Sital Ruparelia

The Do's & Don'ts Of Interviewing

One the fundamental steps in finding the right people is to conduct effective interviews and make selection decisions that are right for your business. But what should you do? What should you NOT do?

But what should you do? What should you NOT do?

THE DO's-

 Try and interview people more than once so that you see them in a different light

- Get a second opinion and arrange for someone else to meet them. That may be someone else on your team - or if you are a solo-preneur it could even be a friend or business associate. They will give you a different perspective so that you make a balanced decision.

- Keep discussions on a professional footing

- Ensure that you are personable and make them feel at ease. Remember to always treat potential employees just the same as you would potential customers/clients- Start assessing them from the minute you meet them

- Ask other people what they thought of them (perhaps the person at reception who first met them)-

 Ensure you take notes and keep them on file

- Try and capture the things they say in "quotes"

- Be objective

- Be yourself. You need to be natural so that they see what you are like

- Be honest about the things that are not so great about the role and the company. It gives everything else you say much more credibility

- Try and meet at least 3 candidates before you make a decision so that you can make comparisons

THE DON'Ts

- Don't just go with your first impression

- Don't make a decision purely on a 'feeling' or your 'gut' instinct. You need to have a rationale for what exactly gives you that gut feeling

- Don't make sweeping generalisations. E.g. if you once had a problem with someone from a particular company or particular city - don't just assume everyone is like that

- Don't make a decision based on just one meeting. Where possible, I would suggest you have at least 2 interviews on different days. It gives both sides an opportunity to reach a more balanced conclusion

- Don't avoid conversations about money. Always ensure you know exactly what their expectations are

- Don't just take answers at face value - always try and probe do go 'deeper'

- Don't offer anyone the role if they do not match the values, attitudes and personality that you require. Even if they have the skills and experience, they may not be the right 'fit' for your business- In particular do not ask any questions about their marital status, their religion, whether they have children or their sexual persuasion. These have nothing to do with a person's ability to do the job and could leave you open to discrimination charges at a later date.

So take a look at the 20 points above - how many of these do you adhere to? How many of them do you need to re-incorporate into the way you interview?

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