With the economy seemingly picking up of late, many companies are telling us that they have started taking on staff again, albeit slowly and intermittently. Many managers are not practiced in interview skills, so it may be good to reacquaint yourself with some ideas if you are about to embark on a recruitment drive, or simply thinking of taking on another person:

• Lay the foundations effectively. You’ll present a poor image of your company and yourself if you approach an interview unprepared. Know the purpose of the session, familiarise yourself with all relevant materials and prepare a set of questions in advance.

• Focus on your objectives. Know what you are trying to achieve and focus on what information you need, so you can prepare your questions and mindset.

• Remember that most people make up their mind on a candidate in the first four minutes. Resist the temptation to do that every time, as there may be something coming up later in the conversation that you’d miss if you aren’t careful.

• Remember, too, that an average candidate who follows a few poor ones may seem particularly good.

• Sell the positive aspects of your company and department to the interviewee, as well as seeing how they sell themselves to you. You might end up offering the job to someone who turns you down because they don’t see the benefits of working for you.

• Beware of the legal issues that always have the habit of coming back and biting you. Get up to speed on the latest employment law changes in respect of what you can and can’t ask. If you haven’t interviewed for some time, you may just drop in that inappropriate question.

• Take note of important points the interviewee brings up. You can use them later to justify your decision to employ them or not.

• If they are going to become a new team member of an existing team, consider if it would be worthwhile having some selected candidates spend a while with the team, to see how their possible colleagues rate them. If existing team members feel they have had a part to play in the new person’s employment, they are more likely to greet them into the team more effectively. Similarly, if they don’t feel the candidate will fit in, they can let you know before you make a mistake.

• After the interview, review and elaborate on your notes, record facts and review the data you’ve gathered. Complete these notes before interviewing anyone else, so you don’t get confused or mix up your thoughts between two or more candidates.

With adequate preparation, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t successfully recruit new personnel even though you’ve been out of practice for some time. And remember: the interview process should fill only a supporting role in your company’s selection criteria.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Today I’d like to take a look at an issue that isn’t as pressing as it once was but definitely still exists within the workplace. That issue is prejudice in the employee selection process.

We, as human beings, tend to be judgemental. As managers, however, we do not have that right. Sadly, many employers choose the individuals they are going to hire based on their genders, ethnicities, cultural backgrounds and, in many cases, ages.

Age is a critical question. In many places employees aren’t even allowed to ask an application about his or her age. They are only allowed to verify that the individual in question is of legal working age. Sadly, many employees look at individuals who appear or admit to being over the age of 55 and hesitate over hiring them.

Today I ask you to sit back and think about the pros and cons associated with hiring someone over the age of 55. For example – those under the age of 55 may not have the same demanding health insurance needs whereas someone over the age of 55 is more likely to be a long-term employee brining vasts amount of knowledge and experience.

Can you make a list of additional pros and cons? Is it ethical to judge a person based on his or her age? If you had two candidates of similar education and experience would you use age as a deciding factor? What is the average age of your workforce right now?

I’m interested in your views and would love to know more about your thought process. Do you descriminate against individuals based on their ages (young or old) and, if so, do you even realize you’re doing it?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”