Interview: How to conduct an interview

Scott Beagrie29 March 2005 00:00This article first appeared in Personnel Today magazine. Subscribe online and save 20%.

Why is it important?

Few managers are fortunate enough to receive coaching lessons in basic interview techniques, which can lead to poor hiring decisions based on first impressions or a hunch.

Some can even find the experience just as unsettling as the candidate because they are nervous of making a bad appointment. Hiring the wrong person is not only costly, but it could harm your organisation’s reputation.

Being an effective recruiter is a key skill for HR professionals, and the guidelines outlined below will ensure you recruit the right people.

Where do I start?

Think carefully about the position you are recruiting for. Identify the key skills, abilities, attitudes and experience the role requires.

Often this information will already exist in the form of a job description, person specification or competency framework. Go through the applications and match up each candidate’s qualifications and experience with these requirements to arrive at a shortlist for interview.

Next, decide on a set of questions that will extract details of whether the candidate has displayed those particular skills in the past. Make sure you ask the same questions of each applicant as this will bring uniformity to the exercise and be more predictive of future job performance.

Structure the interview

The key to a successful interview outcome is to plan its structure. Always begin each interview by introducing the rest of the interview panel, explaining what format the interview will follow and how long it will last. Also, be certain to highlight any general housekeeping points.

Work on your social skills

Good interviewers will make the candidate comfortable and relaxed. Ease the candidate into the interview by asking a few general questions about their career aspirations.

As there’s a chance you will want the person to work for you, it is essential to present an excellent customer-facing image and inspire trust. First Impressions Cost – a study carried out by recruitment specialist Brooklands Executives – reveals that 29% of respondents were put off a job by the person who interviewed them.

Remember, it is not an interrogation so display tact, empathy and try to be reassuring at all times.

Ask probing questions

Even though you have asked behavioural-based questions to find out about the interviewee’s competencies and quizzed them about how they responded to specific work situations, supplementary questions will be necessary to unearth more about their capabilities.

“A candidate’s answers should always be probed and explored to find out more,” says Ameet Thakkar, senior consultant psychologist at Capita Resourcing. “Candidates will want to give a positive impression and only by probing will you uncover their strengths and development needs.”

Be watchful of any attempt to evade questions or uncomfortable body language. If a question is not answered well and there is time at the end of the interview, revisit the question. This will allow the candidate to collect themselves and get back on track.

Closing the interview

Build in time at the end of the interview to go over terms like salary expectation, holiday allowance and notice period.

It’s also a chance for the candidate to ask crucial questions and determine whether or not they really want to work for your organisation. Be warned, they might well have a few well-chosen, difficult questions of their own. Inform candidates of the next step in the hiring process and as to when they are likely to hear of the decision taken.

Make the right choice

Base decisions of who to employ on key job-related criteria. Thakkar suggests a good way of avoiding making subjective impressions is to take detailed notes.

These should be reviewed, using the competency-related framework or job-related information to decide which candidate’s responses ranked positively or negatively. A numerical rating system will provide objectivity when comparing candidates rather than trying to remember the specifics of each interview.

“Good interviewers don’t base their decisions on: ‘Do I like this person?’” explains Thakkar, “But focus on: ‘Can this person do the job well?’”

Where can I get more info?

Books

Effective Interviewing: A Handbook of Skills and Techniques, Robert Edenborough, Kogan Page, £15.99, ISBN 0749437553
The Employee Recruitment and Retention Handbook, Diane Arthur, Amacom, £28.99, ISBN 0814405525

Report

First Impressions Cost