Dont Forget To Inform The Candidate About The Next Stages
Many hiring managers are vague when it comes to informing the candidate of what to expect post-interview. It may have just slipped your mind or you may not be organised enough to give an exact timeframe. If you do know the deadline dates, tell them when you expect to make your decision by and whether you will need to consult other hiring managers as this might slow the process. Try to give them a projected timeline of the next stages in the hiring process. Its also worth mentioning whether they will hear from you if theyve been unsuccessful, or just whether theyve been successful. Additionally, let them know what method you will contact them by, whether thats by phone, email or through an executive search firm. Executives and senior managers tend to have hectic work schedules, so it might be worth asking your candidates what time and what channel they would prefer to be contacted by.
Do: Allow Candidates To Take A Longer Break
Its a good idea to give your candidate some time to relax during the interview. If you have a long conversation with them, it can be hard for them to keep their energy up if theyre not taking a rest every so often. In some cases, you might even be able to schedule an extended lunch break as well. If you find that theyre getting tired, then you can ask if theyd like a few minutes of time on their own or another break altogether. You can also use this as an opportunity for them to clear their heads and think about what youve just said.
Do Take Your Time Answering Questions
Why
“It is human nature to begin formulating an answer even before the speaker has finished. Avoid this temptation,” said Stephanie Kinkaid, Assistant Director of the Wackerle Career and Leadership Program at Monmouth College. “Actively listen to the interviewer so you can answer completely. If you do not know the answer, be honest. Interviewers would rather have an honest answer than have one that is fabricated.”
How
Think about how you will answer common interview questions before the interview, including background information and verbal tests about potential situations that may arise on the job . This will make it easier to provide thoughtful answers to interview questions that showcase your talents.
The average job interview lasts 40 minutes.
Why
Remain pleasant and positive during an interview. Saying negative things about former employers will make you look bad and do not result in a pleasant interview. A job interview is not the time to air past grievances.
How
If you are asked about why you left your last job, put a positive spin on it and say as little as possible. Try to highlight what you learned from the experience and how you will do things differently in your next job.
Although it is illegal to ask questions about marital status, religion, disabilities, children and ethnicity during a job interview, 20 percent of hiring managers admit to posing these questions because they didn’t realize it was against the law.
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Committing Time To The Hiring Process
When it comes time to finally start interviewing, the easiest thing to do at that moment is to procrastinate and not prioritize the responsibility you have as a hiring manager.
I am going to be real the longer you wait to fully commit to the interview process the longer it will take to fill the vacant spot you have on your team.
This may seem like common sense but we have all been there where the demands of our day-to-day pile up and we tell ourselves we have time.
Do: Ask Them For All Applicable References
You dont have to ask for all of their references, but it can be helpful if you can pick out a reference that theyre most comfortable giving. This will help them feel more comfortable about the company they have chosen. If you dont have any references, then give them an hour or two to get in touch with one before the interview ends. Its not the most respectful thing in the world, but it is important so both candidates feel comfortable.
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Nine Tips For Interviewers
Remember that during the interview process, candidates are just as much as youre trying to decide whether to hire them. You have only about an hour to make a good impression on the candidate and to obtain the critical information you need about their skills, experience and personality.
As you gather the latest insights about todays job seekers, here are nine tips for interviewing someone that you can use to prepare for your next interview:
Explain The Hiring Process
To get the candidates to be more at ease and lessen the tension, explain early on during the interview what your companys interview process is.
Explain:
- whether it is a first or final interview
- who else the candidate will meet
- what role those people will play in the decision-making process
- what tests will be given or required
- how long the candidate can be expected to be on the premises, etc.
It helps relax the candidates to know exactly what theyre in for.
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Do’s And Don’ts Of Job Interview Assignments
The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed’s data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.
Interviewing for a new job requires you to prove your skills, qualifications and personality aligns with what a company wants. Many hiring managers now look for ways to assess a candidate’s technical abilities before giving them a job offer. In this article, we discuss what a job interview assignment is, the do’s and don’ts of completing a job interview assignment and examples of job interview assignments.
