Chika Uwazie’s TalentBase: Interview Best Practices For Employers

I know it might seem like the interviewer has it easy; All they have to do is sit there and ask all the questions. Right? Well, I am here to tell you that that is not the case. Employers know that making a wrong hire can cost the company a whole lot of money. That is why it is necessary to invest the proper amount of time and resources like HR Technology, in hiring the right person for the job.

The consequences of a bad hire are numerous, here are a few;

• Harvard Business Review estimate that 80% of turnovers are as a result of a bad hire (that is scary, isn’t it?).
• The cost of replacing a bad hire is close to a quarter of their salary.
• Replacing a bad hire causes a disrupted company culture and reduced productivity.

Here are a few tips on how employers can have a successful interview;

1. First and foremost, review the job description and correct any errors. It is important for the candidate to fully understand the job she/he is applying to.
2. Prepare your interview questions ahead of time.
3. Make sure the office in which the interview will be conducted is conducive.
4. Try to encourage the candidate to talk by not interrupting them and by asking open-ended questions. As a rule of thumb, the candidate should talk  80% of the time while the interviewer should talk 20% of the time. This will allow you to fully assess the candidate and ascertain if they are the right ones for the job or whether they are a good cultural fit.
5. When the interview is over, check to see if the candidate has any questions.

Here are some examples of questions to ask during an interview;

1. “What contribution do you think you can make to this company?”
2. “Why should we hire you?”
3. “Why did you leave your previous job?”
4. “Tell me what motivates you.”
5. “Tell me what frustrates you.”
6. “Would you consider yourself a team player? Explain with an example.”
7. “Where do you see yourself in five years.”
8. “Do you have other skills? Tell me about them.”
9. “Tell me what your definition of hard work is?”
10. “Who is the smartest person you know?”
11. “What is something you would love doing every single day, for the rest of your career?”
12. “If you had N30,000,000 to build your business, what would you do?”
13. “What is the biggest decision you had to make in the past year?”

I hope this post was worth the read and if I missed anything, please let me know in the comment section below.