Recruiting workers to join your team is not always a manager’s favorite duty. Between piles of resumes and full days of scheduled interviews, hiring can take up much of your valuable time. To hire the right candidate, you’ll assess an interviewees preparedness. However, it’s up to you to come prepared as well. Whether you’re conducting your first interview, or you’ve been through it before, there’s plenty to learn. This post will go through Davis Staffing’s top six tips on how you can successfully plan to perform an interview.
1. Analyze Your Questions
Think of your interview questions as your opportunity to identify strengths and assess whether the worker will be a good fit. Make sure you are comfortable with the list of questions, and that they’ve been updated recently. Now is the time to remain open-minded. Maybe your first choice doesn’t have a college experience but makes up for this in years of experience and glowing recommendations. Take a hard look at what exactly you ask your interviewees. Will these questions give you the absolute best perspective on whether the candidate will be a good fit? Use specific scenario-based questions to determine whether your interviewee will be up to the challenge of the job.
2. Review the Materials
Have you ever interviewed for a position and felt like you were repeating yourself? Candidates can feel exasperated when they must repeat their past employment information over and over again. While it’s important you ask about their experience, it’s also vital for you to do your homework. Never go into an interview blind. If you’re conducting an in-person interview after a phone screen, be sure to have the notes from the call so the applicant doesn’t need to reiterate information you already have. Read the cover letter and resume, don’t just skim. If you seem indifferent, the candidate will be disengaged and less motivated to fill the role.
3. Advertise Your Experience
When you have a pile of resumes in front of you, it’s easy to forget that you need this position filled just like the candidate needs a job. Yes, the hiring manager wields power, but you want to find someone for this position quickly. Stay grounded and remember it’s also on you to really sell your organization. Don’t forget that incoming candidates may have multiple offers or opportunities that remain undisclosed, so you want to stand out as the best option. Even if the applicant isn’t a good fit, your company still depends on a positive reputation in the community!
4. Prepare Answers
As you conduct a job interview, it’s expected that a candidate will prepare questions. To effectively evaluate the fit of the organization, your interviewee may want to know what a day in the life is like, how the company operates, the vibe of the company culture: things you can’t find on the website. Flip your perspective and consider what you would want to know. Be straightforward and honest, because onboarding is expensive. If you lie about your organization and spend six weeks training a new hire that quits when your secret is revealed, you’ve wasted everyone’s time.
5. Team Up
Many interviews are conducted with a panel or multiple interviewers. It’s a great way to make sure nothing slips through the cracks, and that the interviewee gets a fair shake. It can also be beneficial for a candidate to get face time in with more than one staff member that they’ll be working with, and for crucial team members to meet a potential new hire. If you conduct the interview with another team member, make sure you schedule a time to sit down with them before the interview. You’ll want to compare questions, review the applicant’s resume together, and determine which of you will cover what topics throughout the meeting.
6. Craft an Agenda
The most diligent interviewers have a plan in place on how exactly the interview will be conducted. Schedule out your interview into fifteen-minute chunks to set expectations, for both the candidate and your team. Your agenda should include:
- Fifteen minutes built in before and after the interview
- When and where the interview will begin
- Any essential topics to cover, if relevant
- Any tour of the organization if provided – which rooms or areas the candidate can expect to see
- The name and title of interviewers and any other important personnel
Work With a Top Staffing Agency in Chicago
If you’re looking to reduce the stress of hiring, there may be a better way. Let Davis Staffing lighten your load. As a top Chicago temporary staffing agency, we can help you expedite your search for talent. Contact us today if you’re looking for hiring help!
