Through our many years journeying in recruitment and business, we’ve put together these tips for you - because making the correct hiring decisions will reduce staff turnover, help your budget and give your company more time...
CREATING YOUR ADVERT
When we take the details for your job advert, we will need this information:
Job Title, Location, Hours, Salary and Benefits- Job role duties – what the candidate would be expected to do on a daily basis
- Details about your company – what you do and who for, the size of your company and whether you are national, international and/or family run
- Any special or unique information about your organisation
INTERVIEWS
The point of the interview is to assess the applicant’s suitability and also to give the jobseeker a better idea of what it would be like to work for your company within the role you have advertised.
PLANNING
Once you have made the verbal arrangements with the candidate, you should then confirm it in writing by email, stating the job title and:
- the day, date and time of the interview and how long the interview could last for
- the venue address where the interview is being held
- who the candidate will be meeting and appropriate contact numbers
- any documentation that should be brought to the interview
- if the candidate is to do a presentation
PREPARATION
If you prepare the structure of the interview in advance, it will make it so much easier to communicate during the event. As much as the candidate should want to impress you, it also works vice versa. Think about where you will hold the interview, as it should be in a private room where you won’t get interrupted. If the candidate will be doing a presentation then you will need to test the equipment to avoid any embarrassing situations. Let the reception area know if you are expecting to meet with a candidate, so that he/she feels welcomed and any forms that need to be filled in can be done on arrival.
QUESTIONING
The candidate is likely to be nervous on meeting with you, so a handshake and welcoming smile will do wonders to get the interview off to a good start. You will probably have a list of questions prepared and when asking them, do take time to listen to responses. It is possible that you have already benchmarked another candidate but by asking key questions, you may well see different characteristics that are just as appealing.
Asking questions with a “yes or no” answer won’t give you the insight on the individual or their skills, so you need so ask questions where a full reply is the only answer! For example:
“Describe a role where you have worked as part of a team?”
If this is important in your role and the candidate can go on to describe a relevant situation that you are satisfied with – great. On the other hand, if the candidate has only ever worked in a stand alone capacity then depending on the requirements of your job, you need to review whether the candidate is suitable or whether team work can be taught because his/her interpersonal skills and experience are really good.
“What standards do you set for yourself in the working environment?”
You are looking for the applicant to demonstrate a good work ethic, not someone who just does the minimum.
“Have you ever taken on tasks that were in addition to your job and how did you manage this?”
What you are doing here is looking to see how flexible the candidate is and if they would be willing to cover for a colleague due to absence.
If you use an open questioning technique you will get far better results and responses from the candidates as they will relax and feel that they can communicate with ease - which gives them a good impression of your company and will reveal to you their true abilities, attitude and personality. Don’t forget, if you do need to clarify any point a candidate has made, always ask “how” or “why”.
- Other useful questions to ask during the interview:
- What made you apply for this position?
- What experiences could you bring to this job?
- What aspect of your last role did you enjoy most?
- What were/are your reasons for leaving your last/current job?
- How do you react under pressure?
- Give me an example of your strengths?
- What would you say are your weaknesses?
- Where do you see yourself in three years time?
FINALLY
At the end of the interview, shake the candidates’ hand and thank him/her for the time spent attending, explain to them what will happen next and when they will know the outcome of the interview. After they have left, add to the notes you made during the interview with your assessment on their suitability, bearing in mind their experience and personality.
If you are offering the position, then this is a wonderful result and the ideal procedure will be to confirm this both by telephone and in writing.
This means that you will also have to send out letters to the unsuccessful candidates and as a matter of good form, you should do this as soon as the candidate has sent you written acceptance for the role you have offered.
Recruiting Tips
