Your Guide to Conducting a Job Interview and How to Make the Most out of It
Great job interviews are the key to finding and hiring great workers.
However, conducting job interviews and finding the perfect candidate is one of the hardest human resource functions, and they can leave your HR professional feeling drained and uncertain.
The good news is that once you understand the best ways to interview for an open position, you will become much better at identifying the best candidate for your position, and ultimately identifying the perfect candidate for your company.
This post will go over the process of conducting a job interview and give you some tips for how you can make the most out of the process.
The Basics of Conducting a Successful Job Interview
Not every candidate will be right for the job. But if you are successful at screening applicants then narrowing down a field of candidates will be much easier.
Once you have determined a pool of the top candidates, you can invite them for an interview.
Remember, only select the top candidates and those that are qualified for the position.
Here are some of the best practices for conducting your job interviews and finding the best hire for the job.
Have a Clear Roadmap
Before you start the interview process, document the core elements of the position and what skills a candidate must have to be successful.
If you go into the interview fuzzy on the functions of the job, you will not be able to properly access how well a candidate will perform.
The More Specific, the Better
When you are interviewing candidates, you will want to be as specific as possible to give the potential hire a realistic vision of what the job will be like, and what tools they will need to use to make progress.
For example, the position may involve managing a subordinate team and dealing with multiple projects at one time. In this situation, you would want to ask the candidate about a time when they had to manage multiple team members and some strategies, they used to find success.
Always try to give your candidates a clear idea of what their day-to-day and long-term roles will look like so they can determine whether they will be happy and successful in the position. At the same time, you will want to determine whether the candidate has the proper experience to thrive.
Put an Interview Team Together
If the role you are hiring for will be working with multiple departments, then you will want to put together a team of people whose jobs will be affected by the candidates success.
Get your team together, determine who will ask what, and discuss what each team member needs for a successful candidate.
You will want to hire a candidate that meets the needs of each team member to ensure that they will have success in your company.
Connect Past Experiences with Future Requirements
While interviewing candidates, always try to connect their previous experiences with the requirements of the job they are interviewing for.
For example, if the candidates previous role required them to complete five projects each week, but the new role requires seven projects each week, make sure to mention this.
This step will help determine whether a candidate is successful because it will give them a realistic picture of the challenges they will face. A candidate who understands the challenges they will face before accepting the role will be more likely to stay longer and have more success than a candidate who is blindsided by difficult challenges in a new position.
Take Your Hiring Process to the Next Level with SOCA and Strategic HR
Conducting interviews for open positions and creating interview guidelines is never easy.
Each time you hire for a new position, you must reevaluate the requirements for the job, and produce a new strategy for finding a successful candidate.
Oftentimes, this can leave your HR professional feeling overwhelmed and in need of relief.
If your company could use HR help or is looking to outsource your HR functions, then Strategic HR, a benefits partner of SOCA, is here to help.
When SOCA members work with Strategic HR, they get exclusive discounts and deals that make hiring your next great candidate a breeze! Strategic HR provides human resource expertise for your small business so that you can focus on what matters most, running your business!
If you are ready to upgrade your HR and take your hiring process to the next level, be sure to reach out to SOCA or Strategic HR today to contact us with any questions!
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