The Five Fundamentals Of Effective Job Interviews

Having assembled the details of potential new employees through a concerted inhouse or out-sourced online recruitment campaign it's time to meet them face to face in order to establish if they're the ideal new recruit for your business. Dependant on job role, company ethos and industry; job interviews are always likely to be a little different. There are however a few universal principles that we would strongly recommend that you follow in order to get the most from the job interview process and ultimately ensure that you bring on board the best possible new recruit/s:

1- Prepare

As with many things, proper preparation is key to effective candidate interviews. Prior to interviewing it is important to assemble your decision makers and establish precisely what you are looking for in a new recruit. Although not compulsory, it is also often useful to set interviewees a pre-interview task in order to gain an understanding of their proficiency and ability to perform an aspect of the role to a deadline. It should go without saying how important it is to thoroughly read through a candidate's CV and cover letter before they arrive so that you can draw up some relevant and useful questions for the interview.

2- Put the interviewee at ease

Stress rarely enhances performance; make sure to calm the interviewee's nerves on arrival in order to get the best idea of their suitability. Although it can be useful to see how the candidate reacts under pressure, they are very likely to be feeling a little stressed on arrival anyway- be friendly and approachable on greeting so that they feel as comfortable as possible and ready to answer your probing questions.

3- Utilise open-ended questions

Although the onus is upon the interviewee to provide detailed and thorough responses to questions - open-ended questions (utilising words such as 'how', 'what', 'why', 'when' and 'where') are a great tool to ensure that you aren't simply met with a series of 'yes' and 'no' answers.

4- Enquire into the interviewee's interests outside of work

The chances are that you're hiring a person not just a keyboard warmer, so make sure they fit in with the rest of the staff. Simply asking about a candidate's interests and hobbies during the course of the job interview provides you with a valuable insight into their personality and general '3-dimensionality'.

5- Encourage the interviewee to ask you questions

Not only will their questions demonstrate their research and awareness, but also allow you to sell yourselves to them as a company. The interview is a two-way process; you're not just looking for someone you believe to be capable of adding value to your organisation but also aiming to show the interviewee why and how they would benefit from working for you.

Although there is no strictly 'right' or 'wrong' way to go about conducting a job interview, these tips should help to give the interviewer the best insight into the suitability of a candidate for a job and equally ensure that the interviewee is in the best position to sell themselves to their potential future employer.


------

Written by Jamie Rock Lyons for Blue Octopus Online Recruitment and The Blogtopus Recruitment Blog