MightyRecruiterInterviews are tough on job applicants. After all, a wrong answer or a tiny mistake could make the difference in whether they are offered the job or not. However, there are just as many ways that an employer can mess up an interview and hire the wrong candidate. When you are conducting interviews for your business, you need to interview with know-how so that you are able to acquire the information you need to make an educated decision.
You Talk Too Much
The entire purpose of interviewing a candidate is to learn more about the person and see if he or she would be a good fit for the open position. It does not make a lot of sense to talk about yourself or the company at great length. An incredibly bad scenario is that you spend all that time talking and then when it comes time to make a decision, you do not know enough about each of the candidates to tell them apart. If you want to interview with know-how, then you need to abide by the 80-20 rule. This essentially states that the interviewee should do 80 percent of the talking while you, as the employer, should do about 20 percent.
You Jump to Conclusions
First impressions are important, and often, the way you feel about a person initially will be accurate. However, when it comes to job interviews, judging a book by its cover can make you not offer the position to the best applicant. Interviewees might be nervous or come across one way, but once you get to know them, you discover that they are perfect for the job. Conversely, you might get a really good first impression off someone only to discover that he or she is not qualified in any way to have this job. Ask questions and gather information in order to get the most comprehensive overviews of potential employees.
You do Not Control the Interview
While the candidate should be doing a majority of the talking, it is vital that you remain in control of the conversation. You are the one who is guiding where the interview is heading, so have a list of questions prepared beforehand that flow smoothly from one question to the next. You should not ask job applicants what their biggest weaknesses are, and then follow it up with a question about what their hobbies are. This is not the way to interview with know-how. You should have questions prepared that will allow you to acquire the information you need, and you should be ready to ask follow-up questions when needed.
You do Not Prepare Thoroughly Beforehand
This mistake goes beyond simply not having the proper questions prepared before the actual meeting. You need to go over every applicant’s resume to see what he or she is bringing to the table. You need to read the resume, and then ask yourself questions like: – What skills does this candidate already possess? – What skills need to be acquired for this specific position? – Does the applicant’s personality come through in this resume? – What specific tasks can this person already do? You are not going to get a very good picture of a potential employee if you only take a minute to read his or her resume over. Take enough time to really get to know this person so that you can tailor the interview accordingly. You will not interview with know-how if you waste your interview asking questions that could easily be gathered by simply taking the time to read the resume.
You Ask Closed-Ended Questions
An interview is your opportunity to learn about new people and see if you want to work with them. You are not going to get very far in this endeavor if all your questions can be answered with a simple ïYesï or ïNo.ï For example, an example of a closed-ended question would be: ïDo you handle stress well?ï The candidate would be able to answer this in a few words, and you would have no idea if he or she is telling the truth of not. Instead, you should ask an open-ended question like: ïDescribe a time when you were under a lot of pressure. How did you handle it?ï This gets the interviewee talking. You learn more about the candidate’s background, and you will know instantly if the applicant is describing a real experience or is just making one up. Mighty Recruiter has plenty of additional resources to help you better interview with know-how.