How to Run an Effective Interview
Job candidate interviews can be almost as stressful for the interviewer as for the interviewee. As an interviewer, you have only a brief period of time to assess someone you’ve only encountered through their resume. To make the most of your short time, you need to be prepared with the knowledge and skills to run an effective interview. When assistance is needed with HR services Las Vegas companies contact SOLV HR. In the meantime, here are some tips to help you conduct an interview.
Approach Every Interview with a Goal in Mind
Interviews aren’t just a chance to get to know a person better, although that’s part of it. You should approach every interview you conduct with one or more specific goals in mind. It’s up to you to decide what goals you need to achieve during an interview, but focusing on goals will enable you to create a logical and efficient roadmap that you can follow during each interview.
Consider Future Needs
As an HR professional, every interview you conduct is an opportunity to hire, not just for an immediate job opening, but to scout for individuals who might qualify for future roles. In this way, you can make future candidate searches go faster while building up a potential talent pool to draw from when you yourself are given a tight hiring deadline. This consideration will also inform your next step in running effective interviews.
Plan Your Line of Questioning
You should compile a list of questions that you want to ask each candidate ahead of time. This will help to ensure you ask all the pertinent questions and acquire the essential information. Making a list of questions ahead of time also helps you to get a better sense of the candidate’s qualifications, experience, and overall fit for the position.
First, think about your own goals. Are you looking to determine if the candidate has the necessary qualifications and experience for the position? Are you trying to gauge their fit within the company culture? Or are you trying to assess how they would handle certain situations on the job? Once you have a clear understanding of the purpose of the interview, you can begin to craft your list of questions.
Next, consider what information you need to gather from the candidate in order to make an informed decision. This might include their qualifications and experience, their problem-solving skills, their ability to work in a team, and their communication skills. Make sure to include a mix of both open-ended and closed-ended questions in order to get a well-rounded understanding of the candidate.
It’s also important to take into consideration the job requirements and responsibilities when running an interview. Based on the job you are hiring for, you should ask questions that are specific to the role and will help you to assess the candidate’s ability to perform the duties of the job. For example, if you are hiring for a sales position, you might ask questions about the candidate’s experience with cold calling, their ability to close deals or their understanding of the sales process.
Ask the Same Questions of Everyone
After whittling down your list of candidates, you may have only three people to interview, or you may have 20 people to interview. No matter how many people, though, everyone should be asked the same questions. You need to compare “apples to apples” in order to ensure that everyone has a fair chance of competing against one another. During the actual interview, this may present a challenge, since conversation can organically lead to extra questions and topics covered. But those core questions should still be asked of everyone.
Manage Stress
Another important tip is to help manage the stress levels of your candidates. Because you have only a brief time with each person, you want them to be in their most natural, professional mental and emotional state. You won’t be able to get a good read off of an individual who is completely stressed out during the interview. Do your best to make the candidate feel relaxed.
It’s challenging to know how to conduct an interview, no matter how skilled you are. Sometimes it’s best to leave it to the professionals. Contact SOLV HR, the HR company Las Vegas businesses trust for help with human resource and hiring needs.