Related:
Do Brush Up On The Candidates Job Search Touchpoints
Its always a good idea to walk into the interview prepared. Imagine how embarrassed youd feel if you asked specific questions about their careers, but mixed up two different candidates. You were meant to ask Tony about his experience in Order Fulfillment, not Catherine! This would leave a bad impression of you and create a bad candidate experience, which could cause top-talent to slip through your fingers all because of a daft mistake.
To prevent this from occurring, allocate time to re-read their job search touchpoints before every interview so that your memory is refreshed of each candidates background. Doing so might also prompt some additional questions to ask the candidate about specific projects theyve managed. By personalising each interview, you demonstrate interest and create an excellent candidate experience.
Read Also: What Question I Should Ask In Interview
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Don’t Add Filler Phrases
Why
Many interviewees use verbal pauses, such as “ums” and “ahs” while thinking. This can give a bad impression, as it imparts that you may not know what you’re talking about.
How
Slow down and watch your words. If you need to collect your thoughts, take a silent pause or even repeat the interviewer’s question.
Read Also: How To Be Ready For Interview Questions
What Can You Ask In A Job Interview
Selecting the right person for the job is an important responsibility and one that can significantly influence how a team functions and works together as well as the overall success of your business or organization. Knowing how to screen applications and/or resumes is the first step, but once you are meeting face-to-face, the do’s and don’ts of personal interviews become critical.
Here I will focus on the types of questions you want to ask and those that you want to avoid.
Interview Dos And Donts For The Hiring Manager
- Estimated read time: 7 mins
- Date posted:22/06/2020
Successfully interviewing candidates is a skill that takes practice and preparation. The purpose of an interview is to weed out the candidates who can talk a good game, but cant or wont be able to perform on the job. Many hiring managers warm to a candidate in the first few minutes of the interview due to their charisma and presence. However, the hiring manager will then spend the rest of the interview trying to prove to themselves why that candidate is right for the job charisma alone is not a valid indicator of job performance. Its vital that the hiring manager puts these thoughts aside and gives each candidate the chance to pitch themselves.
Its also worth bearing in mind that some candidates who nail interviews do so because they go to a large number of them, meaning they either a) lose a lot of jobs or b) get rejected from interviews frequently. Rather than prioritising confidence, hiring managers must listen actively to what the candidate says and whether this aligns with the job description. Only then will you be able to determine whether they have what it takes to take on the role. It falls on the hiring managers shoulders to be skilful enough in their approach that they can decipher the good candidates from the bad.
Below is a list of dos and donts for the hiring manager to adhere to when interviewing candidates:
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The Candidate Experience Is A Reflection Of You
In todays market, the candidate is in full control. They are interviewing you even more than you are interviewing them.
That being said, the interview process is your first impression as not just a hiring manager but who you are as a leader. It is your brand.
If a candidate has a poor experience, most will remove themselves from the process before it even gets to the offer phase.
Dont: Ask If They Have Any Questions
If youve already asked them a few questions, then dont ask again before the interview is over. This shows a lack of confidence in their abilities and can show that youre not going to give them a fair shot based on the interview. It also shows that you have no idea how much they know about their position, which isnt helpful if its your job to hire someone.
Recommended Reading: Open-ended Interview Questions For Managers
Dont Include Tests Or Assessments
The objective of the take-home assignment is to know for sure if the candidate is going to be strong enough for the role but ends up being counterproductive to what you are trying to achieve.
The top candidates in the market with the strongest skill set will not interview for your opportunity if they have to spend an extra 2 hours completing a take-home assignment.
The truth is, they dont have to because there are plenty of other interview processes without them. They know their worth and will not be bothered.
This leaves you attracting less skilled and experienced candidates which is why you should never include a take-home assignment.
Do: Ask If They Have Any Questions For You
Its good to ask if they have any questions, but this question can also help them feel confident in the position even if its not exactly what theyre looking for. This is a great way to get them excited about working with you and for you and give them confidence about accepting the offer. Its also a great way to make sure theyre prepared for some of your questions and answers throughout the interview. In addition, it also allows you to start a conversation about the position and lets them know that theres more to talk about before your interview ends.
