Planning for the Interview
Employees
Preparing beforehand is the key to a successful interview. Here are some steps to take:
- Narrow your selection to a manageable number of applicants that look promising for an interview. The more you pick, the more time it will take. For most jobs, you should try to interview three to six candidates.
- Decide where you will hold the interviews.
- Decide which type of interview you want to conduct and prepare for it appropriately by reviewing the applicant's information.
- Formulate questions to ask the candidate.
- Be sure to allot plenty of time for the meeting. It can take anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours or more. You don't want to rush.
- Unplug the phone or do whatever you have to in order to make sure that you are not interrupted during the interview.
- Study the job that you need to fill. Use your job description (or create one if you haven't yet done that). Compare each applicant's background with what you need. When the applicant arrives, you should have a feel for his or her background so that you don't have to constantly refer to the application or resume.
- Practice asking questions until it becomes natural. A nervous interviewer means a bad interview.
- You don't need to memorize questions or answers. Simply have an outline of questions, on which you can take notes.
Follow these steps and you should be ready to conduct the interview.
Related Resources
Choosing Where to Interview
How Do You Interview Applicants?
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