The Biz Cache

Whether you’re a new manager interviewing candidates for a job posting or a seasoned business owner looking to find the right person to help your business grow- interviewing candidates is an important skill to learn. Having a process in place for conducting the interview will allow you to focus on the candidate, get consistent information, and sell your company.

Let’s break down the interview into 3 parts: Preparation, The Interview, and Selection

Preparing to Interview a Candidate

If you are a hiring manager some of the pre-work may have been done for you by an HR team such as gathering applicants and pre-screening (background checks, phone interviews, testing, interview referral, etc.). While we aren’t covering details of these tasks in this post it will be important for you to have a process in place which will ensure that the candidate is employable before you spend the time interviewing them.

1. Consider the role you’re hiring for. You should have created a specific job description during the pre-work of hiring. Go back to that description and reference back to that as you continue your preparation. Think about what skills, knowledge, and background will be important to uncover. Try not to let past experiences cloud your vision but instead envision what is required for that individual to perform the role.
2. Schedule the Interview. Before you call, ensure you have a few different time slots that would work for you jotted down. Review their information on their resume and be sure to use their preferred name (and pronounce it correctly!). Have a general idea of what you will say when you call. Confirm their email and let them know you will send a calendar invite shortly. Have the address, time, and any other details necessary for them (parking info, floor/suite) in the calendar invite for their reference. These steps create a professional first impression and reflect positively on your business.
3. Create your interview guide. The interview should tell us two things: is the role a good fit for the candidate (longevity) & is the candidate a good fit for this role/business (success). Consider the job description as your craft your questions. The best questions will be mostly open-ended besides a few questions around non-negotiables such as confirming availability. Your questions- or interview guide- should be the same for each candidate you meet. This will help you avoid biases and ensure that you are not missing any important details.
   • You can use Chat GPT, or internet resources to find examples of questions that will determine behaviors, skills, adaptability, coachability, work ethic, and anything else important for your ideal match.
4. Set the stage for your interview. Ensure that your setting is appropriate for the goals of your meeting. If you are meeting at your office, ensure your calendar is clear and inform your team. Consider moving out of your office or silence your phone and notifications in order to limit distractions. Greet your candidate and have them take a seat or assign your team to handle this for you. Take a moment to get prepared before inviting them to take a seat.

The Interview

Now you are ready to greet your candidate and begin the interview.

1. Introduction: Introduce yourself and your position. Make the candidate feel welcome. Then jump right into the interview questions. Do not describe the role ahead of time as you don’t want to lead the candidate on how to answer your questions.
2. The interview questions: This is where your interview guide comes in.
   • Ask each question and allow time to answer.
   • Use the STAR method to help get the answers you are looking for. Describe or encourage the candidate to describe a Situation, explain the Task they were responsible for, the Actions they took to address the situation, and the Result of their actions.
   • While I mentioned we want to be consistent with each candidate using our interview guide- you should ask clarifying questions when appropriate to learn more.
   • Take notes. These will come in handy when you are assessing each candidate later.
3. After the Questions: Now is a great time to talk about the role, the company, and anything else you deem important to a potential new employee. This is where you SELL yourself! Here is an outline I use to get you started:
   • “Those are all of the questions that I have for you today. I’m going to tell you a bit more about the role, the company, and what to expect but first I’d like to know if you have any specific questions for me?”
   • After answering any questions, talk about the company. What makes you proud of your business? What makes the business unique? What is your mission?
   • Then I narrow down the explanation to talk about the direct team the role would be working with if applicable.
   • I narrow it down again to talk about the specific role and it’s importance in the company.
   • Discuss what the training process will look like.
   • Sell them on the benefits of working for you! What do you like most about the job/role/business?
4. Wrap it up: Thank them for coming in. You may set an expectation of when they might hear back. I suggest letting them know there are several candidates and you expect to make a decision ‘next week’ or whenever your timeframe ends.

Selecting the Right Candidate

This is the hardest part. Attitude, experience, skills, and potential are some of the characteristics that you can focus on to narrow your selection.

• Don’t rush it. You may have a pressing need for staffing and you have someone that seems just ok. I guarantee you that you may regret settling for the wrong person. You will spend more time and energy later on by choosing too quickly out of a need to fill a spot fast.
• Think of your team. Will this person be a good fit? Consider how they responded to your questions about team work. What role did they feel they play on a team?
• Be critical when reflecting on the interview. Some red flags to watch out for:
  • They couldn’t give you specifics or draw from experience, even when you tried to push deeper.
  • Beware of “buzz-words”. They might understand what you are looking for- but have they shown you that they actually could perform in that way. They may know what you’re looking for but are unwilling/unable to actually do the work.
  • They blamed others. Perhaps they really had a bad boss in their past. However, did they spend the interview talking about how horrible the person was OR did they use that time to show you how they were able to overcome and take ownership.
• Check references. While this may seem obvious or old fashioned even- you never know what you may learn when you actually talk to the person.

Do you have any tips for a successful interview? What is something that helps you weed out the best candidate? Let me know in the comments. Happy interviewing & best of luck if you are currently looking for the perfect fit!