Interviewing Tips for Recruiters

Interviewing candidates for employment within an organization is a task that often falls to line managers and administrators who have minimal training in the interviewing process. This article will provide tips to assist individuals in conducting interviews. Let's go back to basics, because it's easy to lose track of the real purpose of an interview. An interview has four primary goals: 1. Determine whether the candidate has the skills required by the position. 2. Determine if the candidate is a good fit for the company environment. 3. Make the candidate enthusiastic about the job opportunity. 4. Secure the services of qualified candidates at the lowest reasonable price. This article describes an interview process that will help interviewers accomplish these goals. Part I: Introduction When an interview begins, it's important to establish rapport with the candidate. Start out gradually, putting the candidate at ease. An interviewer can inquire as to how the candidate's trip to the interview was, whether they had any trouble finding the building, etc. The interviewer should follow this with a compelling description of the company, portraying it as a place full of opportunities. Next, articulate the details and responsibilities of the position to which the candidate has applied. Part II: Questions and Answers The interviewer should, at this point, ask a number of technical questions designed to elicit information about whether the candidate has the necessary skills for the position, and whether the candidate would fit into the company's work environment. The specific questions will, of course, depend on the company and the position the candidate is seeking. Interspersed with the technical questions, and in the order listed below, the interviewer should ask and receive answers for the following questions: 1. Is this company the kind of company that would interest you? This confirms the candidate's interest. 2. What specifically interests you about the position? This confirms the candidate's interest in the position again. It also helps reinforce the candidate's interest. At this point, the interviewer should inquire about the candidate's background, skills and career interests. 3. Why does the candidate think that they are a good fit for the position? The appropriate tactic here is to respond with complimentary remarks about the candidate's skills and strengths. At the same time, the interviewer needs to highlight some of the candidate's weaknesses. For example, "You sound like a pretty good fit, despite your lack of experience in...." The goal here is to impress upon the candidate that they have a real chance of being hired for the desired position. At the same time, the interviewer wants to plant some doubts in the candidate's mind as to their true market value. Part III: Closing At this point, a great deal of information is now known about the candidate. Assuming that the candidate is a good fit for the position, the closing should help convince the candidate to accept an offer. 1. Is the job title and level of responsibility what you expected? This helps to uncover any issues that the candidate might have. 2. The job position should be pretty challenging. Do you feel you're up to the challenge? This forces the candidate to justify their qualifications for the position. In combination with doubts planted earlier, the candidate should feel a certain lack of confidence that they will get the job. This tips the interview process in favor of the interviewer. 3. Why are you leaving your current company? This probes for any weaknesses that the candidate might have. 4. Rather than looking for a new job, why don't you ask your current manager for.... This question is based on other information that the candidate may have given. For example, the candidate may be seeking increased responsibilities, a higher-level management role, a leadership position, a change in geographic location, etc. This question also allows the interviewer to make an educated guess as to whether a potential counter-offer situation might arise. 5. Are you actively seeking jobs with other companies? What companies? Have you received any offers from these companies? How do you rate this opportunity against those other companies? The goal here is to find out who the competition is, allowing an offer to be crafted that will be competitive. These questions also tend to force the candidate to defend the current opportunity against the other potential offers. This helps to reinforce the benefits of the current position. At this point, the candidate has been pushed around a bit. It's important to sum up by selling the strengths of the company and the position, particularly with regard to the candidate's background and skills. 6. If this company made you an offer today, when would you be available to start? This helps tie the candidate down. It's difficult for most people to back out of any type of verbal commitment. 7. Do you feel that your current company may extend a counter-offer? The goal here is to defend against any potential counter-offer. The interviewer should inform the candidate that statistics show that 75% of all individuals who accepted a counter-offer from their employer nevertheless left their companies within six months. The reason for this is that employees leave companies for more reasons than simply money. A counter-offer simply represents money, and doesn't typically address any other issues that an employee may have with their company. Conclusion That concludes the interview process. However, you do need to follow up with the candidate in a timely manner. This is even more important in today's competitive job market than it was few years ago.