Interviewing can sometimes be as stressful as the actual process of being interviewed. To try and stop this from happening, here are a few suggestions for when you’re preparing for and during the process of interviewing.
First and foremost, make sure you choose the right format for your interview. Work out whether a phone interview or face to face would be more beneficial, or if a group interview style is preferred.
Once the format has been settled upon, make sure you allocate enough time for the interview, and communicate the amount of time with the interviewee beforehand. This leaves out the chance of any awkwardness, such as having to cut the interview short, just as the ball starts rolling.
If you have decided a face to face interview is the best fit, then finding the right location for the interview is the next step. Sometimes outside your office can be the answer. If you’re searching for meeting room hire, Manchester gives you plenty of options to make sure you find the best fit possible for the interview process.
During the actual interview itself, make sure to introduce yourself so the interviewee knows exactly who you are and what part you play within your company or business. Just like the interviewee is probably being told somewhere else, make sure you are enthusiastic and be yourself. This allows the right flow to take shape to the interview and hopefully put you both at ease leading to a more valuable interview for both parties. Of course, each interview calls for a slightly different style, so don’t allow your enthusiasm to spill over too much, or try and become best friends with the interviewee, just don’t be a robot!
While keeping this balance, also make sure you are aren’t dominating the conversation. You are there to find out as much as possible about the candidate. I find a good rule is to try and keep your input below 30%. Your main role once the process has got past its formalities is to keep the interview going in the right direction, filling in any blanks about the role or company the candidate is applying for. Like most of this advice, this isn’t a one size fits all rule. Sometimes tangents are great in interviews, you just need to be aware when an interview has taken a turn which is of no benefit to the overall process and needs to be brought back on track.
