About Interviewing People
Job interviews can be stressful for the interviewer and interviewee. There are many guides to helping the person being interviewed through the process, but the interviewer is often left with incomplete instructions regarding how to interview or knowing about the process. Interviewing people should be met with complete preparation and constantly revisited as a refresher, whether through company classes or a general guide.
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Types
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There is more than one type of interview, and they should all be prepared for in different ways. The types of interviews can range from a series of interviews and evaluations to telephone interviews. Depending on the company that is hiring, the interview process will vary.
During the one-time interview process, generally the interviewer will only see a prospect one time unless he is hired. The only other contact that may come after this is if a return phone call is made after a decision has been made on the candidate.
Series interviews usually include more than one interview with a host of different functions. During the beginning of the series interview, general questions may be asked of a large group of candidates, though one by one in private. After the weeding process, some people are called back for more in-depth questioning and possibly a test by the interviewer.
Time Frame
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It's important to place time constraints when conducting an interview in order to streamline the process. Scheduling meetings with hard dates and times for the start and finish will allow you to utilize your time more efficiently. Scheduling can also eliminate overlapping interviews accidentally and prevent using too much company time on the process. Interviewees will appreciate that they will know when the interview will conclude so they can plan their day. If it is necessary to have a large block of time for interviewing that's longer than an hour and a half, consider breaking the interview into two separate times if possible.
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Features
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Questions should be asked during the interview by the interviewer as well as the interviewee, and should be prepared by the interviewer beforehand. Time should be taken before the interview to study the candidate's resume and qualifications. During the interview itself, evidence and counterevidence should be searched for by the interviewer about the qualifications of the interviewee. This means that even if all questions are being answered to specification by the candidate, the interviewer's job is to find out what the interviewee will do when things do not go according to plan. To accomplish this, have the interviewing candidate name a time when he did not succeed in a situation pertaining to the question, hence producing counterevidence of qualifications. Counterevidence is not meant to undermine the candidate in question but to gauge his response in real-life situations that go awry.
Function
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Interviewing people will allow the company a chance to preview a worker's abilities and responses before making a decision on who to hire. Getting to know someone a little better will give the interviewer a sense of what may be in store if the interviewee becomes involved in the company. Interviewers should be dressed appropriately, as they are a direct reflection to the interviewee as to what the company represents. People's personalities can also be taken into account when on display in an interview to help with the decision-making process. When there is more than one candidate who is qualified for the position, interviewing allows a clear distinction to be made based on objective factors such as appearance, preparation, timeliness and response.
Effects
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After the interview has been conducted, the interviewer must assimilate the evidence gained in the interview and begin formulating a decision. Notes should be taken by the interviewer about key likes, dislikes and responses. The process of elimination can begin after the final interview has been conducted. Strong candidates can be weeded out until positions are filled, and if necessary the interviewer should also get a phone number from the candidate in order to ask simple questions.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Image by tsk.
