The Dos and Don'ts of Interviewing

Something we often run into with our clients is that when the interview process with a rockstar candidate arrives, they don’t know where to start with their questions or demeanor in the interview. Thankfully, they have us to lean on for support! We walk them through every step and not only do we prepare their candidate, but we also prepare them as interviewers. Learn some of our top tips to our clients when they are preparing for an interview:

Don’t be late and don’t draw out the process.

This candidate is interviewing you as an employer just as much as you are interviewing them as an employee. They are going to make every effort to show up on time, be presentable and make a great first impression, and so should you. Everyone’s time is precious, especially in such a fast-moving industry. A majority of our searches include top-talent candidates and they go fast in the market.

Do set expectations.

Be extremely straightforward about what would be expected of this candidate if they were to be hired. Let them know what they would be working on, some examples of projects they would be completing and what kind of hours they would be expected to work. If you sugar coat the position and its duties and then proceed to hire them, the potential for job dissatisfaction will be high.

Don’t skip the icebreakers.

Skipping the icebreakers and jumping right into the interview questions is one of the worst ways to start off an interview. When you skip the getting-to-know-you stage of the interview, your candidate might feel like you value them more as a worker than you do as a person. This is a great way to introduce your candidate to the culture of your company.

Do have fun with the interview.

While it is important to maintain professionalism, don’t make the interview a completely formal process. Bringing a new member into your team is exciting! You are lucky enough to be able to bring someone new in, so have fun with it, enjoy the process.

Don’t be unprepared.

This is a tip we cannot recommend enough! Make sure you have looked at and studied a candidate’s resume and any other supporting documents before interviewing them. If you show up and ask a question that could have been easily answered by looking at one of those documents, the candidate will feel like you didn’t take the time to look at something that they put effort into.

Do allow time for questions.

Remember to allow time for questions before, during and after the meeting by setting aside at least 15 minutes specifically for this. That way you are sure to have enough time to answer any questions the candidate may have and if they don’t have any, then there is the opportunity to get to know them on a more conversational level.

Don’t discriminate.

This can be an obvious one, however you’d be surprised what can be considered discrimination. It’s important to think through every personal question you ask a candidate and, as always, keep it professional.

Do ask for help if you need it.

The interview process doesn’t fall all on your shoulders! HubSearch will help all clients prepare for the interview process, including questions, activities, and more that can be implemented. We want to ensure that our clients and our candidates have the best possible experience in interviewing and will always be willing to help.