How to Effectively and Efficiently Interview

When hiring a new employee, there are multiple steps to ensure they are the right fit and qualified for your job. All of the stages help paint a clear and accurate picture of who this potential employee is and if they can do the job required. Most people try to shine in their cover letter and resume; however, it can be misleading if you don’t know what to look for, to determine if they can actually do what they claim. Some job posting sites offer automated screening tools such as deal breaker questions and skills testing before they even present you the applicant to consider. This may seem like a helpful service, but good candidates could get missed and poor applicants can get through. It is more helpful to have a trained recruiter to review the resume and ask the applicant specific questions to know if you’d like to proceed to an interview stage.

Asking some pre-screening questions is imperative to determining if it is worth considering the candidate to go further. Make sure you are asking their salary expectations from the outset to know if they will even entertain an offer that is reasonable. Are they willing to move? Many people assume they can work remotely, or they apply on a job without serious consideration for the relocation of their family. What is their familiarity with your organization? Do they actually want to work for you or are they just mass applying for anything they see posted? Determine if they are a serious and motivated applicant before moving to an interview to save you time.

The interview is important to make sure you are getting a good idea of their experience and fit for the role and the company. Be familiar with their resume so that the applicant can answer without having to retell what has already been shared. Create a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere by asking a few questions to get to know more about them and ease into the more in depth, probing questions. As you ask questions, if you sense that the applicant is not understanding or struggling to form a response, try restating the question in a different way or propose a scenario for them to think through and give them time to answer thoughtfully. Ask questions about their past experience so that they can give concrete examples of what they have done. Also pose questions about what they would do in a given scenario that is relevant to the position, which helps them understand the nature and challenges of the role they are considering. Ask about their ability to handle stress, what kind of work environment they prefer, and where they see themselves in the future to determine if they are in alignment with your expectations. There are plenty of sample interview questions online, but make sure you customize them to fit your company and the role.

Some applicants may be nervous, and the interview should not be the sole determining factor for if you would like to proceed. Background screening with skills and personality assessments and reference checking will help fill in the details and help verify that what the applicant says about themselves is accurate. As we are in a labour shortage, good applicants are receiving multiple offers. Make sure you get through these stages quickly and have prompt communication so that you don’t lose an ideal candidate. We cannot stress enough the urgency of making an offer and not sitting on an applicant too long. As job seekers are interviewing you as well, try to help them feel confident by making your best offer. The recruitment process can be stressful for both employer and applicant, but it can go a lot smoother by being prepared, having good communication and following a thorough process. When all these steps seem time consuming or out of your wheelhouse – call Hire Standard for support.