Interviewing potential employees

If ‘the Great Resignation’ comes to fruition and a significant number of staff leave their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, more clinic managers/owners will face the task of replacing them. Tabitha West takes a look at the process of interviewing replacements from the other side of the table.

When it comes to interviewing potential employees, I have seen a many different techniques. These range from interviews done over an informal coffee through to a 6-stage marathon where the candidate ends up questioning why they wanted to work for the business in the first place.

There really is no clear right or wrong way to conduct an interview, as each role and industry is unique. However, there are some steps that should be included to achieve a good outcome, and these are applicable to every industry.

For SME business, turnover of employees can be one of the most costly risks to the profitability of the business, costing as much as $50,000 per employee to the bottom line of a business. These figures make it evident that hiring the right person for your business from the outset is one of your most important keys to success. As Steve Jobs said, ‘Hiring is your most important task’.

So, given that hiring the right employees is so important, how do you do it right?

1. Prior to the interview, ensure you have provided enough information and support

Does the candidate have everything they need to be successful? Do they know the role? Do they know what the format of the interview

will be (panel, group or individual)? How many people will be there? Do they know exactly where they are expected to be? Do they know the salary? The list goes on. Who

is making all the effort here? The candidate of course. They are taking time (often off work), traveling to interviews, preparing & researching the business. And what does the employer do? Review a resume and make their way to a meeting room. Employers need to keep in mind that candidates often form their opinion before they even meet you for an interview; so the companies’ behaviours leading up to interview need to represent boh who they are as a company and the employer brand they are trying to convey.

2. Make sure you have the right people on the interview panel

To be frank, the interview process is essentially a ‘sales’ process for both parties. That being the case, should you not have your best people at the interview? The hiring manager should always be the main person; but if you have a panel interview or if that candidate is meeting other people, then you need to have other interviewers who are engaging and sell the business well. Having another ‘subjective’ interviewer will also be helpful in making the right decision.

3. Have the right questions prepared and a plan for the interview

Deciding what you want to get out of the interview is very important. From there, you can decide what format or questions you should ask – based on what you want. Always have a set of questions you ask every candidate (this helps make comparisons between candidates for the same role). You should also have specific questions to ask about the candidate you are interviewing, based on what you would like to know. The best questions always ask for the candidate to provide a situation to demonstrate; for example ‘tell me about a time where you took the initiative to improve something in your workplace’ or ‘can you give me an example of a time where you felt proud to work at an employer?’ These types of questions will give you all the information you need to know with minimal questions asked.

4. Know what the role is and what it is NOT

I can’t tell you how many times I have had candidates go for interviews and be sold a dream job, only to find out after they start that the reality is far from what was promised. This is a huge problem – and will always end in the person leaving either in the first 3 months or at latest within 12 months. Always sell what the role is, not what you hope it will be in 2 years time.

5. Put your own flair into the process

I encourage all my clients to add something to the process that is unique, so the candidate will walk away remembering the interview in a positive way. It could be a bag with your products, or asking the candidates to interview you for a portion of the interview. Or it could be as simple as offering to show them around your business before they leave. These small touches ensure you stand out from the other interviews the candidate
has attended.

The recruitment process is like any other business process: the input determines the output. So with this in mind, it might be time to revisit your interview process with a fresh perspective. AMP