When you run your own business, the question of how to conduct a job interview is one that you will have to answer eventually.
Knowing that, it’s important for you to realize that conducting an interview involves much more than simply asking the right kinds of questions.
So what is it you need to do to ensure you conduct the best interviews and, as a result, be able to effectively screen the right candidates?
That’s a question we’ll be looking at in this post as I explain how to conduct a job interview, so keep reading to learn more.
Interview Tips and Techniques That Every Business Leader Should Know
Until your business grows large enough that you can hire your own HR personnel, conducting interviews is something you will have to learn and become reasonably good at so that your business can continue to thrive.
While the meat of the interview lies in the questions that you ask of potential hires, there is much more to it than that.
Some of the things you should do when conducting the interview include:
- Learning Everything You Can About the Candidate – The person who will be coming through your door is much more than a name on a resume, and you should use that to your advantage.Not only should you study their resume as thoroughly as possible, but you should see if they maintain a profile on a professional social networking site and take what you can from that as well.One quality that any good boss has is that he or she is personable, and you can develop that quality by learning all about where the potential hire has been in the past and using that information in conversation during the interview.
- Realize That You Are Being Interviewed Too – Anyone who is interviewing for a job has to realize that they are also interviewing the person who is representing the company, so you should be prepared with answers to questions that person might have as well.Anything from company policy to questions about the industry and your company’s place in it might come up, so you want to be ready to answer them.This is your chance to show knowledge and enthusiasm about what you do, so keep this at the front of your thoughts when you’re wondering how to conduct a job interview.
- Take Notes and Keep Records – This can be just as important as asking the right questions. When you interview your candidates, you want to be absolutely certain that they will fit in as part of your business team.You can do that by keeping thorough notes as you interview your prospective employees. Those notes can include, among other things, personality traits that help them stand out, how they respond to your questions, and what they do in general that might separate them from other candidates.This job interviewing practice not only lets you weed out the best potential hires, but makes it easier to keep track of them all as well.
- Apply Pressure, but Be Careful Not to Make Things Uncomfortable – This is something of a balancing act when it comes to how to conduct a job interview.You will want to find a way to make sure the candidate can think on his or her feet, but you don’t want to do so in a way that will make them uneasy.Try something like introducing a situation that would make sense to someone who is in the position for which they are applying (i.e. a budget problem for a marketing professional), and see how that person responds.Hesitation might not necessarily be a bad thing, nor would jumping right in without applying though necessarily be a good thing. Depending on the complexity of the problem, the person may have to take a moment to respond.That pensive nature could be indicative of someone who has the skill to assist your customers and clients in a way that benefits everyone.
Follow these four tips when interviewing candidates and you will have a much easier time finding people who fit in with your company culture and your vision of where your company is headed.
Recruiting in Order to Build Your Business
Like many other managerial skills, learning how to conduct a job interview is something that takes practice.
Once you figure it out and you know how to read your candidates, you will be able to surround yourself with some of the best people you could possibly find for taking your business in the direction you want.
Practice the tips above, use them to complement the questions that you ask, and you’ll be a much more well-rounded leader for it.
Manny Skevofilax is a consultant and speaker that helps his clients successfully navigate the challenges of growing their businesses profitably. Since 2003, Manny helps businesses enhance their results by using his experience in strategic planning, financial statement analysis, operations, organizational development, and team-building. His consulting firm, PORTAL CFO Consulting, Inc., has attracted clients from diverse industries in the United States and abroad.
Manny can be reached at 410-808-3441 or via email at manny@portalcfo.com.