6 steps to an effective recruitment interview
The job interview is the key step in any recruitment process. Regardless of your position, you may be called upon, in the course of your professional activity, to select a future employee.
There is no standard interview technique or fixed process, but probably as many ways of proceeding as there are recruiters. However, there are some rules to follow in order to get the most out of your meetings
What is a good recruitment interview? How to structure this exchange? To conduct an effective interview, here is a model divided into 6 steps.
- 1st step of the recruitment interview: setting the scene (5 min)
The first step is for the recruiter to introduce himself or herself, to remind the candidate of the position to be filled and to detail the sequence of the interview. This part is essential because it will determine the rest of the interview.
The point is to welcome the candidate in the best possible way so that he or she feels at ease and that a climate of trust is established. Remember that the first impression is often the right one, so it is necessary to give a positive image of the company as soon as the contact is made.
- 2nd step: discover the candidate (20 min)
In the second stage, the candidate is asked to introduce himself or herself. The information provided by the candidate must allow the recruiter to fully understand the civil status, education, experience, motivation and personality of the person in front of him or her.
To ensure that no stage of the applicant’s discovery is missed, the interview process must be clear to the applicant. If any elements are missing, do not hesitate to ask questions.
- Step 3: Present the company (20 min)
In the third step, the recruiter should present the company. This step is important because it is here that the candidate’s desire to join the team will be confirmed or denied. It is therefore necessary to present the structure well, i.e. how it works, its culture, its workforce, its projects, etc.
Then the recruiter must come to the position by detailing the missions, the salary, the hours, the rights and benefits. It is important to listen to the candidate’s questions during this phase, as they generally serve as indicators of the candidate’s motivation.
- Step 4: Conduct a shared assessment (5 min)
To conclude the interview, it is necessary to make a quick assessment with the candidate, asking if he or she has any other questions. It is recommended that the candidate be asked to share his/her impressions in order to further enrich the information obtained earlier.
- Step 5: Present the rest of the process (15 min)
Finally, in this last part, it is important to explain how the rest of the recruitment process will unfold if the candidate is selected or not.
- Step 6: Take stock (15 min)
After thanking the candidate and inviting him/her to leave, it is essential to conduct a debriefing. The purpose of this last phase is to summarize your notes on the interview and to formulate your feelings about the candidate.
Thanks to this approach, you avoid forgetting certain elements that could prove important later on. Furthermore, it allows you to step back and make the right decision.
In short, knowing how to conduct a job interview is a job in itself. Whether you are an expert in recruitment or not, you can learn to play with the codes of the interview to get the best out of it. In the end, it is with practice that you will become more at ease and will even be able to forge your own interview techniques. So it’s up to you !
