Everyone benefits from a well-conducted interview— the candidates, the manager, the recruiting team, the organization, and in the long run, the clients. The number of highly qualified and talented people who join the company in a recruitment period depends on the reputation of the company among the potential candidates. Better the reputation of the company, more the number of potential candidates applying for the post will be.
A manager may not have a direct role in the recruitment process, depending on the efficiency of the Human Resource Team and the designation of the person being interviewed. In cases where interviews are being conducted for senior, managerial positions, the managers focus intensively on the candidates’ resumes.
A detailed review of the resume before the first screening as well as the actual interview is very important. The review might just be an insight on the candidate's background and academics to help in preparing a list of specific questions to ask the candidate at the time of the interview.
Review of the Resumes are taken seriously. A person who cannot impress through a resume may have a tough time convincing reviewers. That said, a manager should be careful not to judge a candidate on the basis of non-essential attributes written in the resume.
A manager needs to realize that when they start screening resumes, they will certainly come across a few red flags. They need not rule out a candidate just due to this, because these wrong decisions must have taught him valuable lessons.
Here is a list of the key attributes to look for while viewing a CV −
● Overall appearance of the CV
● Presence of Typos or unprofessional use of language in the CV
● Omissions like missing important dates or educational information
● Gaps or overlaps in time with reference to the academic career
● Frequency of switches in jobs
● Job titles and responsibilities (lack of progression)
● Consistency or inconsistency between career experiences
● Ambiguous job description
It is a very common practice for the manager or the human resource department of the company to perform an initial screening test over the phone. Telephonic interviews are used to know the candidate better, verify the points mentioned in the resume’, and check the candidate’s availability. Typical process-related questions are generally avoided in the screen test over the phone.
The main purpose of initial screening test over the phone is to −
● Find out whether the candidate's qualifications match the job description
● Establish and enhance the interest level of the candidate
● Set up a face-to-face interview platform
There are typically three parts constituting the interview process −
● To know the person and how s/he may react to certain scenarios
● To go through the candidates’ background (as related to the position)
● Making an initial offer
All aforementioned steps parts could be carried out in the same interview session. however, this is pretty unusual. With positions that are visibly higher, several meetings are required in the interview process and the time could span over days, weeks, or even months. Also, depending on the position, the interview process also may require that numerous employees working in the company interact with the candidate and give their feedback.
Interviews are not just tools for recruitment; they are crucial instruments that managers wield in order to build an effective organization. Interviews establish corporate’s image. The first step on the above list- knowing the person- is probably the most crucial part in the interview process. It empowers the managers with the opportunity to learn about the candidates in terms of their behavioral style, judgment calls, and internal motivators.