Do and Don’ts for interviews
The New Year is the time when you start to think about new team members. The interview is the first view of your company and should be a memorable occasion.
Working with a company a few years ago we decided to turn the recruitment and selection process into more of an assessment day with the emphasis on “fun”.
The day started at 7.30am with breakfast in the kitchen area. The candidates had a fun icebreaker relevant to the company. We then had three exercises so we split the group accordingly. The activities were as follows:-
- Speed interviewing – Just 3 questions asked in rotation by 3 people
- Sending an email – testing their communication skills
- Spelling and Grammar test
We then brought the group back together for Q & A on the company and to enjoy the leftovers of the croissants. We received really good feedback how it was so much more refreshing than a normal interview.
However if you are going down the more traditional route have a look at some Dos and Don’ts I have compiled:-
| Dos |
Don’ts |
| Offer refreshments | No comfort or welcome |
| Explain Agenda and timings | No time scale |
| Job spec – clear outline of position | No job spec |
| Brief overview of Company (must be brief) 80:20 rule | No company info |
| Behavioural interview questions Skills questions that are relevant to the job |
Hypothetical questions Questions about CV Outside interests |
| Template to write answers to questions – for each candidate | No notes |
| The same format and interview for every candidate | No structure or format – different with every candidate |
| Appitude test eg. Send an email Spot spelling and grammar errors |
No basic testing |
| Introduce candidate to the team | No introductions |
| Another member of the team to take to the exit – “Ask how they managed interview today?” | Meet the same person throughout interview |
| Follow up | No follow up |
Please do get in touch if you would like nuggets to provide Behavioural interview training or just simply to design something fun for your recruitment process.
