Candidates’ recruitment and selection play an extremely important role in the functioning of an organization, because its smooth running depends on their efficiency. One of the significant steps in choosing and attracting new talents is the hiring interview. Although at first glance it may seem just a simple step that needs to be checked in the recruitment process, in fact an interview can convince the best of the candidates to join the company, but it can also alienate some candidates if it is not properly conducted.
At the same time, if the recruiter does not follow a series of steps to structure the interview, in order to expose the most important aspects of the open position to the candidate, this may lead to situations in which the wrong people are getting the job. Such cases involve quite large costs for the employing company, which is why recruiters should carefully structure their interviews with the candidates. If they are going to give enough importance to this stage, the entire recruitment process will be streamlined, and the acceptance rate of job offers will increase.
Defining the Desired Profile and Welcoming the Candidate
Structuring the process of interviewing candidates involves establishing steps with which both the candidate and the employer can figure out if they fit together. First of all, the recruiter must define the profile of the candidate he is seeking, starting from the position and department name and reaching to the business objectives and the contribution the future employee will have in the company. Once these things have been defined, you need to determine how the candidates will be evaluated to see if their profiles match the job.
Once the date, time, place and the approximate duration of the interview are agreed, the person who will lead it must follow a few steps. First of all, it is better not to start the discussion immediately, but to begin with a few questions meant to relax the candidate and make him feel more comfortable. For example, the candidate may be asked if it was easy for him to find the company’s headquarters, how the traffic was, and if he would like a glass of water. Later, it would be good to provide him the details on how the interview will take place, and to tell him that he can ask questions if some things are unclear to him.
A Friendly Attitude and the Appropriate Questions
Before the meeting, the person conducting the interview needs to study the candidate’s profile and experience in order to know what to refer to when asking questions. Another very important thing is the attitude the recruiter has, as many candidates anticipate that the atmosphere in the company is in accordance with the way the interview is conducted. Of course, no candidate wants to see a strained or distant recruiter in front of him, so it’s vital to have a friendly person conducting the interview and asking the right questions.
And since we have mentioned the questions for the candidates, we should keep that it is not recommended to address issues such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status, number of children or other things related to the personal life, and that are not relevant to his professional competencies. Recruiters or employees from HR teams conducting interviews should also take notes during the interviews based on what the candidates say, and take maximum advantage of the time spent with the candidate, in order to try to get as much relevant information about them as possible.
Last but not least, we must specify that it is important to find a balance and that the person conducting the interview should not talk very much, but instead he or she should rather intervene to guide the candidate to provide the necessary answers. Also, at the end of the discussion, it is good to tell the candidates by when they might expect a feedback regarding the interview.
BIA HR TEAM