You have posted your job opening, and now you have tons of resumes sitting in your inbox. After resume screening, some candidates made it to the next step, which is the interview. And now you are wondering about how to conduct an effective job interview. You cannot afford to fall victim of a bad hire, as this could cost you a lot in your company. An interview helps you to know the candidate better. This lets you know whether they are the right fit for your job opening. Thus, the need to make the process as effective as possible. For this reason, we have come up with some tips on how to conduct an effective job interview. They include:
Prepare your questions.
One of the tips on how to conduct an effective interview is to prepare your questions before the interview. To come up with questions you should ask your candidates, make sure you know the qualities you want in them. Your job description can help you with this. If you are not sure of what to write, take a look at the top performers in your company. What are the qualities they have? What was their accomplishment before they joined your company? Answers to this question will help you form relevant interview questions.
Involve others.
No matter the facet of life, seeking counsel before making any decision is crucial. The interview process is not different. For this reason, you should ensure that you involve others in the interview process. Invite a few of your colleagues to help you with the interview. This is because you need multiple checks to ensure you hire the right candidate. And having your colleagues around can be the extra pair of eyes that makes all the difference. Yet, you have to make sure that you don’t involve too many people, just two to three people are enough. This is because inviting too many people can be ineffective as they can make the interview process a long one.
Reduce the candidate’s stress level.
Candidates are always stressed out when going for interviews. They get nervous and anxious because of the fear of the unknown. Many questions run through the candidates’ minds when preparing for an interview. Questions like: “What question will the interviewer ask me?” What will my dress code be like? and a whole lot of other questions. The best thing an interviewer can do is ease the candidate’s stress. Reducing their stress level could start when you send out interview invites. You should be able to tell them the dress code for the interview. Besides, you should not be too harsh on candidates during the interview process. Do not needle them or be combative when asking them questions. If you are not careful, this could cost you a great candidate. The goal is to make them as comfortable as they can be.
Take time to assess the candidates.
Another tip on how to conduct an effective job interview is to take your time to assess the candidates. Make sure you dedicate enough time to each candidate. That will help you know whether they will be a good fit for your company. This is why you should not schedule too many candidates for each interview date. If you have too many candidates for an interview date, you will be stressed, and you might not be able to get an effective outcome. Thus, take your time to assess their qualities and potential. You should also be able to gauge whether they will be the right fit for the company both now and in the foreseeable future. When you assess all these, you will be able to pick the right candidate for your company.
Ask behavioral questions.
Asking behavioral questions is also one of the tips on how to conduct an effective job interview. Most times, interviewers make the mistake of asking straightforward questions. Questions like “what are your weaknesses”? This question is quite common, and candidates often prepare the answers before time. The answers might as well be lies. But, for an effective outcome, you should ask behavioral questions. For instance, ask them, “What problem has your team faced before, and how did you solve it?” Better still, you can ask for the solution to a problem you have previously faced in your company. You might even refer to the list of attributes you want in a candidate and ask questions about that. This will help you gauge the capacity of the candidate and know whether they are the right fit for your company.
Avoid inappropriate questions.
Another tip on how to conduct an effective job interview is to avoid asking inappropriate questions. You should avoid questions like “When did you graduate?” How many kids do you have? And so on. These questions might seem appropriate to you, however, they are not questions you should be asking in an interview. This is because the candidate might take it the wrong way and that might make you lose top talents. For this reason, ensure you avoid asking inappropriate questions.
Jot things down.
After interviewing each candidate, make sure you jot down the things that stood out to you about each of them. Highlight their answers, opinions, suggestions, and even questions. Many interviewers make the mistake of waiting till the end of the whole interview process before they do this. However, this is not good enough as they might find themselves mixing things up.
Give room to the candidate to ask questions.
You have been the one asking questions since the start of the interview. But as the interview is drawing to a close, you should give room for the candidate to ask questions. This will give you an insight into what is on the mind of the candidate. When an interviewee tells you they don’t have a question even when you gave them room, take note of that. It is one of the red flags that could show that a candidate does not have an interest in working with you.
Close the interview process properly.
The proper way to close an interview is to sell the company more to the candidate. This means that you tell them more about the company. After that, ask them if they have any questions and tell them you will get back to them at a later date. But, make sure you give them a specific time frame so they know when exactly they will hear from you.
Final thoughts
Conducting an effective interview is not an easy task. It takes lots of preparation and patience. But, with these tips on how to conduct an effective job interview, you will find the interview process an easy feat. And this can help you secure the best talent for your company.
