INTERVIEWING

Let’s talk about INTERVIEWING!  Structure with flexibility is my motto.   You want to set a structure that allows you to gain the information you need to decide if the candidate is a good fit while at the same time be flexible to the flow of the interview.   It’s a dance and you are in the lead.  

I have seen it often that smaller businesses or less experienced interviewers’ default to taking a more laid-back approach to interviewing.  This can do a disservice to you and more importantly your possible future employee.  

When coaching clients, I teach that you should treat the interview like it is the employees first day.  You are setting the tone for your expectations in the role and painting a picture for what it will be like to work for you.  If you come off too laid back or disorganized in your process, I have seen that the employee once onboarded can tend to take the same approach to their work or flounder with a lack of direction in their new role. This creates a fast turn or leaves business owners frustrated with performance. 

Here are a couple tips to get you started in the interview process to ensure you are set up for success in finding the right candidate for your business.

• JOB DESCRIPTION- Write out a job description in detail and categorize into areas of responsibility.  This will ensure your interview questions are hitting areas the future employee will actually be responsible for.  (hint- if you are getting stuck and need a little boost go check out other job postings and see how they are wording responsibilities)
• PRE-QUESTIONS- If possible, attach some pre questions to your job posting.  This will allow you to eliminate anyone that is just firing off resumes to any job that comes along and you get a pre-screen of the candidate. 
• INTERVIEW QUESTIONS- Plan your questions out ahead of time and group together like questions.   Base them off the role you are filing, the candidates previous experience, the culture you have created in your business, the traits you want them to exhibit, etc.  I also like using the STAR method of interviewing as it allows you to dive deep into behavior-based questions and you can expand easily. 
• PRE-INTERVIEW- Before candidates arrives allow yourself 15ish minutes to review their resume, pre questions, and provide space for you to be fully present for the interview. 
• STRUCTURE- I set structure to my interviews to ensure I am leading, and we have a flow. This is where I dance.  If there is a response to a question I want to dig into further, I go there but I have my base questions ready to re-center myself and stay the course to get the information I need.   
• FOLLOW-UP- Set a timeline for when you will let them know next steps in the process. This could include a second interview with your business partner perhaps or maybe you have 3 more candidates to interview before deciding.   Be specific about when you will reach out and do it.  Even if it is to decline them.   Kindness is calling to decline even though it’s hard. 

Following these tips will ensure your next employee is the best possible fit for your business.  Happy Hiring! 

With Gratitude,

Catie