Employer Interview Tips

Recruiting an employee is one of the biggest investments and crucial business decision that a company makes. Employers have to minutely scrutinize a candidate to be able to zero in on him for the required post. It becomes necessary to magnify a candidate's qualities, which go beyond a well framed resume and initial formalities.

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These tips are not the absolute rules for conducting an interview, but general guidelines on which you can base an interviewing strategy.

Tips for Prior Preparations

Employers prepare a set of common questions to be asked to every candidate. This aids in differentiating between the applicants and grading them according to their responses.
Critically examine each candidate's resume to familiarize yourself with his/her overall background. Frame a questionnaire based on his/her resume to acquire particular details about the candidate.
Regarding a candidate's pay package, decide how much negotiation you would want to allow.

Tips - During the Interview

1. Making Candidates Feel at Ease

Your first duty as an interviewer is to make your candidate feel comfortable. Remember that every candidate, however confident he may be, is nervous about the oncoming meeting. Tune down the anxiety level of a candidate at your earliest to make the most of the interview. Sharing names, brief exchange of greetings and shaking hands should loosen up candidates' apprehensions.
Start off with general questions as a warm up session. Avoid asking personal questions that may make a candidate feel ill at ease.
If you plan to take notes, let the candidate know about it.
Remember to make an eye contact with the candidate to let him know that you are listening to him. It will also help you to observe the non-verbal communication.
Keep an open mind and evaluate the responses objectively.

2. Question & Answer Session

Make sure your questions are clear enough for candidates to answer. Confusing or misleading questions will de-motivate the candidates and hamper their overall performance.
During the question answer session let the candidates do the talking. Pose questions that will engage them for a whole minute. If a candidate wraps up his answers quickly, try to probe deeper by asking him/her to justify.
However, if a candidate drifts away from the conversation, direct him to the main point.
Do not demean any candidate's achievements.
Discuss his short term and long term goals. Remember, as a candidate needs a job, an employer too needs a well performing employee. Hence, make sure to drop hints about how the candidate can grow with the company.

3. Concluding the Interview

It is natural that a candidate has some queries regarding the prospective employing company. Provide correct information and clarify the doubts put across by the candidate.
Conclude the meeting on a diplomatic note. Sounding too optimistic or too pessimistic about the interview will affect the candidate's expectations from the company.
Do not make false promises.
Inform the candidates about the next step. Let them know how and when the decision will be communicated to them.