Welcome to my second blog on the topic of interviews. This month I am going to focus on providing some useful tips on interview questions.
As I mentioned in my previous blog, I always found that both parties get far more out of the interview if the interview is like a conversation and flows naturally. Therefore, after explaining the format of the interview to the candidate, your priority is to make the interviewee feel as comfortable as possible.
Don’t
Ask any unlawfully discriminatory personal questions, for example, about their age, whether or not they have any children, about their relationship status or about any recent illnesses etc.
Do
Ask the same questions to each candidate, it could be considered discriminatory if you don’t.
When asking questions, always try and ask open questions which will require the interviewee to respond in detail. Start your questions with, for example, “do you” “when” “where” “why” “can you give me examples of” etc.
Here are some good examples of questions you should cover:
“Why do you want this job?”
“What do you want from this job / your future career?”
“What do you like most about your current role?”
“Are there any tasks that you don’t like doing in your current job (or in any job you have had)?”
“What are you most proud of in your career up to date?”
In relation to questions focusing on skills and competencies, you need to ask the interviewee to provide examples of what they did, how they did it, if they came across any problems, whether or not they resolved those problems and if the problems were resolved, how. Answers to these questions can be marked against the criteria set in the job description, as discussed in my previous blog.
Ask for specific examples of experiences they have had or tasks they have undertaken. By doing this, it will become quite apparent from their response if they have the criterial knowledge and experience. If you are unsure about their answer, dig deeper and ask more pointed questions.
Questions to close with:
“Do you have any questions for us?”
“What salary would you like/expect if you are successful?”
“If successful what is your notice period?”
“Do you have any pre-booked annual leave?”
Zoom Interviews
Now we are in the age of Zoom interviews, all the above applies but make sure you consider and implement the following:
Request that the candidate is in a quiet room, away from outside noise and check that this is the case before starting the interview.
Let them know the format of the interview, that you have their application in front of you and will be taking notes. The priority though is to make the interviewee feel as relaxed as possible so always try to make as much eye contact as possible (I appreciate this is harder to do than at a face-to-face interview, but it certainly is not impossible!)
When asking your questions break them down into shorter and easier to understand questions. You may also need to slow down your speaking speed to ensure the candidate understands you clearly. You don't want to fluster the candidate.
Leave plenty of time between questions for the candidate to respond.
If you do not understand or fully understand their response, go back and ask for more information until you do.
Close the interview as outlined above.
Any questions, or if you would like some assistance with any part of your recruitment process, please do not hesitate to get in touch by email at louise@taylormadeservices.org.uk or telephone 07969 433590.