How To Interview A Job Applicant
If you’ve never been on the question asking side of a job interview, the prospect can be a little intimidating until you get the hang of it. Not to worry! Here are a few general tips to get you started:
Smile, make eye contact, shake hands. Introduce yourself and share a bit about your role. Do your best to put people at ease, they’re nervous! You want them to leave feeling good about your business whether they get the job or not.
Ask the same questions to every candidate -it gives the best, least biased data to compare and it provides a good defense against discrimination claims.
Take notes during the interview and save them. If you hire the person, those notes go in their personnel file, if you don't hire them you STILL need to save all application and interview records for 1 year. Create a file somewhere just for not hired applicant resumes and interview notes.
Avoid commentary/discussion on protected class status when possible - gender, age, pregnancy, race, color, disability, gender identity, national origin, religion - you can't make any hiring decisions based on these things so why discuss? If they volunteer this info, just move on to the next question without comment.
The things you say in the interview bind your company into a verbal contract. Don't make promises you can't keep. Don’t speculate on what the position might turn into. Deal in facts. Deal in the right now realities of the position.
You are absolutely allowed to take into consideration the communication up to and following the interview. Flakiness tends to show up early and often.
This is a good time to clarify the schedule for the position as well as your candidates availability. If availability has been an ongoing issue for your business, have them write down their availability and even sign it right there on the spot.
There are a million different interviewing strategies, there will be a new trend next month and the month after that. But in my experience, for a small business it's best to ask a few (9-18) questions that feel authentic to you and your brand. Search for people with values that align with yours. 30-50% of your questions should be pertain to values and the rest can focus on job knowledge. No close ended questions, yes/no, multiple choice, or true/false. No more than an hour in one sitting.
Give a copy of the job description during the interview so they know what they're getting into before they make a decision. Make sure you provide ample opportunity for the candidate to ask their own questions.
Once the position has been filled, follow up with everyone you interviewed to let them know that they did not get the job. A short email or voicemail is plenty.
Rachelle Elliott, MS sphr
*This blog article is not a substitute for legal advice. If you have a legal concern please contact an attorney