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THE INTRICACIES OF INTERVIEWING
Member Article
The moment has arrived – you have decided on three candidates to interview for the current job
opening. But what do you ask them, you wonder?
Job seekers are nervous during interviews; rarely do we think that the interviewer is nervous. However,
unless you are a seasoned pro, chances are likely that you have some questions and uncertainty on
how to handle the process.
Understand the role:
Prior to sending out the job posting, a good rule of thumb is to learn about and understand the job.
Spend a bit of time talking to the person who is currently in the role and to those who work directly with
that person. Learning some of the finer details will help you to know what you need to look for in
candidates.
Sell your company to qualifying candidates:
Make sure that the candidates you are drawing in are people who want to work for you – not just
people who are applying because they saw a job posting. What is your company known for? What is
the culture like? Do you have a good retention rate? Highlight what makes your company a great place
to work for. Even though it‘s an employers market right now, job seekers are still selective in where they
apply.
Identify the skills and experiences you are looking for:
It‘s easy to say that you are looking for someone who has the specific skills required for the job and has
previous experience. If this is all you ask for, you‘ll likely get swamped with resumes from people who
have just that – the skill set, but that is about it. Instead, make sure that you are asking for the soft skills
required for the job and your company too. Making sure the person you hire is a good fit is going to
save you time and money. People can learn new skills once they get into a job, but their attitude and
work ethic is hard to change. Look for attributes, knowledge and people skills.
How to conduct the interviews:
Be consistent with each candidate. Give each candidate the same questions to allow for them all to get
the same chance at the job. Ask a variety of questions – behavioural, situational and competency
based questions.
Behavioural Questions: these questions are designed to review past performance of a
candidate, which can thereby judge future performance. They are closely linked to
competencies and essential functions of the role. They can begin with ―Tell me about a time
when…‖ ―Describe a situation where you had to…‖ or ―What have you done that…‖
Situational Questions: these are similar to behavioural questions, however they dig deeper
and/or ask the candidate to demonstrate what he or she would do in a situation. As the
interviewer, you would make up a scenario and ask them how they would handle it, and have
them walk you through their process.
Competency Questions: questions such as this aim to help the interviewer find out specific skills
and abilities. Here you are drawing out from the candidate their abilities, and learn more about
their hard skills. Examples of competency based question would be zoning in on a specific skill:
―How fast can you type?‖ and ―Tell me how you prioritize your day.‖
The most important tip to remember is to be calm and confident, which will help put your candidates at
ease and make the interview a much more relaxed meeting.
Submitted by Melissa Macfarlane with Northern Lights Canada, Employment Resource Centre. For
more information on how to select and retain a winning team, connect with Northern Lights Canada at
519-787-0051.
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