Things NOT to do in an interview

You've got a pile of CVs on your desk, but how do you find the best candidate for the role? Find out what NOT to do at interview and find that perfect hire.

Don’t wait until you are in the interview to review the candidate’s CV

There can be nothing more frustrating for a candidate in an interview than to pick up on the fact you don’t really know who they are and why they are there. 

Don’t forget to sell the job!

Yes, the candidate is there to impress you but it’s a two way process. You may feel that any candidate should be honoured to get an opportunity to work at your firm but the truth is you aren’t the only employer out there and some of the others are doing a very good job of explaining why a candidate should feel excited to work in their business. If you don’t sell it, there’s a good chance they won’t buy it.

Don’t be too scripted

Of course you have to ask questions and you need to assess the answers, but if you aren’t going to have a back and forth, if you are simply going to ask questions, write down their answers and move onto the next question, then why did you drag the candidate across the city when they could have answered these questions online or on a pre recorded video interview. Not only is this a waste of everyone’s time but you are losing out on the opportunity to get a better understanding of the candidates you are meeting and for them to get a better understanding of you.

For candidates interviewing for similar roles at multiple firms, they will make any decision between two offers based heavily on their impression of the people they met at interview. It’s not uncommon for a candidate to choose a lower offer if they got a better feeling for who they would be working with and why they would enjoy working with them.

Don’t expect candidates to know everything about the role in advance

Whilst the candidate should have done their research in advance a job spec and some research will never give them the full picture. Remember again, as stated above, it is a two way process, you are assessing the candidate of course, but don't forget they are assessing you and the opportunity as well. 

Don’t expect a clear and final answer on salary at interview

Asking a candidate to accurately explain their exact salary expectations at the outset can cause more problems than it solves. Of course we want a ballpark idea of what someone is hoping for, to make sure we are all roughly on the same page, but to ask them to give a specific figure can easily leave a bad impression and creat fantastic potential for a disastrous and combative offer process. 

The truth is candidates often don't  know what salary they will actually accept until they have worked through how interested in a role they are. In the majority of cases, candidates are not going to have a clear picture of how interested they are in a role until they have come out of the interview, sat down, had a cup of tea and a biscuit and talked it over with friends and family. After all, taking a new job is a life changing decision.