According to a CareerBuilder survey, 41% of companies say hiring the wrong person costs them upwards of $25K, and 25% report a loss of more than $50K. Such losses are avoidable within your organization when you increase the effectiveness of your interviews.
As a hiring manager, you must approach each candidate carefully and conscientiously. Whether you’re new or experienced in your job, here are some fail-proof ways you can improve your interviews and discover the best candidate(s) for any position.
- Know the position inside and out
How well do you, as the hiring manager, understand the specific position you are trying to fill? Your company is made up of a variety of departments, but are you knowledgeable enough about each one to be able to spot a good fit for that department when you interview a candidate?
- Have an established set of questions for each applicant
Make sure you’re asking your candidates the same list of questions. This will make it easier to compare and rate the answers of each individual in order to reduce the hiring pool to the very best candidates.
- Practice your interviewing skills, demeanor, and etiquette
A bad interview isn’t always the fault of the candidate. Brush up on your skills and practice with others in your company, perhaps even someone in the department that has the open position you are filling.
- Build teamwork scenarios into your interviews
If you are interviewing a group of individuals, give the group an assignment that will allow you to observe each applicant’s teamwork skills and see who shines. If you’re only interviewing one candidate, pull in a few coworkers to help out.
- Become comfortable with awkward silences
A common mistake among new interviewers is to prattle. Interviews can be awkward and/or intimidating for everyone involved, and it can be tempting to fill those awkward silences in whatever way you can. Resist that urge. If you shift the responsibility of talking to the candidate, you’ll eventually start uncovering useful details about their personality, qualifications, and communication skills. Imagine you’re a therapist. Ask your prepared questions, and then wait for the answers, and keep waiting until you’re satisfied or until they’ve said all they can say about the topic. Remember, this isn’t any typical conversation; it’s an interview.
- Be prepared
You should come to every interview prepared with a list of information you want to learn about an applicant. Get yourself out of the conversational mindset and don’t wait until you’re in the interview to start thinking up questions to ask. You may be able to make this work in meetings and in other aspects of your job, but in an interview, this isn’t the recommended strategy.
- Pay attention to your phrasing
In a conversation, “Tell me about yourself,” is a fantastic ice breaker, and the resulting answer will be general and erratic because the statement itself is general. Instead, phrase your questions to be specific and targeted. For example, “Take everything you’ve learned about the role and the company and tell me how you feel you’d be able to positively contribute,” would be a much more focused question to ask.
Naturally, you should never extend an offer to a candidate without conducting a thorough background check first. Talk to VICTIG to find a plan that suits your needs.
