INTERVIEWER GUIDE

How to hire the best people

• Focus on what a person needs to do, rather than what they need to have.
• Make a list of all the duties of the job
• Select the 3 highest priorities
• Ask questions to uncover the person who can perform those duties most effectively.
• Avoid rigid criteria and going into the interview with an image of your ideal candidate there is no such thing.
• Focus on what the candidate has actually done - initiative, energy, ability to adapt to a new working environment - as this is the best indicator of success.
• Don't mistake quantity for quality. Just because a candidate has 5 years experience doesn't mean they are qualified for the job. Examine the depth of experience.

• Uncover experience that qualifies the candidate
• Assess the personal chemistry between the candidate and the company ethos. Would they fit in?
• Inspire the candidate with opportunities in the company.
• A good interviewer is a good listener and observer and must open up shy candidates.
  • -Listen more than you talk
  • -Respect the candidate - people always listen more to people who are superior to them.
  • -Look for eye contact
  • -Listen to the voice; mumbling shows lack of self-confidence.
  • -Don't accept everything a candidate says at face value, ask exactly what they mean.

Panel Interviews

Panel interviews can minimise an emotional reaction between candidate and interviewer, as they allow different people to assess the candidate and a range of opinions.

• Make sure all the panel have read the CV and application form.
• Choose a leader of the panel who will lead the discussions, keep the group on topic, and change the subject
• Others interviewers should be observant and ask follow up questions for clarification.

• Introduction
• How to hire the best people
• Interview structure
• Asking good questions
• Challenging first impressions
• What not to ask - avoiding discriminatory questions