It is important to remember that the candidate is looking to you to set the tone of the interview. Your demeanor and approach can make or break the process before it even gets started. To ensure a positive experience, you must first prepare for the interview. That's right; the interview will fail to give you the information you need to make an informed decision if you do not prepare as much, or more, than the candidate.
The preparation process starts with reviewing the resumes that you receive from human resources, along with any notes they made during the initial screening interview. Make sure that you ask for a list of questions the candidate asked during this first interview. You will want to review them before going into this interview. If you are not given the cover letters that came with them, ask for them. Some candidates will not send a cover letter with their resume, which says that their level of interest in the position is passive. Ask your human resources director for a copy of the advertisement. You will need this when you review the resumes.
When reviewing the cover letters, you need to look at them for grammatical correctness, discussion of specific details that relate to the job, and a general understanding of what your company does. If the candidate has researched your company, it should show in the letter.
You now need to review the resume document. You must rate each resume in the following areas: Look at the overall neatness and ease of reading. These are good indicators that the candidate will be conscientious in the performance of their duties. It could also mean that they hired a good resume writer, which says nothing about their qualities. Look at the details of each position. Do they speak to the specifics of the position as listed in your advertisement? A good resume will always speak to the specifics duties performed by the candidate in each qualifying area of responsibility.
Once you have reviewed the resume, you need to make a list of questions that relate to the position that are not answered by the resume. You should have a unique perspective on the position, and no candidate will include in a resume examples of their experience in all aspects of the position. Making this list will help you focus during the interview.
Go To Page: 1 2
