Which of the following would NOT contribute to the structure of an employment interview

An interview is only an effective indicator of who is the best candidate if it is well structured. Following the advice outlined below will enable you to structure and carry out your interviews effectively.

Aim for: A constructive conversation that leaves the candidate feeling they have been able to perform at their best and gives you the information you need.

Not: An over-formalised 'grilling' that leaves the candidate feeling that they didn't get their points across and leaves you with an incomplete picture of the candidate's suitability.

The first key element of a well-structured and successful interview process is preparation.

You should also give thought to:

• Opening the interview
• Asking the right questions (and avoiding the wrong ones!)
• Active listening
• Taking notes
• Closing the interview

Opening the interview

Opening the interview in a clear, relaxed and open way is important for a number of reasons:

• It gives candidates information about what to expect;

• It helps nervous candidates to settle down and relax;

• It gives you a chance to start building a rapport with the candidate;

• It provides a professional image of you and the organisation;

• It sets the tone for the rest of the interview and encourages the candidate to talk openly about themselves.

A good way to do this is to start with the following:

• Welcome the candidate, thank them for coming, show them to their seat etc;

• Ask a straight-forward question whilst they settle in to help put them at ease, e.g. 'how was your journey'?

• Introductions from yourself and other panel members - keep this brief;

• Outline how the interview will progress. Explain approximate length, who will be asking questions, that there will be opportunity for the candidate to ask any questions they have at the end, and that the panel will be taking notes during the interview.

• You may wish to provide a brief description of the job at this stage to set the scene, perhaps particularly for more senior roles. Alternatively, you can check whether the candidate understands the role when they have the opportunity to ask questions at the end.   

• If there are any issues surrounding the job that are particularly important or that you anticipate may not be fully clear then it is worth spending some brief time covering these points. Examples could be:

                 - clarifying that a job is on a fixed term contract or that although it is on a 'permanent' contract it is subject to fixed term funding;

                - clarifying hours for a part-time job and discussing any flexibility or constraints in work patterns. 

Asking the right questions

Having prepared your interview plan you will have a set of standard questions. This is the framework to ensure that you cover the same ground with all the candidates and can objectively assess the information they provide against the selection criteria.

However, you do not want either a stilted exchange or to come out of the interview with missing information. So also remember to:

• Probe with follow-up questions - see the active listening section below;

• Link the previous answer and your next questions together so that the conversation flows;  

• Pick up on aspects from individual applications that are unclear e.g. an unexplained break in employment, clarification of a qualification etc;

• Check with other panel members whether there are any final follow-up questions at the end of the planned areas of questioning.

Active listening

Listening effectively is just as important as asking the right questions. And showing that you are listening will encourage the candidate to be more open and relaxed.

Here are some general points to help you do this effectively:

Non-verbal prompts - Head nodding, smiling, maintaining eye contact without staring and other appropriate body language can all show that you are listening and help the conversation to flow.

Silence is ok - Allow the candidate a few seconds to think about and then answer your question. If they have not understood or cannot answer the question they will generally let you know, so resist the temptation to jump straight in if the answer is not immediate.

Keep an open mind - Listen to the whole answer and avoid making assumptions based on the initial reply. Probe and follow-up where your question has not been fully answered.

Probe and follow-up - Verbal prompts can encourage the interviewee to continue talking if they have not fully answered your question e.g. "Go on", "Tell us more about x", "What do mean by y" etc. 

Think ahead and link questions - Although you will have a list of questions in an order, the candidate may well answer or begin to answer one of your later questions at an earlier stage. If this happens don't be afraid to re-jig your order (although you need to avoid confusing fellow panelists!) or, alternatively, proceed but remember to link back to what they said when you come to the question.

Confirm your understanding - If you need to check that you have correctly understood an important point, paraphrase or restate what you have heard so the candidate can confirm or elaborate where necessary.

Guide the flow of the conversation - If the discussion is drifting away from your areas of questioning, bring it back on track using probing and follow-up questions or by summarising. But try and avoid interrupting or talking over the candidate.

Taking notes

Taking notes whilst listening can be a tricky skill (if you share the load of note-taking with fellow panel-members this can make life easier) but is a good idea for a number of reasons:

• It shows the candidate that they are being listened to and taken seriously (but let them know from the outset that you will be taking notes).

• Your notes will be invaluable at the end of each interview and especially at the end of the day when it can be hard to remember who said what. Such an 'aide-memoire' can help avoid subjectiveness or inaccuracies creeping into your decision-making.

• In the event that you have to provide feedback to unsuccessful candidates or even to defend a decision, your notes can similarly be an invaluable source of evidence to help you do this accurately. But remember to ensure they are factual and objective, as the Data Protection Act covers any written records and a candidate could request to see a copy.
• You may find it helpful to draw up a simple 'pro-forma' beforehand to assist you with taking notes during the interview. For instance, a typed-up copy of the set questions with enough space in between each to record responses.

Closing the interview

The closing section of the interview should have three elements:

• The opportunity for the candidate to ask any questions they may have - remember the interview is a two-way process.

• You may also at this stage want to ask if the candidate has any questions on terms and conditions of employment and employee benefits. This is an opportunity to then promote and confirm this information, which can often be an important factor in people's decision-making process.

• An explanation of what will happen next and an indication of timescale. Don't commit to something that you won't be able to achieve for all candidates e.g. "we will ring you tomorrow".

• Thank the candidate for attending.

What is structured about a structured interview?

What are the 4 components of an interview?

Which of the following is a structured interview?

Which of the following is characteristic of a structured interview?