Top Ten Job Interview Tips for Recruiters

When looking for tips and tools to utilise in order to facilitate an effective job interview, Recruiters and employers may be stuck for guidance. There is a wealth of information assisting Job Seekers through the Job Interview process but not as much content aiding Recruiters with this function. Many don't realise that a Job interview can place as much anxiety on the interviewer as that which is experienced by the Job seekers. This job interview anxiety may differ from its origin; however interviewers need just as much help in facilitating an effective Job interview in their attempts to placing the ideal candidate in their vacancy.

Job Seekers are fortunate in the sense that they may have had ample opportunity to practice and learn from past job interview mistakes. However, employers or HR interviewers may not have conducted a job interview in some time and may be somewhat out of touch with effective interviewing techniques.

To follow, Recruiters and employers and ultimately whoever may be responsible for conducting job interviews within an organisation can find Top Ten Tips to ensure that job interviews are performed in the most operative manner and deliver accurate results.

Tip 1: Don't Rely on First Impressions

Upon meeting a person for the first time, it is said that human beings develop a lasting impression of that person within the first 30 second of being introduced. True to the saying 'first impressions last', so we should apply the idiom, 'never judge a book by its cover'. Impressions do last, however they can more than often be incorrect. Individuals have depth and personality that takes many a meeting for a job interviewer to identify and understand. While your first impression of a Job Seeker may not be positive, remember that under stress and anxiety that a job interview can cause, people often tend to hide behind a facade of what they believe the interviewer wants to see. Job Interviews instil apprehension that can very often blur a person's true personality and the interviewer should empathise with this. This tip reminds Recruiters to note that it may take a few more meetings with the Job Seeker to get a true reflection of who they are in order to make an accurate impression of them.

Tip 2: Learn to Listen

There is a rule that can be applied when interviewing candidates that will ensure that the interviewer is not talking more than what is required. This rule is the 20/80 rule which states that the interviewer should converse (in the form of questions) for 20 % of the interview and the remaining 80% of conversation time should be reserved for the Job Seekers responses. It is very easy to forget that a job interview is not an opportunity to play 'getting to know you - getting to know me'. Yes the interview serves the purpose of finding a greater understanding of who the Job Seeker is, but only in the context of the vacancy they have applied to. There is no need for Recruiters to swop stories and share commonalities with the Job Seeker. The interview is a meeting reserved for information gathering on the interviewers part which cannot be done if the Job Seeker does not have adequate time to relay relevancies pertaining to the job function and the role which they have applied to.

Tip 3: Review the Job Advert in Preparation of the Interview

One of the most helpful tips when preparing to facilitate an effective job interview is to review the initial job advert ahead of the interview. In doing so, interviewer familiarises themselves with the detail that initially attracted the Job Seeker to the role, as well as the areas which the interviewer should concentrate on. By practicing this tip, job interviewers are able to prepare questions that cover the basics details mapped out in the job advert including required experience, skills, qualifications and education requirements. After reviewing the job advert, the interviewer will easily assess the relevancy of the Job Seekers application and if they are the ideal candidate to fill the role.

Tip 4: Learn to Paraphrase

When a Recruiter paraphrases what the Job Seeker has said during an interview they essentially restate what was said using their own vocabulary but relay the same meaning as what was initially spoken. Paraphrasing is a classic means to counselling and can be applied in effective ways during a job interview. By paraphrasing job interviewers can ensure that they have received the message that the candidate was trying to relay and understood what they were trying to explain. This also allows for the Recruiter to ascertain the legitimacy of the Job Seekers answers in which, if they are answering interview questions falsely (pre rehearsed), by paraphrasing and requesting confirmation, will further establish the Job Seekers understanding of the question and the answer that initially relayed. This top job interview tip can be used during face to face interviews as well as telephonic interviews

Tip 5: Ask Open ended Questions

This top job interview tip reminds recruiters that the point of a job interview is to get the Job Seeker to converse as much as possible. It is the interviewer's job to listen and comprehend who the Job Seeker is and how they articulate their answers during the meeting. Always ask open ended question or those conducive to conversation. In doing so the Job Seeker is required to eloquently answer your questions, think fast on their feet and illustrate to you their thought processes and ability to communicate. Yes or no questions are inevitable but be sure to ask open ended questions such as ' tell me a little about yourself' or 'describe your working history' in order to ensure the Job Seeker is required to inject personality and thought into their job interview answers.

