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Interviews

A key objective of the interview is to assess an individual’s suitability against the criteria required for the job. Remember however, the recruitment process is also the first experience that an applicant has of an organisation.

Good selection, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), is based upon the following:

- Ability to do the job;
- Ability to make a contribution to the organisation’s effectiveness;
- Potential for development.
- Research has indicated that interviews are often poor predictors of ability and often undertaken by people who haven’t been trained in recruitment. To make them as successful as possible:
- Training should be provided for interviewers;
- Questions should be structured around the job description and person specification;
- Candidates should be encouraged to ask questions and find out more about the job and the organisation.
- Where possible, candidates should be allowed enough notice before the interview to enable them to prepare.

Preparing for the interview

Those interviewing should take time to look through the person specification, job description and job advert and establish a series of questions designed to find out if the candidates have the skills, knowledge and experience required for the job.

While there is no such thing as the ‘standard’ interview, those interviewing should allow enough time to ask prepared questions, provide an overview of the organisation and invite candidates to ask questions about the vacancy.

One technique is to ask candidates to talk through their career history. This allows the candidate to talk about a subject they know (themselves) and to relax into the interview.