Interviewing is a difficult skill to learn, and once you feel comfortable, it’s easy to fall into a routine when interviewing candidates. But asking the same questions and getting the same answers won’t help you determine if someone is a good fit for your company. Here are five great ideas to shake up your interviews and get to know your candidates better:
1. Meet on neutral ground.
There’s nothing quite as intimidating to an interview candidate as your office. Why? Because it’s your home turf. To put a candidate at ease, think about meeting for coffee or a casual lunch near the office instead. He will feel like you’re on equal footing and answer more confidently and openly.
2. Get to know your candidate.
Instead of thinking about a candidate as a potential employee, try to think of him as a person. What does he like to do outside of his work hours? Does he have hobbies, interests, or hidden talents? Getting to know him on friendly terms before you ask traditional interview questions will put him at ease, and you may find that he opens up more as well.
3. Involve the rest of your staff.
A new perspective can help get you out of a rut, so why not get everyone involved in the interview process? You can take the candidate on a tour of the office and introduce her to everyone. This gives your staff the opportunity to get to know the candidate and give input about her fit in the company.
4. Work with notes instead of a list questions.
Most managers come to an interview with a list of questions to ask. While there’s nothing wrong with preparing in this way, it tends to set the tone for the interview before it’s even started. Instead, while you review your candidate’s resume, make notes about things that you’d like to talk about. Discussing ideas or observations can lead to a looser, more informative conversation.
5. Ask if there’s anything you missed.
A great trick for the end of an interview is to ask your candidate if there’s anything you’ve missed. This gives them a chance to lead the conversation. You may learn something interesting about their skills or work history that you wouldn’t have known otherwise because you didn’t know the right question to ask.
Want an even better way to get out of an interviewing rut? Let one of our specialists at Burnett’s Staffing take care of it for you. We can find the best candidates in the Dallas Fort Worth area for you, so give us a call today.