Page 143 - Boost Your Hiring

The Surefire Way to Boost Your Score 129

Begin by being a good host, making the candidates feel welcome and
comfortable. Good manners dictate that the candidates will wait for you
to indicate where to sit or will wait until you are seated. Put them at ease
by asking them to sit down and indicating which chair is theirs. It is also
courteous to offer a beverage.Water is usually welcome, since one of the
typical symptoms of being nervous is dry mouth.
Take a few minutes to begin. Make some small talk, if you are com-
fortable doing that, about the driving directions, traffic, and the com-
pany in general. If you prefer, pick up on something on the candidate’s
résumé. “I see you worked over at EZY Company. I worked there some
years ago,” or, “We had a contract with that company a few years ago.”
The applicant will be pleased to know that you took some time to read
the résumé and actually have something in common to discuss. What-
ever your style, the idea is to try to break the ice and help the applicants
to relax and feel comfortable; this ultimately will aid in their ability to
answer questions more openly.

One man’s description of his role as a candidate is “goalie at a
hockey game—sending back pucks.” The interview should be an
active conversation from both sides of the desk to determine the
candidate’s fit within the organization. Make an effort to engage
with the candidate by asking open-ended questions and by listen-
ing attentively to the responses.

Describing the Interview
Procedure
The interview should be an exchange, a conversation. If there is a hos-
tile or unfriendly feeling to the environment, you will not get an accu-
rate reading of the candidate. Taking time to explain the procedure and
what to expect will help alleviate some of the anxiety for the candidate.
For example, say something like:

Before we begin I’d like to tell you about the process we use here and
what you can expect today. I will interview you for about an hour. Then
I’ll take you to the human resources department, where you will be in-
terviewed by our staffing representative, Jim Taylor. Jim will give you in-
formation about the company and tell you what the next steps in the
process will be.