Insight Blog

As executive search consultants, we empathize with our clients that interviewing candidates is time-consuming and that it takes them away from their normal responsibilities. However, interviewing is a necessary part of strategically growing and strengthening an organization. Doing it effectively and efficiently, on the other hand, is an option. But, if you’re going to spend time interviewing and attracting potential employees, isn’t it better to spend your time doing it well?

This is the first blog in a 3-part educational series on how to interview candidates. The key takeaway from this particular blog is:  an effective and productive interview process begins with preparing appropriately before interviews even begin. To accomplish this, the following are critical tasks to be done:

Take the time to realize the ideal experience, technical competencies and intangible characteristics of candidates and understand how to assess those qualities.

Ensure that the position's responsibilities and performance expectations are clearly defined.

Develop the position’s short- and long-term objectives which should support the department’s and the organization’s overall goals.

Assess your company’s culture and determine its ideal employee cultural and attitudinal fit. This includes benchmarking traits of your high and low performers. 

Develop standard questions that will be asked of candidates. Asking the same questions will allow for an accurate comparison. These questions should address candidates’:

• Experience and technical competencies
• Short- and long-term career goals
• Intangibles such as leadership mentality, how they promote team development and how they approach knowledge transfer
• Personality characteristics
• Criteria on which they are evaluating your company and the role

Create a scoring sheet of how candidates will be assessed on the above.

Review resumes thoroughly and prepare specific questions pertaining to each candidate’s background that will be asked in additional to the standard set of questions.

When scheduling interviews, limit them to three to five per day. Interviewers tend to provide and gather less information when they have conducted too many meetings in a given time period. Also, make sure to schedule interviews during optimal times so that energy levels remain positive.

If there are multiple interviewers:

Develop an interview structure so that all meetings are performed in the same manner. Otherwise, various interviewing styles will lead to different assessments of the same candidate and results will be less reliable. Interviewers should be prepared to represent your organization consistently regarding: its corporate culture, short- and long-term goals, advancement opportunities and other pertinent issues. Providing similar information will show that there is good internal communication and that objectives are known and shared by all. The first individual to interview candidates can provide a brief summary of company history and growth and detailed information about the position (reporting relationships, potential for advancement, how the position is related to the entire company and how it is instrumental to the company’s success).

Schedule significant uninterrupted time for all decision-makers to be available throughout the interviewing process.

Develop a formal interview feedback process that will be followed by all interviewers. After you have completed these items, you are truly prepared to begin a well-defined interview process that will be worth your time. You will be confident to begin meeting with potential candidates and you will exude that positive energy and sureness during interviews.