Interviews – what to do?

Although the unemployment rates in the country have passed the 2 million mark there are still businesses in the country looking to hire more staff – not every business in the country is being forced to close its doors.

But how do you know what questions to ask in the interview?  Taking an interview can be quite a scary mission but by following a few simple techniques you will be able to extract the most out of any interview.

Even Before First Impressions…

Firstly you need to have an initial screening process in place for the application for the job.  It would be a good idea to have more than one person perform the screening as personal bias is something that should be kept away from the interviewing procedure.

The idea is to compare the information in the application to the description and requirements of the job – this will cut out all the unnecessary or unsuitable applications straight away.

Whatever happens never allow any discrimination to seep through to the decision making process – age, sex, race, disability, religion or trade union membership discrimination could be very dangerous territory and could end up with a court case.

Sorry, but no…

After the initial screening process there will be a number of candidates that you will have discovered won’t be suitable for the job – send them a letter thanking them for their application but let them know that they have been unsuccessful and keep hold of a copy of the letter for your files.

These letters should be kept for around 12 months after sending – legally claims against sex or race discrimination can only be made only up to 10 months after the alleged event.

Could you come in?

Those who have passed successfully through the initial screening process should also be receiving a letter with an invitation to come in for an interview.

Make sure that everything to do with the interview is clearly expressed – you need to show exactly where and when the interview is and who the applicant should report to upon their arrival.

You should also try and find out if they have any special needs as the Disability Discrimination Act requires that disabled applicants be treated with the same opportunities as any other applicants.  However, it is not always obvious whether an applicant is disabled or not – simply ask…

Interview time…

When conducting an interview you need to be as prepared as possible, allowing the interview to start on time and making sure that no one will interrupt the proceedings.

An interview allows the employer to learn as much as possible and relevant about the applicant and allows the applicant to understand the position they are applying for as well as having a chance to meet the employer.

When thinking of questions for the interview keep in mind the job description, applications and personnel specifications.

What about you?

Do you have helpful interview tips, whether for an employer or for an applicant?  We want to hear from you!

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