In Brief:” The job interview is one of the most important incidents in a company. The importance of the job is the same for the person holding the interview as well as the person who is appearing in the interview. “
If the person who is holding the interview does not conduct a proper interview, there are chances that they may not be able to identify and therefore hire the right person for the job.
This article provides tips for the interviewer – the selection methods (i.e. criteria) on how to interview a job candidate and interviewing questions and answers.
How to interview a candidate?
One of the first things to do while holding an interview is to get a clear, better picture of what qualities and talents the job profile requires the importance of each selection criteria as well –
Tasks before the interviewing process – Candidate’s Selection
1. The job requirements
You have to make a table jotting down all these aspects in a single file. Some of the aspects that should come out are:
- What type of employee would better fit your organization?
- What are the skills that your organization is looking for?
2. The resumes
Once this is done, you should begin to take in the resumes and file them.
You should then look into the resumes and decide which ones are viable for your company.
3. The interview time
The next process would be to call the individuals and set up an interview time.
Make sure that you place your interviews in such a way that you have ample time to speak and know the interviewee as much as you might want to know.
4. Candidates list
After you have the information in place, make a list of all the individuals who are supposed to come for the interview, making a note of the times that they would be coming in, along with the questions that you are supposed to ask them.
This goes a long way in helping you picture the candidate, long after the candidate is gone, and would help you in remembering any intricacy of the interview.
5. Confirm the timings
When it comes to the interview itself, make sure that you confirm the timings with the person who is appearing for the interview. Once a mutual timing is decided on, make sure that you get a confirmation via email before you plan for the interview.
Then, the next process is the job interview and the job candidate interview questions.
The Ultimate Guide to Interviewing Job Candidates:
10 Selection Criteria and Strategies
1. The professional past of the candidate
While interviewing the individual, first make sure that you find out about the professional past of the person. Try to find out the interviewee’s first job, and other relevant details about his or her professional and personal life. You also want to verify his or her qualifications – education, courses and lessons.
2. The technical aspects – professional skills
While the interview is going on, you should try to understand the personal traits as well as the attitude of the individual towards the job as well as their profession. Also, try to gauge how serious he is about the job.
3. The balance
You should also check whether the interviewee is able to strike a balance between their personal and professional lives.
4. Initiator or a follower
Also, make sure that you set questions that will decide whether the interviewee is an initiator in his or her professional life or whether they are more of a follower.
Also, your questions should aim to find out whether the candidate brings any kind of individual assets to the company, or whether the qualifications that they bring are more of a supportive kind.
5. The attitude
You may check his attitude toward important issues such as – teamwork, communication capabilities, stressed situations, future plans, learning curve, motivations, dominancy (a team leader?) and methods of work.
There are several other important aspects that one has to remember while interviewing a person.
6. The answers
The interviewer should try to find out whether the interviewee is faking the answers or is trying to withhold some information about the answer or themselves.
If you do think that the interviewee is faking the answers, do not confront him or her about it. In turn, you can simply ask the interviewee to give any examples of anything that he or she has told you about.
7. Body language
Also, pay proper attention to the interviewee’s body language. The body language of an individual goes a long way in informing you about many intricacies of the individual.
8. References
If the interviewee has informed you about any references, allow the interviewee to speak about them. With this, you can get to cross check whatever the interviewee has informed you about them earlier.
Also, you can also cross-check these facts, later on when you give a call to the references. If the references that the interviewee has provided are his or her previous managers or colleagues, the interviewer should try to know the former-mutual-contact experiences.
9. Documentation
Also, the interviewer should make sure that all the documentation and formal information that might be needed for the quick process of hiring are presented and collected as soon as possible.
Apart from the academic qualifications, the interviewer should also ask about any hobbies or extracurricular activities that the interviewer has taken part in.
9. The salary
The salary is quite an integral part of the final decision whether the individual would join the organization.
The salary also plays an integral part in the interviewers’ decision whether the interviewee is perfect for the organization. Therefore, the interviewer should find out the expected salary of the interviewee, and also gauge whether the individual would bargain or negotiate about the salary.
10. The timeframe – i.e. Availability
Finally, the interviewer should make it a point to get a clear picture about the timeframe that they are looking at in case they hire the interviewee.
With a concrete timeframe in mind, the interviewer is free to decide and discuss whether the potential candidate is the best person for the job at hand.
These are just some of the aspects that the interviewer should remember while interviewing the candidates.
Remembering these aspects and finding out about them will surely help you in hiring on the best candidate, who would bring the skills and qualities that would be well oriented towards your business.
As an interviewer, you may also prepare a selection table as follows:
Candidates Selection Table/Form: Selection Criteria for Hiring the Right Candidate
The interview should not only be an endeavor to find out whether the person’s qualifications and experiences make them a good hire, but it should also try to find out the attitude and any information that may come in handy during the decision of hiring him or her for the said job.
Therefore, the interviewer should try to find out the comfort levels that they share during their stint with each other.
Also, you may consult and share thoughts with colleges before deciding whose candidate is selected for the next interviewing round.
Job Interview Evaluation Form: Candidates Selection for Employers
Selecting the best candidates for a job position requires thorough documentation and tracking throughout the interviewing process.
This section suggests two forms that employers can utilize: an application form and a post-interview evaluation template/form. The application form provides comprehensive information about the job description and competency requirements, guiding the interviewer on what to look for.
The form also aids in selecting interview questions based on the competency requirements, allowing the interviewer to evaluate candidate answers after the interview, prioritizing each requirement.
Sample Interview Evaluation Form for Selecting Candidates:
- Position Title: ______
- Interviewee: ___
- Location: _____
- Date: ________
Job Description:
- Duties, Responsibilities, Skills requirements, general missions.
- Minimum Education and Qualifications.
- Minimum Previous experience.
Technical/Professional questions:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
General Management questions – competency checklist:
-
- Leadership
- Critical decision-making
- Group, Teamwork management
- Strategic thinking
- Creative problem solving
- Managing others
- Managing a business unit
- Managing major changes
- Strategic management
- Corporate and vision management
Self-management questions – competency checklist:
-
- Prioritizing tasks
- Day-to-day mission management
- Networking (co-workers and customers)
- Coaching
- Ability to take responsibilities
- Self-learner
Personal traits – competency checklist:
-
- Self-confidence
- Good self-expression
- Assertiveness
- Ability to inspire others
- Tact
- Social drive and sensitivity
- Good judgment
- Verbal communication skills
- Interpersonal communication skills
- Analytical thinking
- Numerical abilities
- Tough-Mindedness
- Creativity
- Patience
- Technical/mechanical skills
- Carefulness
- Methodical
- Ability to improvise
- Sense of humor
- Strong desire to make money
- Teaching abilities
- Ability to plan and organize
Working conditions:
-
- Travel
- Long hours
Salary questions:
-
- Basic Salary Expectations
- Benefits expectations
General questions:
-
- Career achievements
- Career objectives
- Motives
References:
-
- Previous direct boss #1
- Previous boss #2
- Colleague
- Customer or external co-worker