The Basics of Interviewing

After thousands of resumes to review and hundreds of interviews, a hiring manager can fall into what we call an “interview groove”. interviewing correctlyAll a hiring manager wants to do is find that perfect candidate and they work hard to develop a list of factors and questions to screen their candidates. Although this is a great process, sometimes when reusing the same resume points and interview questions, a hiring manager might begin overlooking keys factors that point to that perfect candidate.

After a hiring manager has identified viable candidates for the position, preparing for each individual interview could really make a difference!

  1. Review the resume again right before interviewing the candidate. This tip helps refresh your memory on why they were a viable candidate and gives you the ability to quickly highlight the key skills that qualify or differentiate them from other candidates.
  2. Review the key areas of your job description that you want in each candidate. Look for these key areas in your candidate’s resume and develop questions where there may be gaps or where further clarification is needed.
  3. Prepare your interview questions ahead of time based on each candidate’s specific background and experience. Some questions will be the same for each candidate, but each person is different and your goal is to find the one thing that makes them, verses any other candidate, the match for your position.
  4. Soft skills make up 75% of a strong placement. A successful hire should be a great culture match and work well with your staff and in your organization. Remember, you can teach someone how to use MS Excel, but you can’t teach them the fine art of patience, listening, or simply being nice to your clients. Prepare several situational questions that will allow a candidate to describe their behavioral responses to likely situations in your open position.
  5. Lastly, take your time. Even the most prepared and experienced interviewer needs a minimum of 30-minutes in an interview to extract critical information from a candidate. The more technical the position, the more time it should take to review all the detailed position qualifiers. Allow enough time to ask all your questions and for the candidate to fully answer. The more time spent exchanging information, the more comfortable the candidate will get and the more you will learn about them; good and bad.
  6. In the case of interviewing, less is more. Interviewing only the best candidates will allow you to spend quality interviewing time with each one and secure your decision in hiring your next best employee!

The hiring process can be extensive and time consuming, but when considering these basic points, interviewing can be effective, rewarding, and save you time and money later.

 

If you are having trouble hiring the right person and want some help, River City Staffing would be more than happy to provide you with the service you desire. Please feel free to click the button below to learn more about our Employee Placement services.

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