An interview is a face-to-face meeting between one or more representatives of an organisation and a potential employee. It provides a chance for the interviewer(s) to gather information about the candidate, and for the candidate to learn more about the organisation. The interviewer’s aim is to determine whether there is a “fit” between the candidate and the job available. The interview also provides an opportunity for the candidate to find out whether he or she is suited to the job.

Sample policy and procedure

To get the right person for the job, determine a recruitment policy which includes the interview process, and operate within that framework. This will help you to be consistent in the way you treat all applicants. You can adapt the following samples to suit your organisation.

Planning your interview

Your interview should be planned to ensure that:

• all “housekeeping” matters are considered
• you ask all the question that you need to ask
• the interview follows a logical development, ie occurs in stages
• the applicant receives the information necessary to gain a realistic understanding of the position and the organisation
• information gathered from all candidates is comparable
• time constraints are observed
• all applicants are treated fairly and equally.

Sample ChecklistHousekeeping Decide whether one or more interviews or assessments are to be held. Set dates and times. Always confirm that others involved are informed and are available. Contact applicants (by phone, email, fax or letter). Tell them where to come, who to ask for, and who to contact if they are not able to keep the appointment. Ensure that there will be no interruptions during the interview, such as phone calls (including mobile phones). Book a suitable room for interviews. Make sure: reception/waiting room arrangements are efficient and comfortable interview rooms are adequately heated or cooled, well-lit, well-ventilated and free of too much noise seating is comfortable and appropriate for the interview situation office furniture layout is considered – many people feel that a desk between the interviewer and applicant can act as a psychological barrier. Take into the interview room: a list of specific questions an assessment or rating form to help summarise and capture the required information.

 

Sample interview questions

The following questions are examples of suitable interview questions that will help you assess the applicant’s competence to carry out the functions of the position (provided you have given the applicant information about essential criteria for the job).

• What responsibilities did you have in your last position?
• What is it about this position that interests you?
• What duties do you most enjoy doing?
• What personal qualities can you bring to this position?
• What do you consider are your strongest skills?
• What skills would you like to have that you don’t have now?
• Tell us about the most challenging project you have worked on.
• Have you had to work with a diverse team before? Tell us about the issues involved.
• How do you see yourself fitting into this position?
• Were you satisfied in your last position? Why?
• What kind of people do you like to work with?
• What weaknesses do you have which may affect your performance?
• How will you manage these?
• What are your career aspirations?
• What are your salary expectations?

Questions to avoid

Questions about the following matters are not suitable. They are in breach of an applicant’s privacy and could be considered discriminatory.

• marital status
• height and weight
• partner’s name, age, occupation, gender
• partner’s attitude to the applicant working
• name, age or occupation of parents or next of kin
• number, age of children or other dependants
• whether applicant is planning to have children
• child care arrangements
• religion/religious beliefs (unless religious compatibility is a criterion, eg for work in a religious institution)
• nationality
• war service
• criminal convictions or imprisonment (unless relevant to the job)
• past addresses
• name of secondary school (unless required for reference purposes)
• whether the applicant has ever been dismissed
• whether the applicant owns his or her own home.

Include behaviourally-based questions in your interview. Why? Because past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour.

Ask applicants to describe a personal experience that is relevant to a job criterion. For example, if the job will be in a fast-paced, stressful customer service environment, information on solving a customer’s problem will be more valid if it occurred in a similar context. Probe to find out where the critical competence was demonstrated and the outcome that was achieved.

ImportantAlways ask applicants, either on the application form or at the interview stage, the following or similar: “Do you have any objections to our obtaining additional information from ………. (specify sources, eg previous employer)? Having noted any objections, you may still consider that you cannot proceed without the information and that you must therefore reject the application. In such cases, it’s in the applicant’s interest to be told this was the reason.

 

Interview stages

A job interview should include these three essential stages:

1. Opening – establish rapport with the applicant, outline the purpose and structure of the interview and encourage the applicant to relax.
2. Body of the interview – the main, fact-finding part of the interview. Discuss fully the details of the position and the applicant’s background. Allow the applicant to talk freely about all relevant matters, while ensuring that all important points are covered.
3. Closure – let the applicant know that the interview has finished, ask if he or she has any further questions and explain the next steps (eg second interviews, notification by phone etc).

Information

Ensure that applicants receive information that covers details such as:

• position description
• selection process for the position
• competency requirements
• organisation structure.

This information is best circulated to candidates before the interview. You can offer candidates the opportunity during the interview process to clarify any uncertain aspects.

Screening applications

For jobs where there’s likely to be a big response to advertising, use this application control sheet to list all applicants and their details. This will help you keep track of all applications and will also assist you when drawing up a short-list of applicants.

Screening checklist

Once you have received all applications, review them and compile a short-list of the most suitable applicants, ie those who appear most likely to fit the essential criteria of the job. Use the following checklist to assist you in this process.

