Interviewing Best Practices
Having the proper interviewing fundamentals will not only prepare you to hire right, but also drive your organization's success, increase retention rates and save you from a hiring nightmare.
Pre-Interviewing Preparation:
* It is important to have a thorough job description and a good understanding of the type of individual that will succeed in the role
* Review the questions you have created and identify what you 'ideal' responses might be
* Do an honest self-evaluation...how comfortable are you as an interviewer? First impressions count!
"Non-verbal" Basics:
* 50% of your message is delivered by non-verbal communication
* Positive body language: hand shake, appropriate eye contact, open 'alert' posture
* Potentially negative body language: fidgeting, fiddling with hair/objects, rocking in the chair, crossed arms/closed posture, head lowered
Interview Process:
* Be prepared
* Start with small talk to put the applicant at ease. This will entice responses that are less guarded
* Assess all candidates under similar conditions
* Keep notes to review following the interview
* Close the interview positively and share the 'next step' in the process
Interview Stages:
* Greeting and setting the stage - what impression do you create?
* Interview team questions & note taking - open/closed questions, hypothetical, behavior descriptive
* Candidate's questions - what can we learn from this?
* Closing - what happens next?
* Wrap-up - exiting with candidate, remember manners, observe body language
Common Interviewing Mistakes:
* Not leading the interview
* Talking too much and not listening/focusing
* Getting side tracked - not asking the same questions to each candidate
* Using the interview to simply confirm initial impressions (good or bad) - not being objective
* Asking inappropriate questions that could be viewed as discriminatory - eg. marital/family status, religion, country of origin
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