Interviewing Preparation
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0:11 - 0:14Speaker – Karen Thornton
Now that we have discussed why having good interviewing skills are important, -
0:14 - 0:20let’s talk about how to put these skills into action.
The stages of interview preparation are: -
0:20 - 0:23Setting the Process
Reviewing Candidates
Developing Candidate Questions, -
0:23 - 0:26and
Preparing the Setting -
0:26 - 0:32The first stage of preparation is “Setting the Process”.
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0:32 - 0:35Here you prepare your strategy for the interview.
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0:35 - 0:39This will make the entire interviewing process easier, more efficient, effective,
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0:39 - 0:45and enjoyable. First, begin your strategy by creating an outline of the job requirements.
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0:45 - 0:49This includes the job description and information about specific skills
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0:49 - 0:53that are required. It’s a good idea to then classify each skills
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0:53 - 0:57as either a “must have” or “would like to have” skill.
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0:57 - 1:00This list should be decided before you conduct your interview.
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1:00 - 1:07This will ensure that you keep focused during the ebb and flow of the interview.
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1:07 - 1:11For the second stage, you’ll review all of your information and documents
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1:11 - 1:14for each candidate in preparation for their interview.
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1:14 - 1:18Take some time to review the individual candidate’s application or resume
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1:18 - 1:23before he or she arrives. A great approach is to make a copy of the candidate’s
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1:23 - 1:26resume to make notes on any particular points of interest.
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1:26 - 1:31Be sure that you don’t mark on the candidate’s original resume or application.
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1:31 - 1:36Your notes should emphasize both positive and negative indicators of the candidate’s qualifications.
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1:36 - 1:39Don’t mark anything that could look discriminatory,
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1:39 - 1:44such as anything relating to race, gender, religion, marital status and family,
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1:44 - 1:50disabilities, ethnic background or country of origin, or a person’s age.
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1:50 - 1:57Preparing questions ahead of time is a critical interview strategy in order to ensure a fair
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1:57 - 2:00and successful hiring decision.
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2:00 - 2:04Your questions should begin by determining a candidate’s appropriate skills
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2:04 - 2:08and qualifications for the job. Use your “must have” and “would like to have”
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2:08 - 2:12job requirements for this step. Your application and resume
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2:12 - 2:15notes should also help you formulate some questions that target
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2:15 - 2:18some specific requirements. A couple of examples
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2:18 - 2:23might be an extended gap in employment or an unusual work or life experience.
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2:23 - 2:28When you are developing your questions, keep the following guidelines in mind.
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2:28 - 2:31Most questions should be open-ended as opposed to closed.
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2:31 - 2:35Closed questions can only be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” response and
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2:35 - 2:38generally don’t garner much information.
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2:38 - 2:41On the other hand, open-ended questions allow the candidate to
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2:41 - 2:45elaborate and be more detailed in his or her response.
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2:45 - 2:49This provides you with more information about candidate and also provides
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2:49 - 2:53you with more opportunity to listen to and observe the candidate.
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2:53 - 2:59An example of a closed question is “Do you have any experience with a computer system XYZ?”
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2:59 - 3:05The candidate can’t really go anywhere with this question and must resort to a “yes” or “no” response.
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3:05 - 3:10The same question open-ended is “What type of computer system experience do you have?”
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3:10 - 3:16This question allows the candidate to expand on his or her skills and you’re able to discover more information
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3:16 - 3:19about the candidate’s experience and skill set.
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3:19 - 3:23While most questions should be open-ended, not all questions can or should be.
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3:23 - 3:28There will be some questions that are job specific and need only a simple “yes” or “no” response.
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3:28 - 3:31For example, “Are you able to lift 35 pounds?”
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3:31 - 3:37For all interviews, most questions will cover the specific job qualifications, but don’t neglect questions
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3:37 - 3:42that uncover cultural and personality characteristics.
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3:42 - 3:45Asking a candidate to discuss his or her major accomplishments
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3:45 - 3:49and teamwork experience can reveal a great deal about the candidate.
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3:49 - 3:55Just make sure that all of your questions relate only to the job requirements and nothing personal in nature.
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3:55 - 4:03When preparing the interview location, find a setting that ensures minimal interruptions.
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4:03 - 4:06Often your office is not the best option.
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4:06 - 4:11Instead you might try to reserve a conference room. Make sure to schedule enough time interview.
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4:11 - 4:16Depending on the complexity, you might plan for 30 minutes, an hour, or even longer.
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4:16 - 4:20When scheduling multiple interviews back-to-back, make sure you plan enough
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4:20 - 4:24time between the interviews to prepare for your next candidate.
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4:24 - 4:29After the end of each interview, immediately jot down any post-interview thoughts while they are still fresh in your mind.
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4:29 - 4:33You want to have enough time to complete your notes on the previous candidate
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4:33 - 4:40before interviewing the next candidate. We’ll talk more about post-interview in another section.
- Title:
- Interviewing Preparation
- Description:
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The Blue Ocean brings you the "Employee Interviewing Series" where you learn the importance of providing proper interviews to potential employees.
Check out http://theblueocean.tv or http://www.facebook.com/theblueocean.tv for more information. The Blue Ocean also provides live workshops over a variety of topics, including Sales, Leadership, and Customer Service.
- Video Language:
- English
- Duration:
- 04:46
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