Screening process

• Review applications against your job criteria. Give an overall rating and note whether you intend to offer the applicant an interview.
• Remember that the number of applicants selected for interview is dependent on the quality of responses.
• Do not waste your time, or the applicant’s time, on obviously unsuitable applications, even if the response is low.
• Suitable applicants must meet the essential criteria. When selecting the most suitable applicants for interview, consider their potential for long-term satisfaction and development. Sometimes training and development can overcome weaknesses in meeting desirable criteria and may be an option if other factors are appealing in an individual.
• Consider whether a pre-selection interview would help to screen applicants, ie a short interview designed to briefly assess interpersonal and work skills and suitability.
• Inform unsuitable applicants as soon as possible and thank them for their interest. This is a basic courtesy that is often overlooked. Give feedback where possible – it will promote a good image of your organisation. If there’s a chance you will contact a particular applicant for a second round of interviews, wait until after you have made a selection before notifying whether he or she has been unsuccessful.

Conducting the interview

The success of any interview depends on the skills of the interviewer, and the amount of preparation that has been done. Skills used by interviewers to gather information can be grouped under three basic headings:

1. listening
2. questioning
3. taking notes.

Listening

1. It’s very difficult to give an accurate, relevant or satisfactory account of one’s life in 10-20 minutes. Applicants should be allowed to talk freely about themselves and their careers.
2. Clues to further and deeper questions may be obtained from answers. For example, if an applicant mentions starting a course, it would be useful to know whether it was completed or passed.
3. Allow applicants to do most of the talking – after all, they’re the ones being assessed, but make sure they do not gloss over important facts.
4. Give applicants your full attention.
5. Listening provides an opportunity to assess speech and vocabulary.
6. Listening allows careful evaluation of words. If an applicant claims to have held a managerial position, you need to know exactly what this means in terms of duties and responsibilities.
7. Emotions will be revealed by the tone of answers, adding an extra dimension to their meaning.
8. Avoid displaying unfavourable reactions to answers. Fear of rejection by the interviewer may result in applicants only providing information they think will please you, rather than honest information. If applicants are able to express “unfavourable” information without criticism or blame, they may be encouraged to open up and you’ll be more successful in your selection.
9. Use pauses judiciously as a way to persuade the applicant to elaborate or continue. Silence is generally interpreted as a request for more information. If this does not work, gentle prompting will probably have the desired effect.
10. The interviewer’s posture and facial expressions should be communicative and encouraging, yet without bias. This requires practice and self-control.

Questioning

In the interest of maintaining rapport, the interview should begin with easy questions and gradually build up to more difficult or searching ones. Hard questions asked early may break down the interview relationship. There are several different styles of questioning:

• Open questions beginning with how, why or what. These prompt discussion and provide information, eg “What interests you about this position?'”
• Closed questions that require a direct one-word answer. These are appropriate for gaining specific information, eg “Do you have experience using xyz program?”
• Direct questions asking for information about a specific topic. These can be used to clear up uncertainty, eg “Why did you leave your last position?”
• Probing questions asking for further details on a topic to follow up an answer or gain more information, eg “What did you mean when you said…?”

TipWhen questioning applicants, note the following points: Use open questions for areas where you need more information. Avoid leading questions that imply what the answer should be, eg “You did not like being a sales rep?”, suggests the response “No”. Use “How did you feel about being a sales rep?” instead. Ask only one question at a time. This will save both parties from becoming confused and missing vital areas, eg “Tell me about your last job and why you left” should be divided into two questions. An interviewer who wants the applicant to elaborate further can use either the pause technique or prompt in a questioning tone, eg “You mentioned other responsibilities?”. Make sure the exact meaning of the question is clear by using simple and appropriate words. Don’t use technical terms and jargon unless both interviewer and applicant understand them. Frequent questions by the interviewer suggest interest in the applicant and should be used with this in mind.

Taking notes

Taking notes will help you recall aspects of an interview, particularly if there is a large number of applicants for a position. Some notes must be taken during the interview, while final details and impressions should be recorded as soon as the interview is finished and you have shown the applicant out of the office.

TipPractise the following note-taking etiquette in your interviews: Permission to take notes should be obtained from the applicant at the start of the interview. Note-taking should be continuous and discreet. Noting important information implies that the interviewer is interested in everything the applicant says. Do not write too much during the interview, otherwise both concentration and rapport will be lost. If working off an application form, a code or shorthand recording may be useful.

Sample form

Below is a sample form which can be used to rate an applicant. Keep completed interview assessment forms for a minimum of three months after the date of the interview. They provide useful evidence in the event of a discrimination claim being made against the organisation.

References

The purpose of checking a reference is to obtain, in confidence, factual information about the history of an applicant, as well as opinions regarding character, quality of work and suitability for the new position. The most common method used to contact previous organisations is by telephone. This method is usually quickest, and organisations appear to feel that they receive more “honest” information this way, as referees do not have to commit themselves to print. Use the sample form provided below to record the information received during the reference check.

Sample form