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Dont Make Inappropriate Small Talk
You should avoid asking questions about relationships, age, religion, gender and race. These characteristics can create bias and are not conclusively related to how well the candidate will do the job. Theres no harm in small talk, so long as you discuss the weather or whether they found the place easily. However, asking specific questions that delve into their private lives can create bias in the hiring process. For example, if you discuss how they had to drop their young children off at school that morning, you might unconsciously feel less inclined to hire them because of concerns about childcare. They might be more than perfectly capable of carrying out the job, but your unconscious biases may come into play and cause you to believe that they wont be able to fully commit to the job. Who will look after the children in the school holidays? Will the candidate need to leave work early to collect the child from school if theyre feeling ill?
This isnt just discrimination, but in most cases, illegal. Asking questions about the candidates age, religion or other characteristics is incredibly invasive and is not a predictor of their performance. To avoid a lawsuit on your hands, prepare your questions well in advance and get feedback from your colleagues to ensure theyre legal and unbiased.
For more information on bias and diversity in the hiring process, read our blog post: Hiring Managers: How To Hire For Diversity.
Have Others Answer For You
It’s important for you to complete the assignment yourself. Consider asking for help or practicing your skills before you work on the assignment. For example, if you need to complete a programming task for your assignment but have a question about something with Python you always struggle with, ask someone for help to learn how to master the problem before beginning the task.
Related:How To Prepare for a Technical Interview
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Avoid The Standard Job Interview
Use these basic principles to avoid the common pitfalls of the interview.
A typical job interview is little more than a social call with some predictable choreography. A conference-room meeting, a pristine résumé and the standard questions: Where do you want to be in five years? What do you consider your biggest failure? What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Add in some small talk maybe the candidate and the interviewer have something in common, like an alma mater or an acquaintance from an earlier job and thats largely it. The candidate seems good, and the references check out. So an offer is made, and fingers are crossed that everything works out.
Then, a month later, the new hire misses an important deadline or starts complaining about the work. Cue that sinking feeling: You start wondering if hiring this person was a mistake.
Of course theres a better way. Here are three principles that can help you hire the right person:
Don’t Make Inappropriate Small Talk
Inappropriate questions don’t always seem inappropriate on the surface. Let’s break down a few examples.
- When did you graduate from college?
- Where do you go to church?
- How many kids do you have?
No, no, and no.
On the surface, these questions might seem innocuous they are the kind of questions you might ask when striking up a conversation at a dinner party. But while such icebreakers are fine in social situations, they are plagued with problems in a job interview. Some are even illegal.
Consider how a candidate might interpret these questions if they are not offered the job:
- You are ageist.
Think carefully about your questions prior to the interview and eliminate any that might in any way be considered inappropriate. This includes questions regarding personal relationships, age, religion, gender, and race generally, avoid any topic not directly related to the candidates ability to perform the duties of the position.
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Review The Candidates Resume Before The Interview
This may seem obvious, but by preparing your interview questions and reviewing the resume, youre showing the candidate that youve taken the time to ensure a productive interview. It also saves your time and can help you to avoid any potentially embarrassing questions based on a misread of the resume during the interview.
Job Interviews: The Dos And Donts For Recruiters And Hiring Managers
If you google job interview tips for recruiters and/or hiring managers you end up scrolling around old repetitive topics on how a candidate must prepare himself for the interview.
When you dont find nothing in google, you can cry or DIY .
So here it goes the second option.
DO read candidates resume:
While were walking through the digital Era, paper and pencil are being substituted by laptops or ipads, printing Resumes is becoming demodè and we all find more hipster to take notes on our laptop. Its all good, unless you dont get to read the candidates resume. PDF, Word or Linkedin format, who cares? Just read it before the interview youll find relevant information to corroborate and you show someone did his homework right?
DO ask for concrete examples:
Sometimes we really want to know how a certain candidate would react to a certain situation so we naturally ask: what would you do if this or that happened?. I can guarantee you the only thing youre evaluating here is creativity . Try to focus on specific actions that actually occurred in his/her past and exploit the max you can it will give you much more insights than any other imaginative answer.
DO be on time:
DONTs:
DONT over flower the position/company:
Im sure there are many more DOs and DONTs, so feel free to share it.
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