Interviewers are direct ambassadors of any given organization throughout the recruitment process. They constitute the first and foremost image that gets imprinted in a candidate’s mind, one that is of vital importance and which later on greatly influences his/ her final decision as to whether join or not to join the company, should they be offered a position.
The interview process is therefore not only stressful for those sitting for the interview but also for those who are actually conducting it.
How can you, as an interviewer, get through the process successfully, professionally and in a stress-free manner? Here are Bayt.com’s 7 steps to successful interviewing from an employer's perspective.
1. Understand the role inside out: This involves all aspects of the job without any exception, including challenges, benefits, upsides, downsides, possibilities and nitty-gritty daily responsibilities in order to assess the type of candidate that will perform best in this role as well as prepare yourself to talk about the job details and answer all candidates' questions during the job interview.
2. Explain who your company is and what the role is about:This naturally involves selling your organization and the role to your candidates. Do you take pride in being advertising leaders in the KSA? Top retailers in Dubai? Biggest restaurant chain in Qatar? Do you have an impeccable set of values and incomparable employee development schemes? Showcase that to your interviewees and back up your statements with relevant facts and statistics to really sell the potential employees on the company before moving on to selling them the job itself.
3.Understand the candidate:
- - Read the CV before-hand: Make sure you also prepare obvious questions pertaining to it, such as absences from work, degrees, frequent job rotations, promotions, etc…
- - Ask candidates questions that determine their “Character”: Questions here can relate to one’s integrity, stability, loyalty, attitude and maturity (i.e.: Tell me about a time when you had to test your work values and ethics and what was the outcome? Tell me about a time when you were faced with office politics: how did you react? What do you really think of the last company you worked for?)
- - Ask candidates questions that determine their “Intelligence Quotient- IQ”: Inquire about their grades in college, the degrees they have attained, further studies they have completed, skills they have acquired (i.e.: Tell me about a time when you stood out in college? Tell me more about your studying patterns in college? Tell me more about your GPA, etc.)
- - Ask candidates questions that determine their “Emotion Quotient- EQ”: Determine here what they like or dislike, how their relationship with bosses and peers is, how their relationship with parents and family is, how engaged they are in their community, how they would describe themselves, their best and worst experiences outside of work (e.g.: What do you consider as your biggest accomplishment on the personal level? Tell me about a time when you had to give someone difficult feedback? Tell me about a time when you had to work in a team with someone who was constantly not doing his part of the job? How would your friends describe you? What types of people do you not get along with? etc…)
- - Ask candidates questions that determine their “Relevance to the Role”: As an interviewer, you do want to be certain that your candidates are interested in joining your company for the right reasons and that they will be an asset to your company. Ask them questions to better understand this (i.e.: What do you think of our company? Why our company? What are your concerns about this specific role? How has your previous experience and educations equipped you uniquely for this role – please state an example? Why should we hire you for this role? How will you contribute to this role in you first few months? etc…)
- - Ask candidates detailed questions that further determine their “Technical Skills”: Whatever the role is, prepare questions that probe in detail the technical skills required for that role and ask for examples of experience and success using those skills. Are you interviewing candidates for a sales position? Tailor some of your questions to the “sales” field specifically (i.e.: What makes you a good salesperson? How would you sell me this desk? How about selling me this specific pen? What do you think makes a salesperson shine or fail? How do you rate yourself as a salesperson and why- please state an example of a situation in support of your statement, etc.)
4. Maintain an open floor for candidates to voice questions and concerns: Candidates who do not ask questions are mostly likely “NOT interested” in the job or the company, whereas candidates who ask you for clarifications, voice their concerns and pose insightful questions (such as: What is the reporting scheme? What is expected of me in the first few months? How frequently will I be appraised? What is the training provided for the role?) are revealing their true intentions and probably keen on joining your company . Allow candidates to raise their queries and allot the time to answer them! Don’t let them walk out the door before ensuring all their questions are answered. Be wary here of questions that can reveal possible lack of commitment or poor judgment in a first interview (eg How many holidays do you offer? How soon can I move within the company to a better role? How soon will my salary be raised? Are you strict about office hours? etc.)
5. Thank candidates for their time and mention steps to follow: Regardless of how impressed/unimpressed you were with your candidates’ performance, you must leave them on a positive and professional note. They have after all showed interest in your company and the position offered. Bear in mind that a job interview, after all, can be a memorable marketing exercise for your company’s brand if nothing else.
6. Document the interview thoroughly: It is very critical for you as an interviewer to document your interviews, assign grades where required, and provide detailed information where needed. Once you have that completed, do make it a point to send to HR (and/or line manager) for filing purposes so that relevant others in the company can refer to your notes if necessary at any time now or in the future.
7. Respond to candidates within the promised time frame with a “YES” or a “NO”: A promise made is a promise kept if you wish to uphold your company’s brand image as a preferred employer. Make sure to get back to ALL candidates who have interviewed for a specific position professionally within the promised timeframe, whether the answer is positive or negative in terms of their relevance for the role!
This article originally appeared in Bayt.com. This article and all other intellectual property on Bayt.com is the property of Bayt.com. Reproduction of this article in any form is only permissible with written permission from Bayt.com.
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