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So you’ve paid for all the job adverts,
you’ve laboriously poured over all the resumes, laughed at the
bad ones, ruled out the unsuitable ones, and chosen your shortlist
of good ones.
The work is almost over, isn’t it? Just a
few interviews and you’ll have your new member of staff and
another vacancy will be filled, until the next one comes along.
If only it were that simple. While you’re
undoubtedly on the home straight, the job interview is probably
the most important part of the recruitment process. This is where
you will come face-to-face with the people you may have to come
face-to-face with every day for years to come.
How you behave and conduct yourself in an
interview is just as important as how the candidate behaves. As
much as you will expect any good applicant to come prepared and
reasonably informed about your company, they will expect you to be
prepared and reasonably informed about the information they
provided on their resume
What is the interview for?
Once you’ve picked your shortlist of
candidates, the first thing to do is stop and take a breather. Sit
back and work out exactly what it is you want the interviews to
achieve.
At first glance, the answer to this sounds
obvious: "It’s to find the best person for the job, isn’t
it?"
Well, ultimately, yes. But the interview
shouldn’t be thought of as the final round in a knockout
competition. The opinions and information you get from the
interview should ultimately be combined with that from the
resumes, the qualifications, the experience, the references and
anything else you have to form your final decision.
It’s true that the primary aim of a job
interview is to meet the applicant and work out whether they are
right for the job, but this should be measured against a definite
job description you should have drawn up before you even
advertised the vacancy.
Less obviously, it’s easy to forget that
the job interview also exists for the candidate to find out more
about you and your company. Anybody looking for a new job can make
dozens of applications, and they may have had dozens of
interviews. It’s up to you to explain exactly what the job is,
why it will be interesting and engaging, and why your company is a
great place to work.
What you should do before the interview
Preparation is a key element in a successful
job interview. First of all, don’t make it difficult for the
interviewee to find you. Make sure you’ve let them have all the
information they need beforehand that will get them into the
interview chair. Travel information like road maps, parking and
public transport details will have them arrive relaxed and,
hopefully, on time. Also tell them beforehand whether you’re
willing to reimburse their travel expenses.
If you’re planning anything unusual, like a
tour, or if they’re going to be interviewed by a panel of
people, then tell them the timetable in advance so they’re not
caught out (unless you want to catch them unawares, that is).
Make sure they have a definite person to ask
for at reception, and tell reception that you’re expecting some
interviewees. They’re usually nervous enough without having to
explain to a puzzled receptionist who they are and why they’re
there.
All these things will mean the candidates
will sit down in front of you relaxed, comfortable and with an
already favorable first impression of a company that is friendly
and looks after people.
The other thing to work out before the
candidates arrive is where you’re actually going to interview
them. If you want a relaxed, informal atmosphere then maybe you
shouldn’t sit with a desk between you. Are you going to offer
them tea or coffee? Perhaps you’ll want to show them around
before you officially start, very useful in hotels.
Most importantly, prepare two lists of
questions. One will be of questions that you need definite answers
to. For instance: "Tell us what you do in your present
job" or "What other relevant experience do you
have?" The second list will be of leading questions that will
help you assess their personality. For example: "What made
you want to join the hospitality industry?" or "What do
you think you could bring to this company?"
The questions are up to you, but it’s
important that you know what information you need and what traits
you are looking for. A list can also help the interview move along
smoothly, and ensure a fair comparison between all the
interviewees.
What you should do during the interview
Once the pleasantries are over, start by
telling the candidate about the company and why you’re looking
for somebody. Open with a straightforward question that gives the
interviewee a chance to get into their stride, something about
their present job, for instance, or perhaps ask what they know
about the company they’re applying to.
Listen to the answers carefully, look at the
body language. Are they being confident and self-assured or are
they very nervous and closed-off. How do you think they would act
if they had to welcome guests or deal with a complaint? Will they
get on with the current members of your team? Don’t be afraid to
interrupt and get them to clarify things if you haven’t
understood.
But remember to move on if it’s obvious
they haven’t got a good answer: don’t torture them too much if
you can help it.
Take notes through the interview, especially
if you’re seeing a lot of people.
When you bring the interview to a close,
always remember to say something nice, thank them for coming and,
if possible, tell them when they can expect to hear from you, and
whether or not you’ll be holding second interviews.
After the interview
Try and write down a few notes of your
immediate thoughts as soon as the interviewee has left. If
there’s more than one interviewer, have a quick discussion to
get a quick reaction and see if there’s a unanimous opinion.
Try not to make any decisions until you’ve
interviewed all the candidates. This can be difficult if the first
one interviewed turns out to be excellent, but you should give
everyone a chance: you never know who might turn up.
Use the assessment from the interview in
conjunction with the resume, qualifications and experience to make
you final decision. Just because you got on with them really well
doesn’t mean they will be the best person for the job.
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