Interviewing and Appointment

Interviewing

Your goal is to hire the right people for the right job at the right time. This means your interview needs to be the best it possibly can be.

Recruiting the right people is critical to your business success. Conducting an effective interview will allow you to determine if an applicant has the right skills, knowledge and abilities to perform the job successfully and whether their attitude, motivations and values fit your culture and will see them thrive within the company. Conducting a successful interview will require you to:

• prepare (truly understand what you need; thoroughly examine applications; explain process to interviewee
• develop appropriate questions (listen to answers; ask follow up questions)
• explain the process and provide closure.

Once you have completed the recruitment and selection process in your attempt to fill a vacant position, it is time to formally invite the best candidates to an interview.

When arranging an interview, be considerate of the candidates and their time. Many may still be employed elsewhere and may need to take time off of work in order to meet with you. Not only should this consideration be made from a place of decency, but by showing this decency you will ensure your reputation as a potential employer remains strong which will assist future human resource efforts.

The interview process should seek to verify that the candidate is a good fit for the role in question as well as for the culture of your organisation. 

Appointment

Also known as offering a job, appointment is the next step after the interview process. Prior to appointing any candidate, conduct referee checks with at least two referees. One should be a supervisor manager and one a co-worker. Check out their LinkedIn profile or Facebook.

In order to avoid confusion over the terms of an offer of employment, verbal offers are not to be made. The successful applicant may be informed that he / she is the preferred candidate and that, subject to referee checks, an Offer of Employment (employment agreement) will be provided.

Offers of employment are made after final approval. All other applicants should be notified immediately after the selected candidate accepts the offer of employment. Be sure to advise unsuccessful applicants of any similar positions you may be hiring for, or to store the contact details of quality candidates that narrowly missed out on the role for future roles.

Make an enthusiastic offer to the successful applicant.

You should be excited when you find the best candidate. So let your excitement show. Show your enthusiasm. Don’t be coy; don’t play the, “I better not seem too excited or she might expect a higher salary,” game.

In a great employer-employee relationship, there is no upper hand. The right candidate is just as excited to come on board as you are to welcome them. Don’t pretend you’re doing the best candidate a favour by hiring him/her; see it as he/she is doing you a favour by joining your company.