Stage I. Understand the client's request
Firstly, you need to talk with the client in order to prepare for an interview. They will be able to clearly define the criteria that should be focused on during the interview. You can ask the following questions:
- By what signs will you understand that this candidate is exactly the one you need?
- Are there any selection criteria that are of primary importance? What are the minor ones?
- What are the categorical “no”s?
- Which technology is key for the vacancy?
The answers you receive will help you navigate the interview more easily and ask the “right” questions to the candidate.
Stage II. Clarify the vacancy
The key of preparation is your understanding of the position. Especially if you have no experience with it before. What do we mean?
It is important to understand the technology stack, programming language and all the unclear words that are listed in the “Requirements”. The easiest option is to open Google and do a little research on the subject. Take notes, outline points that still remain unclear. The next step is to ask the team if they have had experience with similar positions. If yes, then get more information from them. And the last step is to contact the client. Clarify everything that still causes misunderstanding. Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions, as this will help you find relevant candidates and speed up the hiring process overall.
Stage III. Coordinate questions with the client
You can show the prepared list of questions to the client before going to the interview. Perhaps they will make adjustments or suggest some additions. It's even better if you have the opportunity to find out the "ideal answers" that the client would like to hear from the candidate. This way you will understand which direction to move and what to focus on. Ask the client if they can answer the way they would like the ideal candidate to answer. You will make all subsequent work easier for yourself by taking this step.
Stage IV. Technical preparation
When creating an online meeting, make sure you include company name and position in the invitation title. It would also be appropriate to attach a link to the vacancy with all the details. Add LinkedIn links to the people who will be on the call for technical interviews. Indicate emergency contacts if the candidate urgently needs to contact the inviting party. This could be your telegram or another messenger. In addition, it is important to write down the meeting plan in the description of the invitation so that the specialist understands each stage and, if necessary, prepares questions [you can remind about this]. If special technical conditions are required, this should also be written down. This way the candidate will be fully prepared and their stress level will be reduced. Additionaly, all of this is important for a positive candidate experience.
Bonus tip: Highlight the company's strengths
In order to interest the candidate in your proposal, it is important to discuss the points that may be important specifically for them. You should first ask the specialist a few questions to understand their motivation. For example:
- What inspires you about your current job?
- What do you think will be professionaly important to you in the next 2-3 years?
- What does your ideal place of work look like?
- What do you expect from your new job?
By collecting this information, you can present the candidate relevant information about the company you are representing. For example, a specialist is interested in career growth, and your client offers good prospects. Or the candidate values interpersonal relationships between colleagues, which is also important to your client. It can help you to highlight the company's strengths that will be relevant to this particular candidate.
This is just a small part of the advice that Maria Dvornikova, speaker at EvoTalents.School, shared at the webinar “Interviewing a candidate” in our online school for recruiters and sourcers.
If you want to dive deeper into the topic of interviews and recruiting in general, we invite you to join our courses. You can choose the one that is relevant to you on the EvoTalents.School page.
