What Type of Interview Should I Conduct?

Despite being a key HR process, it’s easy to dismiss the format of an interview as inconsequential. However, interviews are vital to the success of your business. That’s why it is crucial to choose the correct one.

In this article, we’ll look at why interviews matter, the pros and cons of different types of interview, and which one best fits your industry

Why interviews matter

A traditional recruitment procedure will likely get you a viable candidate—but will it get you the best recruit?

Recent studies have shown that typical interviews can fail at assessing certain skills. Often, they leave room for bias and discrimination. That’s why reviewing your processes regularly will increase both inclusivity and retention.

Ask yourself what criteria you are looking for in a candidate and whether your interviews are fulfilling them. For example:

• Can the interviewee perform the role?
• Will they work well with others in their team?
• Will they require additional training?

If the candidate needs to know how to perform the role from day one, you could ask them to create an example of similar work they’ve produced. If they need to work in a team, check their employment history to see if they’ve worked collaboratively before.

Once you’ve identified shortcomings, you can begin to explore other options. Here are some of the interviews you can try and test to see which will produce the best results for your business…

Interview techniques

A lot of meetings with candidates now are conducted virtually. While some may prefer this, it can cause issues. For a full guide on navigating a remote interview, see our article here.

For tips on interviewing in person, keep reading.

To keep the process smooth, you should have a plan in place before the interview even starts. What’s more, you should make sure the interviewee knows the plan too. This way you’re both on the same page before they arrive.

When conducting the interview, choose a good location where neither yourself nor the candidate will lose focus. A meeting room is ideal, but if that isn’t possible at least make sure the area is quiet and free of distractions.

You don’t have to bring the applicant’s CV with you to the meeting, but it helps to study it beforehand. It shows that you respect the candidate and are interested in their application.

Once the interview starts, choose your questions carefully. Make sure you are getting answers to the points you outlined before the meeting began. If you think the candidate would be a good fit, but hasn’t met all of your criteria yet, you can ask them back for another interview. This could be behavioural or working, if needed. Just choose carefully to avoid dragging the process out too long. The recruit is likely looking for work and you could lose them if you take too long to decide.

HR support with recruitment

Our HR consultants don’t just protect you from costly errors during the recruitment process, they also help you find the best candidates. If you need support getting the right person, speak to one of our industry experts today on 01455 858 132.