10 Tips for Perparing for Interview

1. Before you start recruiting, make sure you know exactly what you're looking for. More time spent on developing a thorough specification of the role and the ideal person, means less time and money wasted making a poor hiring decision.
2. Develop interview questions tailored to the role and ask all candidates the same questions.
3. Involve other people in the hiring and decision making process, such as the people they will have the most contact with.
4. Decide where you will conduct the interviews. Book an appropriate room and make sure it is clean and tidy before the candidate arrives.
5. Be prepared before your candidate arrives. Don't leave them waiting, greet them warmly and make them feel at ease.
6. Offer a glass a water, tea or coffee. This will help to break the ice a little and they will appreciate the gesture.
7. First impressions count. Interview in a professional manner, be engaging and enthusiastic when interviewing. Recruiting is a two-way process - they are assessing you as well!
8. The interview is a tool to determining whether the candidate is the right fit, not an interrogation process. It should be a positive experience for them. Make the candidate feel comfortable and relaxed and you'll see more of the real person. There is no need to put them under unnecessary pressure. This will leave the candidate with a bad feeling.
9. In a candidate driven market - it's very important to sell your company and the role, just as much as it is to assess their suitability.
10. Move quickly on good candidates - if you don't, your competitors will!

Top Ten Interviewer Questions

'The key to hiring the right people is knowing the right questions to ask'

1. Why are you interested in this position?
2. What areas of your work do you feel most confident doing?
3. What areas of your work do you find most difficult? Why?
4. What gives you the greatest satisfaction at work? Why?
5. What has been your greatest achievement in your current role?
6. What is it about you, or what you do, that has enabled you to succeed in your current role?
7. How would you describe yourself?
8. What things frustrate you the most? How do you usually cope with them?
9. If you were a manager, is there anything you would want to change about you?
10. What support would you need to become fully productive in this role?