How to conduct a professional Job interview
View(s):
Conducting a Job Interview is not an easy task. It requires pre-planning and preparation. When prospective candidates turn up for interviews, the corporate image and reputation of the organisation is at stake. Hence, conducting the Job Interview in a professional manner is critical.
Given below are a few tips on conducting Job Interviews successfully.
1. Do not keep candidates waiting. Be punctual since you need to respect their time. Further, keeping candidates waiting is very unprofessional.
2. Leave enough time between interviews so that there is enough time for the interview panel to discuss the performance of the previous candidate.
3. Avoid candidates meeting each other, to maintain confidentiality. Ideally keep candidates in separate rooms and then call them up for interviews at the specified time.
4. Avoid interviewing too many candidates, on a given date. This will create fatigue amongst the interview panel and this could lead to wrong assessments and judgments.
5. Ensure that the same panel conducts all interviews, to warrant impartiality and fairness to all prospective candidates.
6. Make the candidates “feel at home”, so that they will perform optimally at the interview. The purpose of the interview is not to make candidates tense and nervous, but to evaluate their suitability.
7. Introduce the interview panel to all candidates. They have a right to know to whom they are speaking to, as much as the interview panel is interested in getting to know the candidate.
8. Do not embarrass candidates by asking too many personal and irrelevant questions. Keeping the focus of the interview at a professional level is important.
9. Make it a point to warmly greet all candidates and thank them for the interest shown in being present. After all, the purpose of the interview must be a win-win for both parties.
10.Ask a combination of open-ended and close ended questions. Open ended questions will provide the candidates opportunities to express their thoughts and opinions and also clarify any grey areas. It also provides the interview panel an opportunity to understand the candidate better.
11.At the end of the interview, thank the candidates and inform them of the next steps in the process. Do not leave candidates guessing what is next!!
12.Provide an opportunity for the candidates to ask questions and seek clarifications. For example “Is there anything else that you want to discuss?”
13.Respect diversity and avoid discrimination at all costs. All candidates need to be given a fair chance to obtain employment.
14.Make the interview room lively and welcoming. Good lighting, spacious and well laid out. This will create the “right” environment for a productive interview.
15.Do not ask candidates if they have attended other interviews recently. This is a totally unnecessary question and unethical to say the least.
16.It is a good practice to inform all candidates who are unsuccessful and thank them for their interest. They may be good future prospects and you create a good impression amongst them.
17.Do not ask candidates questions such as “How long do you hope to work with us?” This is impossible to answer, since it will depend on several factors in the future.
18.Avoid commenting on the candidate’s personal appearance or attire. This is unethical and leaves a bad impression.
19.Do not be too fussy to conduct the interview is a combination of languages, if required.
In this brief article I have endeavoured to share my experiences of conducting and participating in several interview panels. The bottom line is always to be professional, ethical and transparent in the interview process.
HitAd.lk is the best and biggest mobile phone market in Sri Lanka, and we guarantee you will find what you need here from our extensive listing of mobile phones for sale in Sri Lanka. Whether it’s a budget-priced smartphone for communication, or higher end features with advanced connectivity, there are many different options from which to choose from on our site!