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How not to conduct a job interview Putting job candidates through gruelling interviews to 'see what they are made of is counterproductive

For me it is all quite simple — the interviewprocess is a two-way street where theemployer sells the job and the candidate sells themselves. It should be a forum designed to get the best out of a potential candidate so that you can see how suitable they are for the job.

Yet some companies continue to allow their representatives to conduct interviews in a manner that can be described as negative, skeptical and even aggressive. They don't smile or encourage the candidate in any way and come across as highly officious.

I have heard reference to 'putting them through the mill' and 'seeing what they are made of, even for quite junior placements where the ability to work under intense pressure is unnecessary

And over the years, we have all heard those historical and irrelevant questions such as: "Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?" and "What have you done in your ufe that you are least proud of?" Are these questions just designed to provide some light relief? They rarely provide useful or relevant information that can be used to ascertain someone's suitability for a job or organisation.

I'm not sure what companies hope to achieve with these types of interview techniques. No one performs at their best rf they are nervous or made to feel uncomfortable, so this hardly results m a constructive meeting. There may be a perception out there that it is an 'employers' market' with candidates desperate to take any job, but that IS not my experience. Even if that were the case, it would not be justification for putting a candidate through a miserable experience.

Good candidates can still afford to choose where they work and are understandably highly influenced by their interview experience. If company representatives are arrogant enough to believe that they don't need to make their organisation appealing to potential employees then they will quickly see they wül lose out on securing some of the quality candidates.

Some companies continue to allow their representatives to conduct interviews in a manner that can be described as negative, siceptical and even aggressive

Another problem is that interviewers can have unrealistic expectations about the candidate. For example, candidates applying for an accounts or administi:ation role are not as likely to need or possess particularly stirong communications skills, yet some companies would judge harshly on these at interview.

Also, candidates may well not have had many mterviews and be extremely nervous and not come across well. This does not necessarily mean they are not the right candidate for a role. It is the job of a good interviewer to take this into account.

Many companies have taken to mti-oducing supplementary assessment tests to help them identify the best candidates and these can be useful in many cases. However, they must take steps to ensure they have not embraced a process designed to identify the high flyers only — a balanced team will be made up of a mix of people with various abilities and aspirations. An organisation made up of only top performers would not be the ideal recipe for stability and continued success.

Companies can also assume that one set of tests will cover a variety of job roles. It is extremely frusti-ating for recruiters to see good, suitable candidates being turned down because they have failed a test that is either irrelevant to the position they are applying for or the benchmark for passing it is unrealistic. For the employer this means that they simply miss out and the recruitinent process becomes drawn out and expensive, as more potential candidates must be found.

We all need to remember that to get the best candidates we need to adopt effective and professional interview techniques and we must ensure that the process is relevant and focused. Never leave candidates with a bad impression of the organisation. Even if the candidate is not successful in securing the role they applied for, they stiU matter.

Melissa Carslake is managing director (South) of right4sta£r

Miaosott C E R T I F I E D

0845 527 4394 www.comprendo.co.uk

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