5 must-dos during a job interview – for interviewers
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07/02/2022
Interviewing well really is an art form. Most of the time though when we think of interviews, we only think of the interviewee (candidate) performing well and while this is an extremely important factor, it is also equally important for the interviewers to also perform. Why may you ask?
Today’s job market is highly competitive with many job seekers applying to multiple opportunities, in addition to highly competitive salaries and flexibility. This means the impression a candidate receives from the interviewers and those they interact with from the organisation throughout the entire recruitment process is proving to highly negatively or positively impact a candidates ultimate decision.
With this in mind, here are my top tips for interviewers to remember!
Don’t ask anything you shouldn’t!
Under the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010- you cannot ask any questions of another person that could be used by the first person to form the basis of discrimination against the other person. Commonly asked inappropriate questions include:
How old are you?
Are you pregnant or planning to start a family?
Do you have a physical or mental disability?
Are you a member of a union?
Help candidates present the best version of themselves
Sometimes a little bit of humour, small talk before you ask the hard-hitting questions, or even encouraging deep breaths and an extra sip of water are all it takes for a candidate to feel supported in their interview journey. Ultimately a relaxed candidate is more likely to confidently and capably answer questions put forth to them.
Don’t go into an interview and wing it!
As the interviewer, you need to ensure you are representing yourself and the organisation to the best of your ability- winging does not achieve this.
You want to make sure you have some pre-determined questions to ask the candidate, ensuring these questions are open-ended and you aren’t leading the candidate to what you want to hear as opposed to their natural response.
A good candidate will interview you all the way back
By asking great questions at the end of their interview. Make sure you are prepared; you have a clear expectation of the role and the expectations of the successful candidate. Many times, a wishy-washy answer from a potential employer will leave candidates feeling uninspired and questioning if the organisation is the right fit for them
Set expectations!
Whether this is expectations from salary to days and hours, ensure these conversations and questions are asked at an interview. Not asking these questions can lead to a disappointing outcome for all when a potential employer isn’t able to meet a candidate salary expectations or provide the flexibility a candidate is after.
Similarly, make sure at the end of the interview you give the candidate a clear timeframe in regards to the outcome or set expectations in regards to the next steps of the process. No interviewee should leave an interview none the wiser.
Ultimately you want to ensure that the experience allows the candidate to flourish and for you the interviewer to present the best version of yourself and the organisation so you become the candidate’s number one choice!
