Is your company bad at interviewing ? asks Max Mackin , Director of Black Fox Solutions
e were recently inundated with responses to a recent post on
WLinkedIn about candidate interview etiquette .
I was explaining how some people just don ’ t take a job interview as seriously these days , and for a number of reasons don ’ t place the same emphasis on what an interview means .
We were surprised by the number of responses to the post and in particular the number of people who cited equally bad interview experiences , where the fault lay with the potential employer .
In response , I spent some time surveying candidates across several industries who had recently registered with ourselves and had interviewed for positions offering salaries from £ 23,000 £ 35,000 .
We found that most businesses do take interviewing seriously , but we also found lots of examples were companies came across as disrespectful in how they treated or spoke to potential candidates .
Having been in recruitment for longer than I would care to admit , it still shocks me that companies , in some instances place so little importance in conducting a professional interview process .
If you have made the decision to employ a new member of staff , someone who you are going to spend quite a bit of time with , and who is responsible for doing a job that is important enough for you to pay them a salary , then surely it makes sense that to attract the best people , you need to promote yourself and your business in the best possible light .
The most consistent complaint was employers booking an interview at a set time and then keeping the candidate waiting , sometimes up to 60 minutes after the interview was due to start .
At the very least , this makes an employer look poorly organised and unprofessional . Other examples included interviewers failing to have read or not having a copy of the candidate ' s CV , and employers using the majority of the interview time to talk about their own accomplishments and what makes them successful !
Many spoke about some companies lacking any real interview techniques , such as , asking open or leading questions to allow candidates to give structured answers about past work experience that relate specifically to the vacancy at hand .
When interviewing a prospective employee , it ’ s important to present the right image .
The candidate you are interviewing could potentially be a brilliant employee who will give you years of good service , so it ’ s essential to prepare properly .
Show the candidate you are professional and prepared by following these simple rules : 1 ) Work out exactly what type of person you want to hire before you start the interview process . The successful candidate will spend a considerable amount of time working alongside you and your other employees so be mindful that they need to be a good fit personally , as well as having the necessary experience and skills needed to do the job .
2 ) Confirm the time , date and venue with the candidate and ensure that you have allowed enough time in your diary so you won ’ t be interrupted , disturbed or double booked .
3 ) Review the candidates CV and cover letter again before the interview , and structure your questions on their experience and relevant skills .
4 ) Have an outline of how you want the interview to go , you will need to question this person in relation to their previous work history , their ability , and what the role entails . You also need to promote your business and what type of company you are . So spending a bit of time beforehand , to prepare good questions will help give your interview structure .
5 ) Be polite and ensure you make the candidate as relaxed as possible . Bear in mind that nerves can sometimes get the better of people but that doesn ’ t neccesarily make them a poor candidate . You are looking for the best person for the job , not neccesarily the person with the best interview skills .
We recently spoke to a person who had an interview for a role as a Business Development Executive , where the employer kept them waiting for 50 minutes , apologised by saying he was really busy , and kept forgetting the person ’ s name throughout the interview even though he had a CV . Not surprisingly , the candidate completely lost interest .
It ’ s so important to start a relationship off on the right footing ; demonstrating respect and courtesy are small things to implement but make huge differences to how a future employee will view your company . Proper interview preparation is not a chore , it ’ s an opportunity to add the best possible talent to your team , and it ’ s no secret that a businesses ’ success is dependent on the quality of their staff .
MOREINFORMATION
For more information or advice on hiring a member of staff or finding a new job , visit www . blackfoxsolutions . co . uk or call 028 9099 4111
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