When it comes to job interviews, you better be well prepared. As a candidate, but certainly also as a Hiring Manager. After all, as a Hiring Manager you have an important task; putting together the strongest possible team. With the right preparation as Hiring Manager you can avoid an expensive mis-hire, offer a positive candidate experience, work on your employer branding, and not unimportantly; convince the right candidate to join your team.
Know your candidate
Get to know your candidate by reading their resume, LinkedIn, and cover letter. Also, you can check the notes of any previous interviews. This will save you valuable interviewing time by not asking questions twice and will make you come across as more interested. It also allows you to look closely at possible gaps in the candidate’s resume, any red flags, or relevant extracurricular activities.
Prepare for questions
Put yourself in your candidate’s shoes; why would they want to work in this position? You can enthuse candidates in this competitive market by painting an accurate and personal picture of the job position based on their background. Nowadays, hot topics during an interview are expected to cover growth opportunities, work-life balance, learning and training options, secondary benefits, and the further recruitment process.
Coordinate with other interviewers
If you are conducting an interview with multiple interviewers, coordinate the structure of the interview with your interviewer in advance. It is advisable to discuss the questions you want to ask in advance, divide who will ask those questions, and set up a timeline for the interview. This way you create a clear and streamlined conversation where you can be sure that the most important questions will be answered.
Review the vacancy
Especially in this competitive market, there can be some time between writing the vacancy and having the job interview. Most likely, the candidate you’re interviewing will have studied the vacancy extensively and hopefully have some questions prepared. For this reason, refreshing your memory can do absolutely no harm. There may be some requirements that are now less strict, or you may have come to new insights over time.
Blooming People’s pro tip:
Use a scorecard with the essential criteria for the job position. This allows you to objectively compare multiple candidates afterward, and to pass along certain focus points to the next interviewer in case of a lower score. Mail hello@bloomingpeople.nl or respond below this post with the subject scorecard, to receive a template to move towards a more objective and data-driven recruiting method.