Conducting a Winning Interview

Be sure the candidate is greeted properly. A professional and friendly demeanor is in order. Have a set interviewing schedule made in advance. Don't wing it. It never works. All interviewers should be reasonably on time when it's their turn to meet with the candidate. They should also have a set agenda to cover. Scanning a candidate's resume during an interview and trying to come up with questions on the spot is a sign of disorganization or, worse, disinterest. It's certainly not going to impress top candidates. Lets look at a sample Team Interview.

A good, basic process might entail having the HR manager open the interviewing by giving the candidate an overview of the organization, describing the job responsibilities, and providing some insight into the work environment. Give a realistic picture, but be sure to accentuate the positive aspects that separate your firm from others.

The next interviewer should be the hiring manager, who can provide the details of the job and assess the candidate's core skills. The hiring manager should also reinforce the positive aspects of working at your firm, as should all remaining interviewers. However, each interviewer should express these aspects in his or her own words. If the information sounds canned, the candidate won't believe it.

The next interviewer could be someone in a similar position to the one for which the applicant is interviewing. There's a certain comfort for an applicant in talking to a potential "future colleague." In addition, it's a nice touch if the hiring manager's boss can say a few words. All interviewers should reflect sincere excitement about their work and the company.

Finally, either the hiring manager or the HR Manager should wrap up the day, answering any questions the candidate may have thought of along the way and getting a sense of the applicant's interest in the position.

Notice how the process takes on an air of "courting" and encouragement. By the time the candidate walks out the door, the firm should have made a good enough impression to have enticed the candidate to want the job. If all applicants are treated in this manner, your turndown rate will plummet. And rest assured, because they were treated with respect, even candidates who don't get the job will have good things to say about their experience with your company. Don't think for a minute that candidates don't share their experiences with others. Negative remarks can create tremendous obstacles to finding people willing to join your firm. Conversely, their goodwill ambassadorship is invaluable.