Interview Tips: How to Make an Impression when Interviewing a Candidate
The in-person interview is an extremely valuable stage of the interview process. Not only does the candidate want to impress you, but you want to impress the candidate. The candidate experience and how they feel throughout the interviewing process can be the deciding factor when presented with an offer. It is best to keep the process as positive and streamlined as possible.
Itinerary for Interview: Candidates want to come to an interview feeling prepared and knowing what to expect. It is a good idea to give them an itinerary of who they will be meeting with, detailed directions to your office, parking instructions and any important details they may need when they arrive.
Interview Prep: If the candidate will be meeting with multiple Hiring Managers, it is best to meet with the hiring team ahead of time, so everyone can plan out a list of questions they will be asking. You don’t want a candidate to be asked the same thing 5 different times. Make sure the candidate has the titles of the Hiring Managers and the exact amount of time they will be meeting with each person so they can plan accordingly and do their research.
Interview Location: The location should be a place where someone will feel comfortable with limited distractions. If you are meeting a candidate outside of the corporate office, make sure it is not too noisy. If you are meeting in your office, make sure the candidate has your full attention and you aren’t distracted by emails or people coming into your office unannounced.
Company Culture: It is importable to expose candidates to your company culture. A great way to do that is introduce them to a few employees around the office. Give them a tour of your office and an idea of what it is like to work at your company.
Transparent Feedback: Once you have made a decision on the candidate, be completely upfront about why or why not you will be moving forward with an offer. Focus on the skills and not necessarily the interview itself. It is important to give them positive feedback on why they got the job or why they didn’t get the job.
The interview is the most important step in making a good impression on a candidate. Some people are misinformed in thinking that only the candidate needs to impress a Hiring Manager, but it is equally important that the candidate is impressed by the interview and company. Using these tips can be helpful for a positive interview process for all parties.
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