Candidate Preparation

Before going forward with your candidate job interview, here are a few tips for recruiters to keep the following in mind:

Comfortable Setting

When setting up the interview be “candidate friendly”.  If possible, try to accommodate your candidate.  The days of candidates thankful to get an interview, begging for a job are over (especially with the star candidates).  Remember, your candidate has likely taken a day off work or has come in to see you on his or her free time.  So try to be flexible and accommodating with your interview times and locations.  Find out about your candidate’s commute, and offer to meet at a halfway point.  Find a coffee shop and conduct your interview over a couple coffee.  Not only is this a candidate friendly practice, but you may also find that you get better interviews from a relaxed candidate in neutral setting.

Another recruiter tip is to consider location.  Whether you are conducting the interview from your location or a coffee shop, it is important to pay attention to the environment.  Take note of the light, heat, seating, and so on and make the necessary adjustments to ensure a comfortable interview climate.  A comfortable candidate will interview better give you a better chance of finding the right talent.

Always make sure that you have water, coffee, tea, or some beverage to offer your candidate.  Many candidates already feel nervous in an interview, along with a lot of talking creates for a very thirsty candidate with a very dry mouth.  Again the goal is to make the candidate feel comfortable and at ease.  So that they can provide you with information that you are looking for.

Opening the Interview - Setting the Tone and Building Rapport

A key to a successful interview is starting it off right.  How you open the interview is very important as both the things you say and don’t say sets the ground rules for the rest of the interview.

Tips for Recruiters to Build Rapport

The best way to build rapport is smile, maintain eye contact, and listen actively.  You can build rapport by listening actively.  This shows the candidate that you are focused on them and what they say matters to you.  Empathy and active listening is very effective in getting a nervous and quite candidate to open up.  However, it can also cause the candidate to provide more information than is needed and take up valuable interviewing time.

“Why did you leave your previous job?”

Candidate:

I have been in the same position and level for 7 years and it was time for a change.   It was a dead end job.

Recruiter:

It sounds like you felt that you felt stuck and saw no career and developmental opportunities there.

Extrapolate career goals based on your candidate’s values:

I get the sense that you really value career growth in a job.  Describe the kind of change you are looking for in your new job.

By following these recruitment tips, you will not only facilitate more dialogue with your candidate but also get the information you need to assess candidate-job fit.

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