Finding the right employee through effective interviewing
Large organisations often have the luxury of a Human Resources Department to take care of all recruitment needs. Most small organisations don't have this facility and while it is possible to use a recruitment company to take care of recruiting and interviewing staff, this is often a prohibitively expensive exercise.
In the early childhood education and care sector it is usually the director of a service who is responsible for recruiting and interviewing new staff. This is a big ask for people who are child development experts and not recruitment specialists.
The article we have put together below will hopefully assist early childhood education and care professionals responsible for hiring staff by providing some practical advice and tips about the easiest and most effective ways of interviewing potential staff.
Preparation
Interviews are the most important part of the recruitment process. They help you learn whether a person can do the job and how well they can do it, whether the person is likely to fit in to the culture of your organisation and get on with other staff members and whether they will be able to work well with you.
It is always worth spending some time preparing for an interview. Read through the candidates resume and cover letter and try and determine whether there are any areas you would like more detail.
Take note of any parts of the resume which are particularly interesting or which could reveal a weakness and remember to ask about them. You are likely to get more useful answers if you make the questions relevant to the candidate you are talking to.
Consider making minor modifications to your Interview Questions for each candidate to make sure you cover all the basics and collect all of the information you need as well as anything additional to that candidate.
It is also useful to put together a reference list of the qualities, skills, experience, qualifications and knowledge you are looking for and to keep this with you during the interview as a reminder.
Conducting yourself
Keep in mind that finding staff with the right attitude, experience, qualifications and personality is very hard, especially in the current market. You should view every interview as an opportunity to sell your organisation and your management approach to the candidate.
When the interviewee enters the room make an effort to make them feel comfortable. You are likely to establish a much better rapport and gain more honest information if the candidate feels relaxed. Greet them by name, offer them a drink or make some small talk about the weather or their trip to the centre.
Try not to keep the candidate waiting and make sure that other staff members know you are not to be interrupted while you are conducting the interview, this will make the candidate feel like a priority and will give them a good impression of how you run the organisation.
First impressions do count; however, you should avoid making your final decision on the person within the first 30 seconds. Give them the benefit of the doubt. If you like them straightaway ask harder questions and see how they hold up and if you don't like them ask easier questions and see if this changes your opinion.
During the interview
Although both of you will be well aware of the reason for the interview it is good practice to give the candidate a brief overview of your organisation and the vacant position at the start of the meeting. This shouldn't take up too much time but will serve as a quick reminder to the candidate and will hopefully help them keep their answers relevant.
As mentioned above it is well worth planning your questions however you should also be responsive to what the interviewee says and be prepared to take the questions in another direction if it seems appropriate.
You should spend around 80 per cent of your time listening and only 20 per cent of your time talking during an interview. Keeping to this guideline will help you determine whether or not the candidate has the skills and experience suitable for the job.
It's hard to remember everything people say, especially if you do a series of interviews with different people in the same day so don't be afraid to write things down. Tell the candidate at the beginning of the interview you may take some notes and write down anything you think will be helpful later on. It won't be necessary to write down everything the candidate says just the things which make him/her stand out.
Make sure you ask the candidate whether he/she has any questions. This will give you an indication of how well they researched the position and your organisation and will reveal an eager and curious mind. It also gives you another opportunity to do a sales pitch.
Finally and most importantly, make sure you only ask questions relevant to the vacant position. Australian Government employment website says:
'when you advertise a job remember that, by law, you must not use discriminatory language that may exclude potential employees on the basis of race, age, sex, marital status, family status or responsibility, pregnancy, religious and political beliefs, disability, gender history or sexual orientation.'
These guidelines should be applied to the interview as well and you should avoid asking the candidate anything outside the job and their ability to perform it based on their skills and experience to date.
Wrapping up the interview
Make sure you explain to the candidate what happens next and when he/she can expect to hear from you. If you say you will be in touch then make sure you do contact them and if you have no plans to follow up then explain that only successful candidates will be contacted and define a time frame so they are not waiting indefinitely.
Try and end the interview on a positive and upbeat note even if you have already decided the person isn't right for the job.
Once the applicant has left the room, review any notes you made and make a decision about whether you will follow through with reference checking or additional interviews. The sooner you can do this the more helpful it will be, especially if you are interviewing a number of candidates on the same day.
Remember, interviewing is a skill that becomes easier the more you do it. A little preparation and some clearly thought out questions should help you source and secure the best candidate for your vacancy.
This article is sponsored by ChildcareJobs.com.au, Australia's only dedicated jobs board for the early childhood education and care sector. Click here to read more articles, search for your dream job or to advertise a position at your service. |
