HR Consultant Sandra Beale offers some great interview tips and suggested questions for recruiters hiring against the clock.
Company/Job sell
You need to promote both your company and the job on offer in a positive light, focusing on the key message you would like to get across in a very short time scale.
Preparation is the key with both stages of the process. Know what you want to say and say it.
A structured process will provide consistency, reduce discrimination and allow you to give feedback to unsuccessful candidates based on objective criteria.
About the company:
Outline the brief history of the company, its key offerings and objectives. Consider discussing the following:
- How you got started
- How long in business
- Key products
- Key clients
- Success stories
- Plans for the future
About the role:
Provide further detail about the role on offer. Consider the following:
- Organisation structure/job fit
- Key duties
- Key skills, experience, knowledge & qualifications required
- Training & development opportunities
- Promotion prospects
Conduct the speed recruiting interview
This should be treated as a pre-screening exercise only and should identify those candidates you would like to progress to a fuller interview process at a later stage that will include:
- a longer structured interview
- an ability test
- a psychometric test (optional)
During the interview
- Prepare five key questions you would like to ask based on the job description and person specification
- Ask the same questions of each candidate – to prevent discrimination
(ad hoc supplementary questions may be asked) - Use open questions beginning with how, what, when, where, why
- Use competency based questions e.g. can you give me an example of when you had to take the initiative?
- Try not to use closed questions that will only produce one word answers
- Try not to use hypothetical questions of how a candidate might act in a situation as demonstrable behaviour using competency-based questions are better
- Do not ask questions related to gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation & religion
- Prepare separate interview sheets for each candidate with the questions on with gaps between for answers
- Control the interview
- Encourage the candidate to do most of the talking particularly those who are quiet
- Control chatterboxes
- Actively listen (be attentive, concentrate, build empathy)
- Use positive body language (good eye contact, upright posture, smile)
- Write down their answers
- Score each answer at the end of each interview
- Base your final choice decision on the scoring not personality
Question suggestions:
- Why are you applying for the job?
- What is your knowledge of the industry in which the company works?
- What skills & abilities can you bring to the role?
- How do you ensure your deadlines are met?
- What are the most important aspects of team working?
Sandra Beale of SJ Beale HR Consult can be contacted on T: 07762 771290 and for further information see www.sjbealhrconsult.co.uk
Other articles by this author
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- CPD the ‘why’ and ‘how’
- Structured learning the CPD way
- Cut and run or stick with it?
- How to: Use an HR consultant
- How to: Network successfully
- Feature: Homeworking – is it for you?
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