Mastering the Art of Candidate Interviews: A Guide for Employers

If you don’t do it all the time, interviewing potential employees can be a daunting task, although never as much so as for the interviewee. These days, more than ever, the potential employee is interviewing the company as much as the other way around. In order to set you both up for success, we have put together a brief guide to help you through the process to create a positive experience for both parties.

1. Ask an “Ice-Breaker” or Two

Think back to when you were on the other side of the table – what did the interviewer do to put you at ease…or did they? While you don’t want to breed too much familiarity, it is still a professional setting after all, so it is helpful to create an environment conducive for the interviewee to be candid and honest in their responses, which may not happen if they are nervous and feeling “under the microscope”. Ask a couple of “ice-breakers”, but remember not to breach their privacy (such as asking about marital status, children, plans to have children, etc.). https://hiring.monster.com/resources/recruiting-strategies/interviewing-candidates/how-to-be-a-better-listener/

2. Be Prepared

With that out of the way, the interview can begin in earnest. Do your candidates the courtesy of having reviewed their resume before the interview, so they need not repeat what you should already know. Have an outline prepared of what you need to know that isn’t on their resume, or that you would like them to expand on. Ask specific questions that relate to the job duties and the candidate’s experience with those tasks. In your notes, break it down to the “must-haves” and the “nice-to-haves”. If they don’t have the direct experience required, ask some behavioral based questions that will get at their capability to take on those duties. Behavioral based questions are useful in developing a sense of how a candidate may react in given situations, but you need to get in to what they HAVE done in those situations as opposed to what they WOULD do, which a candidate will often defer to. 

3. What’s In It for Them?

The employment market is always changing and flips between being weighted in favor of the employer or the employee. In either situation it’s a good idea to outline your Employee Value Proposition…why they want to (or should) work for you, presuming you want to move them forward in the process that is! This could include a review of compensation range, benefits, other perks (both social and monetary) and growth potential. While we generally discourage candidates from asking these questions, this is always something that is on their mind, so if you have the opportunity to address it, it will always be appreciated and may well increase their level of interest in working with your team. Toward the end of your meeting, open up the discussion and ask the candidate if they have any questions they would like addressed; again, even in an employer driven market, the candidate is interviewing you as much as the other way around. 

4. Follow Up

After you’ve completed your interviews and have made a hiring decision, close the loop with all the people you have met with and let them know where they stand – don’t leave them hanging! If they don’t make it through the first round, an email is fine, but if it is further along in the process a phone call is more appropriate. If you can, provide specific feedback as to why they were not selected.

In summary: 

1. Put the candidate at ease – come up with a few ice-breakers without getting too personal. A relaxed candidate will give more thorough and honest answers. 
2. Have an outline prepared – ask specific questions that relate to the job duties and the candidates experience with those tasks
3. Ask some open ended, behavioral based questions that address how a candidate might behave in a particular situation and their capabilities to take on the tasks required for the role
4. Be able to speak about what’s in it for them and how you will keep them engaged over time. Ask about their career growth expectations and discuss how your company can help them achieve those goals.
5. Close the loop with the candidates post-interview. 

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Check out McNak’s Resources for more useful and relevant recruitment-related tips.