For a company, recruitment is an investment. A mistake made during the interview stage costs the business time and money. It is therefore important for HR professionals and line managers to clearly understand, how to conduct an interview, in order to objectively assess a candidate’s hard and soft skills whilst, at the same time, building a positive employer brand.
What to ask at a job interview: key questions
A well-structured interview helps you get to know a candidate in 45–60 minutes. Your pool of questions must include the following categories:
- Projection questions. They enable us to understand a person’s inner motivation. Example: «Why do people sometimes leave companies?»
- Case studies (situational). Assessment of logic and behavioural patterns. Example: «Imagine that a client is dissatisfied with the result and the deadline has passed. What would you do?»
- Questions to assess cultural fit. An assessment of a person’s values and communication style.
A step-by-step guide: how to conduct an interview effectively
- Welcome area (Introductory stage). Help them relax, offer them some water or coffee, and briefly explain the agenda for the meeting.
- Assessment of experience (Competency-based interview). Ask key questions during the interview, focusing on the candidate’s achievements rather than simply listing their duties.
- Company presentation and job vacancies. Please tell us about the real-life tasks, challenges and benefits of working for your organisation.
- A set of questions from the candidate. The nature of the questions a job seeker asks (about money, processes or the team) can reveal a great deal about their maturity.
- Conclusion and feedback. Please specify clear deadlines and the format for providing feedback.