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Interview Tips for Clients

The following are some guidelines in the process of conducting interviews:

  • Ensure that each candidate interviewed by your company is handled with "kid gloves" prior to, during, and after the interview.  This may include arranging for convenient travel and accommodation, modifying the interview schedule to allow for meals and breaks, and providing an escort for the candidate throughout the day.
  • Confirm that all interviewers have the candidate's resume, profile and endorsement (provided by Bonell Ryan), are knowledgeable about the position for which you are recruiting, and are committed to focus on the candidate throughout the time allotted.  We cannot stress the importance of this last point.
  • Make sure someone "wraps up" with the candidate at the end of the day.
  • Know your top five questions and the answers you expect to hear in order for the candidate to be considered the "right one."  With several people on the interview panel it is often more productive to have each person focus on certain aspects of the candidate’s background - avoiding the same interview over and over for the candidate, and allowing a full range of the candidate’s background to be examined.
  • If a relocation is required, think about how you would persuade the candidate and his/her family to make such a move.
  • Don't lose momentum!  In the event that you want to see a candidate for a second round of interviews, be sure not to move quickly.  Bring the candidate back as soon as possible and keep in touch regularly throughout the process.  Keep the candidate interested and show your concern for their issues – what is important to him/her.  This should be the case even if you are still interviewing other candidates.

Some of our favorite Interview Questions

Identify Competencies: Ask about his/her current position & responsibilities:

  • What are the standards for successful performance in your job?
  • How well did you meet them?
  • Do you understand what has led to your success?
  • How does your current role compare and contrast to the new position?

Self Appraisal: Ask for a problem and its solution:

  • What did you learn?
  • How has that changed what you do?
  • Give me an example of a failure?
  • What did you learn or do differently as a result?

General Questions: Ask open-ended questions:

  • What do you feel you can contribute to our organization?  How will you do that?
  • Give me an example of a situation where you had an objective, encountered a barrier and knocked it down?
  • Where do you see yourself on a continuum between growing people vs. getting the job done?
  • If we hired you next week, what unfinished business would you leave in your current work?