Interviews have a stereotype of stuffy suits and drilling fear into applicants to weed out and find the perfect fit for the job. When planned properly, the interview process provides companies with all the information needed to know whether an applicant has the capability to perform the requirements of a job opening. This is your time to gather a full picture of prospective employee’s knowledge, skills, and qualifications. These guidelines provide an outline for how to thoughtfully plan a fair and clear objective interview.
Establish the Interview Team
Teamwork makes the dreamwork, as they say. We recommend using the team approach for the interview process. This will save your team and prospective employee time while allowing for comparison by team members. Your interview team size will vary based on position hiring and availability. Our recommendation is to keep the interviewing team to two or three individuals.
Educate the Interviewer(s) on Potential Standard Workday
We understand there are many positions that do not have a standard workday schedule. Educate your interviewer(s) and give them this expectation from the very beginning, starting at the interview table. Your prospective employee should know what major duties and responsibilities will be expected of them before leaving the interview. Clearly defined expectations should also be reflected in the job description to aid in communicating what skills and knowledge is required to fulfill the open position.
Define the Position Selection Criteria
Predefining candidate expectations and selection criteria will ensure consistency throughout the interviewing process. Understand why this position needs to be filled in relation to the department and organization goals. Remember the importance of making job-related, relevant training, education, experience, and affirmative action goals defined in the selection criteria.
Develop Job-Related Questions
Protect yourself and your company from potential lawsuits and avoid “nice-to-know” questions. Answers to these questions can be viewed as discrimination by prospects who were not given the job. Keep in mind it is common for applicants to disclose irrelevant or inappropriate information to standard, job-related questions. These details should be disregarded.
Create an Interview Strategy
An interview strategy will change depending on the position you are hiring for. Customer Service team members require good verbal skills while Research Technicians focus on critical thinking. The interview strategy needs to align to the position opening and the skill requirements set in the job description.
Evaluate Applicant(s) on a Predetermined Scale
A predetermined scale based on expectations established in the selection criteria will aid in your benefit. Prospective employee’s interview responses will be ranked based on this scale. Concluding the interview process with clear, predetermined rankings and measurement creates an easier and more objective new hire selection.
The process and time invested to find a new employee can be daunting. With these guidelines in place, your company is set up for a clear interview process with limited concern of legality concerns.
We believe in person centered employee management to create good relationships, positive morale, and high work performance. As your human resources team, Vinna Human Resources ensures that all of your employee management is maintained and communicated effectively. Learn more about how we can help you focus on your business versus your personnel issues today!