The Search for the Perfect Candidate

Keys to Conducting an Interview

After conducting an interview, as a recruiter you are expected to clearly understand a candidate’s background enough to determine if he or she would be a perfect fit for your company.  Conducting an interview properly and asking the right questions can improve your chances of selecting the right person for the job.  A productive interview should clearly allow you to assess the candidate’s behavioral traits, qualifications, strengths and weaknesses and determine if the applicant would fit into your company culture.

WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA (WCF) offers these solutions to conducting an interview:
 
Define the qualities you are looking for in the perfect candidate.  Before you set up the interview, determine what characteristics you would like the employee to possess, such as education, talents, knowledge and skills.  To form your list, consider using the traits of your best employees.

Carefully review the resume before the interview.  Know the applicant’s qualifications before the interview begins by reviewing the resume or application in advance.  Remember that you are setting an impression of your organization as well, and its best to look prepared.

Draft interview questions in advance.  Keep questions open ended and avoid leading questions that may direct your candidates to the answer that you expect.  Draft questions that are behaviorally based or that allow you to pinpoint specific situations in which a behavior was used in a past.  Consider writing scenarios that are common with the job and asking the applicant how he or she would respond.  Think about what types of answers you would like to these questions and try to keep questions the same for all candidates for a position.

Focus interview questions on job experience, skills, education and achievement, but avoid all questions that may not be legally used for hiring, such as questions regarding race, age, gender, religious background, medical history, disabilities, handicaps, marital status or if a candidate is planning to have children.  Including any of these items in an interview will make your company vulnerable to a discrimination lawsuit if you decide not to hire a candidate.

Create an evaluation form.  Prepare a form in advance that lists all planned questions.  This will provide a similar interview format if you have multiple interviewers and will help you compare multiple candidates.

Begin the interview.  Set the interview tone, start with small talk to relax the candidate, thank the applicant for his or her time, and provide advice on how the interview process will work.

Be a good listener. Have control over your responses and be conscious of the impression that you are making.  Take brief notes on the evaluation form to help you remember candidate qualities, so you can reference them after interview or to compare multiple candidates.  Ask the interviewee if he or she has any questions about the organization and position.

Assess the candidate’s technical skills, experience, communication skills and interpersonal skills.  Watch body language for comfort level and interpersonal skills, and analyze the candidate’s ability to answer tough questions and think quickly.  If a candidate’s message contradicts an earlier comment, ask about the contradiction and observe how the person reacts.  Listen for job-related problems like poor attendance, lack of loyalty and inability to maintain working relationships, but keep in mind that problems do not have to disqualify a candidate if he or she learned from the experience.

End the interview by letting the applicant know what to expect.  Let the candidate know when you expect to have a decision and how you will contact him or her with that decision.  Then thank the applicant and guide him or her to the exit.

For further information on conducting an interview visit the following Web sites, some of which may be commercial sites that require a fee.
• www.shrm.com
• http://humanresources.about.com
• www.allbusiness.com

For a list of sample interview questions to use as a guideline when planning your interview, visit www.workforcecentralflorida.com/employers/interviewing_questions.asp.

To learn more about how WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA can meet the growing needs of your business, visit us at workforcecentralflorida.com/employers or ask your WCF Business Development Manager for information on WCF Employer Services, such as the Lending Library and how WCF’s Employed Worker Training Program can assist you with your training needs.

Source: AllBusiness.com, ere.net, About.com, RetailManagerCareers.com