All you need to know!

Interviewing isn’t hard, but it is easy to make some common mistakes, which can lead to poor hiring decisions. Try our do’s and don’ts for some hot tips!

 DO:

  • Read through CVs before the interview.
  • Be on time and have the interview room prepared (with water).
  • Turn off your mobile phone and focus on the candidate.
  • Provide accurate information on the company and the role.
  • Ask open ended questions that begin with ‘give me an example of a time when’ or ‘how have you done …’
  • Ask everyone the same set of questions.
  • Ask them to talk you through their CV and experience.
  • Focus on getting specific examples from their working past.
  • Take notes on everything and keep them on file.
  • Be friendly and put them at ease!

DON’T:

Ask the following types of questions:

  • Closed questions – where candidates can only answer yes or no.
  • Leading questions – ‘Do you consider yourself to be persistent?’ – You give them the answer and it won’t be a true reflection of who they really are.
  • Option questions – giving candidates a set of answers to choose from. Again, you are leading the candidate.
  • Multiple questions – ask one at a time. You aren’t there to confuse them; you want to get the best out of them.
  • General questions – ‘What is your biggest weakness?’
  • Hypothetical Questions – ‘What would you do if…?’ They could answer anything here. Think about this question – what would you do if you won the lottery? People tell you all wild and wonderful things about holidays and paying off debt. Then ask this specific question – ‘Tell me have you ever won a raffle or prize before?’ The answer will be very different… and real.
  • Personal questions – ‘Do you have a partner or kids?’ This is very risky. As you will read in our Legal Stuff chapter, this could be perceived as discrimination – something you want to AVOID as it can cost you time, money, and reputation.

And DON’T:

Judge a book by its cover: Job performance can’t be predicted on the basis of appearance, mannerisms, or other superficial aspects. You can, and will, be surprised.

Interrogate: By grilling the applicant at every opportunity, just to see their reaction. This is not fair – they are nervous enough, by grilling them, you won’t get the best out of them in the interview.

Have a super friendly chat: By talking about the weekend, weather, common interests etc., you might never get around to discussing the job. Remember, it is about finding out their ability to do the job. So, find out!

Be the Hog: Where you talk at them and don’t ask any questions. Sorry to tell you, but the interview is not about you.

Happy interviewing!

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