Managers conduct job interviews to determine whether a candidate is the right person for the job. The aim is to make an informed decision. If you employ somebody that fits well in your team it increases general morale, reduces training costs and service errors, and it inevitably leads to greater customer satisfaction. It is therefore critical to the success of the team and the business to employ the right person.
Follow these guidelines with basic steps to ensure you hire right the first time.
Job descriptions
As employer you have to develop and follow a talent strategy. You need to know what skillsets and personality types are required for a particular position. A clear and well written job description is therefore vital to hiring right – after all, you need to know exactly what the applicant must be able to do, if you want them to fit in.
Advertise
Again, the idea is to attract the right people. One of the best places to start is by tapping into your existing talent base and asking employees if they know of somebody fit for the position. Remember that successful people tend to know other successful people.
Use social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, forums and blogs) and technology to your advantage. People are now more connected than ever and by advertising on social media you will cast your net much wider than just desperate job seekers (the right people are probably already employed).
Screening
Screening is a test phase. Remember that you are looking for the right people that will fit into your organisation. If done correctly, screening can assist you in getting a better picture of the candidate.
Remember that a CV never says anything bad or negative about the applicant. It is, on all accounts, a polished presentation of the candidate and can unduly influence your decision-making. Therefore, the important element here is output – in other words, carefully observe the applicant’s skills, intelligence and personality. In this phase you have to give the applicant a task or project to test their ability. You want to see how candidates make decisions, how they give feedback and communicate thoughts, how they respond to criticism, what approaches they used, if they ask questions or if they complete the tasks in isolation. You want to get to know the applicant within a working environment.
The interview
Quantity is not quality. Don’t be rushed and remember that you are looking for the right people. The best decisions are informed decisions. It has been found that traditional interviews are too pressed for time and as a result, the interviewers miss potential red flags. Don’t focus too much on technical competence but rather on the candidate’s coachability, emotional intelligence, temperament and motivation.
During the interview, ask the right questions and listen to the questions and responses of the candidate – this can tell you a lot about the person.
Have some of your current team members (from different levels) involved in the interview – this will give you important input and different perspectives.
SEESA Training deals with the basics of interviewing techniques in the very popular short course, Junior Management and Supervisor Development. The course is presented nationwide, and you can visit our online schedule for bookings (https://training.seesa.co.za
