Interviews Don't Have To Be Hard by Ella Kimbrel
Interviews don’t have to be hard. I typically enjoy interviewing job candidates for positions at Harrell’s (my wonderful employer), but it hasn’t always been this way. There have been times when interviewing has felt awkward, uncomfortable, and just plain hard. I used to be a nervous wreck and so unsure of myself during interviews. Over time I’ve learned that there’s a better way for me to interview that takes away my nerves and gives me confidence. Below are seven tips that I put together for you based my 20+ years of interviewing experience. I hope you find them helpful.
1. I prepare in advance.
· I make sure I understand the job responsibilities as well as the skills, experience and education for which our hiring manager is looking.
· I read the resume and review any pre-interview notes that our recruiter or others may have taken.
· When interviewing several candidates for the same position, I make a list of job-related questions that I’d like to ask each candidate to ensure consistency. I also make a list of questions specific to each candidate about their job history and their unique experiences.
2. I take a lot of notes.
· In the past I would enter the interview process thinking that I’d be able to remember each candidate after the interview. I have never really been able to do that well. Of course, some candidates have stood out in my mind, but often their faces and responses have run together. Taking notes helps me keep the candidates and my time with them fresh in my memory.
3. When the candidate arrives, I try to help him to relax.
· Interviewing is not easy for some candidates, especially those who really want the job. I like to try to take the edge off the interview right up front. I start by offering the candidate something to drink if that’s not been done already. I ask about the drive over, the weather, the game last night – whatever. I have found that when I jump right into the interview with my list of questions, I miss an opportunity to get know a candidate better because I skip over the small talk. Small talk can be good and will often allow the candidate to take a deep breath and relax. And, if I’m nervous too (which does still happen sometimes), it helps me settle down and establish a good rapport with the candidate and a steady pace for the interview.
4. I ask the candidate to ask their questions first.
· It’s so funny to me how we can forget that an interview is not just about us or our company. The candidate is interviewing us to learn just as much about the company and its people as we are interviewing him! I will often ask the candidate, “What questions are most pressing on your mind? What would you like to talk about first?” Usually, the candidate will respond with something like, “I’m good. I’ll have questions as we move through the interview.” But sometimes, and I love it when this happens, the candidate will say, “Oh thank you! I have so many questions!” As we move through the candidate’s questions, the candidate will usually begin to relax and enjoy the interview.
5. I let the candidate talk.
· I try not to talk too much. The interview isn’t about me, and I work hard to remember that. I love to share thoughts and ideas…but an interview is not the time or place for me to do that, so I have to pull myself back sometimes. Experts say that as the interviewer, I should only talk about 30% of the time. Ouch!
6. I talk about the compensation.
· How many interviews have you been to thinking that the job must have a great salary only to learn it’s actually much less than you were anticipating?! Because that’s happened to me, I address it early on in the interview. Ideally, compensation is addressed before the candidate gets to me, but in case it hasn’t, I bring it up. I don’t give hard and fast numbers, but I talk about the pay in general terms to make sure that both the candidate and I have a realistic expectation. Have there been times when an interview has ended early because of this? Yes. And often candidates have thanked me for not wasting any more of their time. It is the right and respectful thing to do, in my opinion. Some HR professionals and hiring managers may disagree with my advice on this point, but that’s okay. This is my experience and what has worked for me. It might not work for everyone.
7. Let the candidate know next steps and follow through.
· As I begin to close the interview, I review my list of questions to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I ask the candidate if they have any additional questions. I let the candidate know what the next steps are and when he can expect to hear from me or a representative from HR, or the hiring manager – whichever is appropriate. Then I follow through. Each candidate who has been invited into the company for an interview expects some kind of follow up – even if he didn’t get the job. Remember when you were the candidate? How many times did you never heard back from a company after a face-to-face interview? It’s just bad business to not follow up and follow through. Remember, we often become the face of our company to a candidate, and as such, we can unintentionally give our whole company a bad taste in someone’s mouth because we didn’t follow up and follow through. Candidates want to know the good and the bad.
Interviewing candidates can be a lot of fun especially when I stick to the process that I know works for me. Interviewing is an opportunity to not just hire a great employee, but to make a positive impact on another person and add value to their life. As a Christian HR professional, it’s also an opportunity for me to witness to others…not in words because we know that this is not always appropriate in our workplace, but in our actions. As always, I pray that today’s blog has helped you in some way and leaves you feeling encouraged to live life abundantly.