Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Tip #339: 5 Tips To Maximize A Job Interview

When it comes to job interviews, whoever conducts the interview has just as much riding on their shoulders as the candidate they are interviewing. Businesses rely on a leader's ability to choose candidates that fit seamlessly into their business, that bring the energy and expertise necessary for their business to succeed.


Hiring The Right Candidate Makes All The Difference.


One of the biggest mistakes business leaders can make is hastily hiring employees. The difference between hiring just another employee and the right employee is what separates the employee who works for your business and the employee who makes your business work. Finding the latter starts with the interview process. With that said, here are five tips to help you get the most out of your interview and the best person for the job.


5 Tips For Getting The Most Out Of Your Next Candidate Interview:



Tip #1. Research The Candidate: Just as you expect your candidate to come to the interview prepared, having researched your business and the job position and spent time preparing for the interview, you too should do your due diligence. Use the candidate's résumé as a springboard to learn more about their past employment history and their job performance. Use this information to tailor your interview questions in order to best gauge how well the candidate would fit at your business.


Tip #2. Avoid Snap Judgments: An increasing problem in the business world today is employers who judge candidates based on their private lives -- content gleaned from their Facebook page, for example. The trouble with this is that someone's personal life and cultural or philosophical views bear no immediate impact on how well they would perform for you as an employee. Candidates deserve to be interviewed with a clean slate, not having to fight an uphill battle against whatever opinions you formed of them prior to meeting them.


Tip #3. Ask For Anecdotes: Never take résumé bullet points at face value. Phrases like "team player" and "born leader" are clichés nowadays -- what you really want is anecdotal evidence how someone is a team player or a natural leader. To borrow a creative writing concept, you want candidates to show, not tell. By relating a time they took charge of a situation or directly influenced a business' success, candidates show you how they behave, as opposed to just telling you.


Tip #4. Vary Your Questions: In order to gain the broadest picture of a candidate, ask a variety of questions during the interview. Do not limit yourself solely to questions related to the position they are applying for. All jobs require a certain amount of adaptability, flexibility and improvisation. Use the interview as an opportunity to test whether your candidate is malleable and able to bend with unexpected demands or rigid and likely to break under pressure.


Tip #5. Continue Evaluation: Just because the interview is over does not mean you are done your evaluation of the candidate. After the interview, take some time away from the evaluation process. We recommend putting a good night's sleep between the interview itself and the next step in the evaluation process. This way, you keep a clear head whenever deliberating over whether a candidate is a viable asset to your business or not.


Executive Summary: Thanks to modern technology, conducting job interviews nowadays is simultaneously easier and harder than ever. The Internet has vastly extended the talent pool available to your business. At the same time, it has made peeking into the wholly irrelevant personal lives of would-be hires all too easy, too tempting. Try to stay focused on what matters mostwhen interviewing a candidate. The more time and effort you put into the interviewing process, employing techniques and advice like the ones above, the more likely you are to hire a perfect match for your business.


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