Tip 6: Take Notes

During an interview it is important that the Recruiter takes notes and jots down important points that each Job Seeker makes. However, be careful not to take this to the extreme or to the point that you record, word for word how the Job Seeker responds. Rather record important points that the Job seeker makes that differentiates them form others and makes them a unique applicant. These notes will help when having to shortlist favourites and identify unique factors that set the successful candidates aside from the mediocre ones. By keeping a pen and paper in front of you will also aid Recruiters in remembering questions that come to mind during the interview that you want to remember to ask at a later stage or once the Job Seeker ahs finished responding.

Tip 7: Don't Interrupt

An interviewer's task is to mediate and to ensure that the Job Seekers remain on the same train of thought when answering a specific job interview question. In doing so, many Recruiters mistakenly interrupt a Job Seeker mid response and stop them from delivering their answer to the question. Top Tip number 7 asks interviewers to try to find a balance with allowing adequate time for a Job Seeker to respond and identifying when a Job Seeker begins to digress. By interrupting a Job Seeker mid answer, the interview not only does the candidate an injustice, but may miss out on the delivery of the perfect answer to their question. Each person communicates in their own unique way. Try to allow Job Seekers space and time to respond to questions as they would under natural conversational situations. Remember that nerves may be on edge and the Job Seeker may be the perfect candidate to fill the role but be having some difficulty getting to the answer they are trying to deliver.

In converse to this, Recruiters should not feel obligated to fill uncomfortable silences. If the Job Seeker takes a little while to respond or you are posed with a long pause of silence, do not break this but rather observe how the Job Seeker responds and reacts to this sometimes uneasy moment during the job interview.

Tip 8: Summarise the Job Vacancy

After allowing the Job Seeker to deliver answers to questions based on their back ground and working history, interviewers are advised to summarise the role at hand. Recruiters should always detail the role in further detail to that of the initial job advertisement. Remembering the 20/ 80 rule, summarise the job function and the role that the candidate will provide for if successful in their application. Summarise core responsibilities and well as key performance areas of the vacant role. What will be expected of the successful candidate and the style in which they will be required to work? Job Seekers are also only now, during the interview, establishing if this is the role that they do in fact want to fill and in order to do so they require further information from you. By ignoring this job interview tip, Recruiters will learn that permanence is never achieved if a candidate is placed in a role that they are not completely aware of what is required of them. Recruiters should rather avoid this wasted time, money and effort and rather be transparent about the role as well as the company the candidate will be joining.

Tip 9: Allow the Job Seeker to Ask Questions.

This job interview tip is often underestimated in its relevancy. By asking a Job Seeker if they have any questions regarding the vacancy or the company, often reveals further clues into the candidate's authenticity and desire to fill the role. If a Job Seeker has no questions pertaining to the vacancy, this may display a lack of interest and rather desperation for the job itself as opposed to their desire to want to add value to the company. Based on the type of questions posed by Job Seekers, will also display the preparation and research they have done before attending the meeting and thus further illustrate their desire to join the organisation. First prize goes to the Recruiter that places a candidate with a burning desire to add value and join your specific organisation as opposed to those Job Seekers merely looking for a pay cheque with minimum input required.

Tip 10: Be Guided by Legalities of HR

The final and most relevant Job interview tip shared here is; prior to chairing a job interview, Recruiters and interviewers in general are firmly advised to familiarise themselves to the legalities of recruitment. Be aware of illegal or sensitive questions that should not be posed to Job Seekers as well as discriminatory laws that all Job Seekers are protected by. Job Seekers have concrete rights and if they feel for one moment that their interview was biased or discriminatory they are equipped with resources to defend their application if unsuccessful.

All Recruiters and job interviewers should lead their interviewing process with the highest level of transparency and integrity. Remember that today's candidates may be tomorrows clients and by making use of each of the above documented job interview tips, Recruiters will conduct each interview with professionalism and straightforwardness that will ensure the most positive outlook on your establishment of both successful and unsuccessful candidates.