September is Self-Improvement Month, the perfect time to reflect on not only your personal development but your professional development too.
Businesses play a crucial role in the interviewing process. Whether you’re an SME just starting out or an established company with years of practice, there’s always room for improvement.
An effective interview strategy is important for a number of reasons from maintaining a great company reputation to ensuring you get the best out of candidates at the interview stage.
Here are six of our best tips to help you better your process.
1) Be prepared and structured
It’s not only candidates that need to be prepared for interviews, but you do also! A well-structured interview can set the tone for a more productive interview.
You should start by reviewing the candidates’ CV, which we know sounds obvious, but understanding their experience and tailoring your questions to this is a game changer.
A disorganised interview can leave candidates feeling disengaged – interviews aren’t supposed to catch candidates out, they’re supposed to be structured to get the best out of them.
2) Make them feel comfortable
Interviews can be nerve-wracking for most people, and anything that adds to these nerves could prevent a candidate from showing their full potential.
Be sure to create a welcoming and comfortable environment that encourages candidates to feel more at ease.
Start by breaking the ice, you might be pushed for time but showing a genuine interest in their day or weekend could be the perfect way to get them to relax.
3) Listening is key
You might think that it’s your role to control the conversation, but in actual fact an interview should be a space for the candidate to shine.
This is an opportunity for them to show you what they’re capable of, so try and listen more than you talk.
After you ask a question, let them fully explain their thoughts, without any interruptions.
4) Ask behavioural questions
Hypothetical questions are outdated and are quickly becoming a relic of the past. Instead of leading a question with What would you do if…, use phrases like Tell me about a time when…
This encourages candidates to describe specific instances when they demonstrated the skills you’re looking for.
5) Test for a cultural fit
There’s no denying that technical skills and experience are important, but cultural fit can be the make or break.
Often, candidates who don’t match your company’s culture are likely to leave the business further down the line.
To gain an understanding of whether they’d be a great fit, ask questions about the working environment they thrive in, what their approach to teamwork is, and understand their problem-solving style.
6) Follow up!
Businesses not following up post-interview is one of the key issues we see working in recruitment.
Whether you’re working with an agency or taking care of your own recruitment, following up after every interview is a must.
The interview process doesn’t end when the interview ends. Whether or not you want to progress with a candidate, providing feedback can be key for job seekers.
The best interview questions to ask:
- Tell me about a time you had to overcome a significant challenge at work – how did you approach it and what was the outcome?
This helps you assess their problem solving skills and gives you an idea of how they perform under pressure.
- How do you prioritise tasks when you have more than one project and lots of deadlines?
This will give you an insight into their organisational skills and how they manage their workload.
- Describe a time when you had to collaborate with a team member who had a different working style. How did you handle it?
This lets you see into their adaptability, communication and teamwork.
- What do you need from your manager and your team to complete your best work?
This is good for understanding their preferred working environment, values and culture.
- What excites you the most about this role and how do you see yourself contributing to our success?
This lets you assess their motivation and enthusiasm as well as showing you how well they’ve researched your company.
Following these simple tips and asking the right questions will enhance your chances of finding the right candidate for your business.
If you’re looking for talented job seekers to interview, get in touch with Glu today. It’ll cost you nothing to interview our candidates along side your direct applicants!