Interview tips for employers

The best interview is the one where the prospective employee at the end of the interview feels that this is the best company that he /she could possibly work for.

Thats the environment that needs to be created.  It cant be a one way interview.  While the candidate is marketing themselves to you, you the employer need to also market your organisation to them.  One of the best interviews I attended some years ago made me feel like I had done them a great favor by attending that interview.  Wow!  I wanted to work for that organisation and did for many wonderful years.

So here are just a few tips:

• THE ENVIRONMENT

Where you hold the interview should represent who you are as an organisation.  First impressions count.  The room should be clean and not cluttered.

I know many people are in favor of  a panel interview where you have the interviewers all on one side and the candidate being interviewed on the other side facing the panel of four people or so.  This is like facing a firing squad for the interviewee and really makes many people nervous.  Rather sit around a round table or on a set of sofa's.

Offer the candidate something to drink, tea, coffee, juice, water.  Many candidates may say no but at least offer.  Show hospitality.  With this you are saying "We value you just like we value our external customers.  We know you are not part of the organisation but this is the culture of our organisation."

• THE INTERVIEW

I get the feeling sometimes that employers do not thoroughly go through the candidates CV before they call them for an interview.  The reason that you as an employer receive the CV first is so that you can make a shortlist.  That means that you go through the CV's and select the candidates who you believe meet the criteria of the person you are looking for.  Study the CV and make notes about what  in that persons experience you think is relevant to that position and write down any questions you may have.

Check the candidates references before they come for the initial interview.  When you do a thorough probing of the CV before the candidate comes you will find that you will be pretty sure about who you will offer the position to. Yes that is before the candidate even comes before you.  The actual interview will be the deciding factor in the end but going through a thorough check of the CV first will give you a pretty good idea of who you will employ.

The first question that I find that most employers ask is "Please tell us about yourself."  If you have gone through the CV before the interview this is an unnecessary question because the candidate has already told you about themselves through their CV.   You would rather introduce yourselves and tell them a little about the organisation and this position they are applying for.  A very brief introduction.  Then you can go to their CV and say something like " I notice you work at ........................ as a ..................., that is one of the things that caught our eye and we were interested in interviewing you.  can you tell us about what the highlights for you have been in this position and how you think the experience you have gained will help you in this job?"

The interviewing panel needs to know what they are going to ask this candidate before the interview commences. Even having a list of questions that they want helps.  Other questions will come up based on the responses being given by the candidate.

Interviews can even be a great tool to help you know what your competitors are doing.

The question of salary:  It would be great if the employers can come up with a salary range for the particular job they are advertising for.  Even when you advertise or work through a consultant state that you are offering for example between $1,800 and $2,500  depending on the experience.  Many employers are reluctant to state what they are offering sometimes I think it's because they feel that if they can get someone who can ask for less then its a bonus to them.  Thats unfair because many times the candidate does not want to shortchange themselves or ask for too much.  By stating the salary you are offering upfront someone can decide whether to apply or not.  Of course you can always negotiate but be upfront about how much the job pays.

Always ask the interviewee if there any questions they would like to ask.  And if they have answer them openly and honestly.

At the interview thank the candidate for coming and promise to get back to them.  Its important to get back to the candidates no matter how many people you interview.  Get back to them either through email or a written letter or some other media.  They made an effort to come to the interview so you need to close the interview process by giving the result of the interview.

Remember that the candidate that you are interviewing will market your organisation in either a positive or negative light.  So make the interview great so that what goes out into the market is only good news.

All the best!

RISK & INTERNAL CONTROLS MANAGER

A Senior position that requires an individual who has both Internal Audit and Security Experience.  This position is very demanding and requires someone who has previously  worked in a large organisation and has a proven track record. The successful candidate will amongst other duties be required to:

·         Lead, direct, organize, develop and manage the Internal Audit function so as to ensure that resources (human, technological, etc) and processes are appropriate to the required standards of operation, cost-efficiency, best practice and performance.  

·         Lead, motivate, develop and focus the Internal Audit teams so as to ensure delivery of the required standards of excellence in service and performance and support the continuing personal and professional development of all team members. 

·         Attend relevant business and risk meetings at head office, as appropriate.