increasingly competitive among companies. Remember, the image of a good company is the most important factor in attracting many talents. There are some methods to promote the image of your company, such as never being late for the interview or others. Many companies lose their potential candidates in order not to make a good impression on the candidate due to their lack of professionalism.
Be an “ambassador” for your company by conducting a professional and fair interview. Not only will you need to recruit such talents, but you will also create a good “prestige and image” for the company, which will attract more talents later on.
