As a hiring manager, your time is precious. You want to hire the right talent for your team. But you’re also balancing a whole other world of responsibilities. So you can’t afford to waste a single second of your time on silly hiring mistakes, right? That’s why we’ve created this interview guide to help you recruit like a true boss!
Use our tips to ensure you, as a hiring manager, make the most out of each interview.
Before you even think about putting a job advert out into the world, you need to get specific on what you’re looking for. Take the time to break down the job role. You should list all the responsibilities and the hard and soft skills needed to succeed. By the end, you should know exactly what the ideal candidate would look like.
We can’t always have everything we want. You might know what the ideal candidate looks like. But you also need to think more realistically. Most candidates don’t have it all. So work out which areas you’re willing to compromise on. Are there any skills that can be trained on the job? If so, these can be negotiable skills!
It’s best to have a structure to each interview. That way, you’ll be less likely to go off-topic. It’s also a good idea to let the candidate know the layout of the interview at the start. This will put them at ease so they know what to expect. For example, maybe you’ll start with competency-based interview questions. Next, the candidate could deliver a presentation. And at the end, you’ll have the candidate’s questions.
Having a second interviewer is a great way to maximise your time. Instead of second-guessing yourself, you’ve got someone else’s opinion to rely on. It’s also handy if the second person can take notes. That way, you can be fully engaged in the interview and candidate.
Where possible, carry out a practical assessment. This is a great way to put the candidate’s skills to the test. This can be really eye-opening and may save you the hassle of hiring someone who’s totally wrong for the role.
Psychometric tests are a fantastic tool for analysing candidates. These tests create profiles for each person, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. You shouldn’t base your final decision solely on these tests. But they may flag up areas that need further questioning.
The receptionist is the first person to greet your candidates. So they can offer an extra set of eyes. They get to see the candidate ‘off camera’. Of course, their encounter with the candidate is brief. But they can still tell you about the candidate’s manners and punctuality.
You want your candidates to feel as comfortable as possible. So try to put them at ease at the start of the interview. A little bit of small talk or humour can go a long way. The more comfortable the candidate feels, the more they’ll come out of their shell.
Sometimes you can’t handle the recruitment load on your own. And that’s when it’s time to lean on some trusted helpers, like Fixed-Fee Placements! We know hiring can be a slog for line managers. But with our help, you can remove all the stress from the process (and at an affordable rate!). Get in touch with our team to accelerate your hiring.
Vanessa Ramkissoon | Recruitment Content Expert