Many organizations are still dealing with a labor shortage. Everyone is competing for top talent. Your managers need to lead successful interviews, or you risk losing the top candidates who meet with you. Having managers lead interviews without proper training can also open your company up to liability issues, costing you time and money. Working with an expert in hiring practices, like Employco, can ensure that your hiring managers are properly interviewing candidates. Here are some best practices for conducting successful interviews.
Be Prepared
Outside of your job posting and your website, this is your candidate’s first impression of your company. They are interviewing you as much as you are interviewing them. Be proactive before the interview even starts. Let the candidate know who will be in the interview. Share the time and place. Let them know where to go and who to ask for once they get there.
Make sure your hiring managers are prepared with a list of questions and some training with mock interviews that help them practice. Ensure they have all the information they need on the candidate, including any resumes, cover letters, and additional information that could be useful during the interview. Employco can prepare your hiring managers with training on interview techniques and processes for hiring. We can help you find the right people for the jobs you are filling, helping you fill those positions faster while using fewer resources.
Be Respectful
Candidates are also interviewing you to see if they are a good fit for your organization. Making a poor first impression can scare off great talent. Make sure you are respectful of the candidate and their time. Eliminate any distractions that could distract from the interview. Turn off your phone and avoid checking emails. Make sure coworkers won’t interrupt you. Most importantly, pay attention to the person. Make sure your body language shows you are engaged and interested. When the interview is over, thank them and show them out.
Ask the Right Questions
This interview is your opportunity to talk with your next potential teammate. Using this time to ask the right questions is key to determining whether they fit the position and the organization well. Be sure you have a list of questions prepared that provide you with the information you need to make that determination. It’s just as important to know what to ask as is it to know what not to ask. Your HR partner can help you design a series of questions that drive productive conversation and insight into how the potential hire will fit into your organization.
Don’t Ask the Wrong Questions
You also don’t want to ask the wrong questions. Things like: Where did you grow up? What year did you graduate from high school? Or how many kids do you have? While these may seem like good icebreaker questions that you would ask in a social situation, in a hiring interview, these types of questions can open up your organization to potential discrimination and liability concerns. Providing interview training to hiring managers is essential to ensure the interview process goes smoothly and that your organization is protected. Employco can provide training on interviewing best practices, the right questions to ask, and the questions to avoid, helping your company avoid liability issues.
Build Rapport
Take the time to build rapport with your potential employee during the interview. Be prepared and willing to go off script and let the conversation develop and evolve naturally. Support a more conversational tone by starting the discussion with questions that spark conversation but aren’t directly related to your interview questions. Topics like current events or sports or asking them what they did over the weekend are good conversation starters. Building a more natural conversation can lead to different topics, and you may be able to pick up on aspects of their skillset or personality that aren’t necessarily evident in their resume or your questions. A more natural conversation also leads to a smoother interview.
The HR experts at Employco can help with interview techniques or training for managers on interview best practices. We help you save time and money while protecting your company from liability issues. Contact us to learn more about how our experienced team can help your organization develop effective hiring practices, including interview preparation, processes, and training to ensure that your interview practices are efficient and successful.