Did you know that the right technology can make workers more productive? That includes a company's HR processes and the way they carry out a remote interview.
With proper systems and planning, talent acquisition is a breeze and you can spend more time focusing on the interview itself. How can you begin to implement these things into your interview process, though? What can you do to ensure everything goes smoothly and that you end up with the most qualified candidate?
Luckily, we're here to help. Read on to learn a few of the best tips for conducting an interview.
You need to have a clear job description before you even start the interview process. It should include things like:
The clearer you can be here, the better luck you're going to have with finding someone qualified for the role. This is also the perfect time to set up your interview automation.
You can set up auto-replies to candidate applications (just be sure to include an email where they can reach you), interview scheduling, and even pre-screening questions to help you narrow down candidates you'd like to meet.
If you need further help with this step, consulting with a professional could be the right move for you.
When you're meeting with a candidate, it's easy to just get caught up in conversation, which is why having specific questions prepared ahead of time is a great thing to do. It helps you keep the interview on track while ensuring you cover everything you want to cover.
Most companies create a base set of questions they'd like to ask every candidate, and then they delve deeper with each specific role. When you give the same questions to every candidate, it's a lot easier to compare them to each other.
This can be part of your automation process if you want it to be. Reviewing resumes and meeting people in-person or over video is a great way to make sure you have good candidates, but it isn't always feasible. That's where prescreening questions come into play.
It can help you narrow down your shortlist of candidates a lot faster.
Once you've got your list of candidates together, it's time to schedule the initial interviews. While you can automate this step by allowing them to pick from a few different times, it's still up to you to schedule enough time for a decent conversation.
The amount of time you'll need is going to depend on the candidate, and so will the type of interview you're doing. If it's a junior role in a one-on-one setting, you'll probably only need 30 minutes. Take that same role and add a few others into the conversation, then it can easily become an hour.
For senior roles, you'll likely need at least an hour no matter what. If you have a coworker along in that interview, then it might be smart to schedule more time as well.
You also want to make sure they have enough time to ask questions before the interview is over.
A candidate who is genuinely interested in the role is likely to have a load of questions before and after the interview, meaning you should allow at least 15 minutes for them.
This is also their chance to show you how prepared they are, and how much studying they did before the conversation. If they took time to get to know your company beforehand, you'll be able to tell.
That brings us to the next interview tip — study up on your candidate.
Sure, you've read their resume, but do they have a LinkedIn profile? How about social media or a portfolio website? Depending on the role, their prior experience in the field is going to matter, and their social media is the perfect place to learn more about who they are and what they do.
This step doesn't need to take a long time, only about 30 minutes. That way, you can search out anything of value, or you can be sure to ask about things that might've initially confused you.
Once you're in the interview, it's time to actively listen.
While you do want the interview to flow naturally like a conversation, it's important to remember that it's not. You're going to spend a lot more time listening to this conversation than you are actually talking (until the time comes for them to ask questions, of course).
If you talk too much, you risk giving them access to answers you want to hear. If they've done enough research then they're likely to already know this information, but it's important to remain neutral during the entire process. In most cases, a simple "thank you" can be enough of a response.
Finally, be clear throughout the entire process. Let them know what to expect before, during, and after the interview so they're not left confused. This is only going to help you both feel less stressed.
It's also a great idea to let them know if they didn't get the job — especially if they've gone through multiple interviews already. That alone makes it apparent that they valued the company's time, and it's good etiquette to let them know you valued theirs.
Now that we've gone over a few of the best basics for conducting an interview, you might notice how to get through the entire process. It might not be easy, but with a little planning and forward-thinking, the process itself can become a lot less daunting.
Contact us for a free consultation and to get started today.
