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5 Tips on ‘How recruiters can best prepare their candidates before an interview’
Sometimes your candidates, who meet all the requirements for the position in hand, are not the best interviewees. To ensure they get a fair chance to show their potential to the employer, we suggest that you prepare candidates for interview.
Candidates will find this approach helpful, and even if they don’t get that job, you’ll cast a good impression and build a reputation. Remember that –
You’re not just recruiting employees but are sowing the seeds of your reputation
Here are 5 ways you can Prepare your Candidates for interview –
1. Make them jot down their strengths and weaknesses
Ask your candidates to write down 4-5 of their strengths along with one-paragraph examples of each of how they’ve used it to accomplish a goal. This paragraph should give a clear idea about the genuineness of their efforts.
Also, make them list 1-2 weaknesses along with a paragraph on how they overcame the weakness or turned it into a strength.
2. Educate them about how to shape their answers
Interviewers respond better to answers that are backed up by example. These examples work like proof and help to judge the candidate’s competency.
You need to clarify to the candidates that they should avoid talking in generalities. For instance, instead of saying ‘I am strong in marketing’, it’s better to give a specific example of where you launched a marketing campaign and the conversion rate you achieved.
Also, ask them to prepare most of these answers in a way that should be 1-2 minutes long. Anything less than a minute may look like the candidate lacks interest, and answers longer than 3 minutes can be a little boring.
3. Ask them to prepare write-ups of their most significant Achievements
Ask your candidates to prepare detailed write-ups for 2 significant achievements. One should be an individual accomplishment, while the other a team accomplishment. Both these write-ups should be 2-3 paragraphs long and must include examples of the candidate’s strength.
Many people get a little nervous which may result in temporary forgetfulness. These write-ups will allow for better recall at the time of the interview.
4. Tell them to Practice for the interview and get rid of any inconsistency
Ensure that their LinkedIn profile is up-to-date and any indecent or silly stuff has been removed. Look for and fix any inconsistency between their LinkedIn profile and resume. This is important because according to a CareerBuilder Survey – 70% of employers use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process, and about 43% of employers use social media to check on current employees.
Another step in preparing for the interview would be to practice. Even if they’ve prepared the answers themselves, practicing for 3-4 hours would add confidence and reduce nervousness.
5. Give this tip on how to end the interview
Ask your candidate to let the interviewer know that she is interested in the job, and would want to know about the next process. If the response seems unclear, have her ask if her qualifications seem relevant to the performance requirement of that position. If there is a potential gap, the candidate can fill it up with an example of a related accomplishment.
To Prepare Candidates for interview is important. They’ll be more confident and will have thorough responses for questions asked in the interview if they have had a little help in preparing for it. We think recruiters owe this little help to their candidates!
Ishani works as Manager – Social Media & Strategy Big Ideas HR Consulting Pvt. Ltd. and also as a Freelance Digital Marketer. She has a knack for problem-solving and also enjoys writing. She loves to share her views and knowledge with the readers by the medium of her blogs.
