Here are some tips to ensure that you are asking the right questions, which in turn will lead you to finding the best candidate for the job:
- Ask about the experience of the candidate keeping the job responsibilities announced.
- Ask why the interviewee wants to join your company.
- Ask about the candidate's qualifications for the job.
- Ask what is his/her strength and weakness. Be careful to guide the person to talk for 5-7 minutes maximum on this topic. Insist that they tell you at least one weakness.
- Find out what the person knows about the company, the staff, and the work culture.
- Find out what soft skills the person has and whether these could be used to promote the company's goal.
- Always prepare your questions in advance and allow about 5-10 minutes for some impromptu questions that would help to qualify whether or not he is fit for the job.
- Keep the interview shorter than 30 minutes. At most the interview should go for 1 hour - no more than that.
- Do take notes when you are talking about special technical skills for the job. Other than that, if you ask unscheduled questions it is important that you note the answers so you can look at them in depth after the interview is over.
- Refer to the resume sent when you are interviewing the person so you can inquire about various aspects that match/do not match with the job at hand. Let nothing escape your scrutiny.
- Allow the applicant to ask you a few questions as well. You can judge a lot from what questions this persons asks and how he asks.
- Never ask questions directly or indirectly about the person's age, gender orientation, religion, creed, etc. This is illegal and hence, you might land in major trouble.
When you conclude the interview it is important that you inform the interviewee with what the best way to contact you after the interview is over is. A good preparation will ensure that you will be able to identify the best possible match for the job you have in mind.
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