Different Interview Techniques And Finding The Right Approach For You

The recruitment process requires a strategy aimed at identifying the right candidate, and this comes at the end of many different stages. These involve creating a job profile, advertising, reading applications and studying CVs to create a shortlist, but the interview is still the most influential and important element of the process. It takes a lot of work and resources to whittle candidates down to the interview stage, so it is important you carry out this stage correctly in order to get the most out of it.  

While all the stages of the recruitment process are important, most people still make their decision based on interviews, making it the most impactful stage, and the costs of getting it wrong can be damaging. It is important you use the right interview technique for the position in question, and here we have broken this down into the most common interview techniques. 

Phone interview

This might be just an introductory phone call before a face-to-face interview, or it might be the only interview, based on time or the location of the candidate. Either way, the idea is to build a relationship and develop a first impression before establishing a wider understanding of the candidate. Here are some important pointers: 

• Prepare – It might feel like a less formal interview over the phone, but you should still prepare questions and read the candidate’s CV to ready yourself with relevant questions. 

• Time – Pre-arrange a suitable time, don’t cold-call. You need both yourself and the candidate to be prepared and relaxed, and it is no good to anyone if the candidate is busy. 

• Let them speak – The candidate may be a bit more relaxed because a phone call is less intimidating than a face-to-face interview. Let them speak and make sure you get the most out of them.  

Video interview

Following the pandemic, most people have used Zoom or Microsoft Teams to conduct meetings, and these are also useful tools for interviews, where the candidate is remote, or to save on unnecessary travelling. Again, some tips for getting the most out of video interviews: 

• Test the connections and IT set-up prior to the interview to ensure you provide a professional impression.  

• Send instructions for how to join the call, don’t assume the candidate will know how to. 

• With the candidate’s permission, record the video call. This will be useful in reviewing, to make a decision on the candidate, but might also be useful interview training for your colleagues.  

• Ensure the room you record in is quiet and there are no interruptions with people coming into the room. You would do this for a physical interview and the same applies here. 

Behavioural interviews

These are typically face-to-face interviews in person, and involve a deep-dive

into how a person behaves or has behaved in the past, with a view to predicting how they would perform for you in the future. It is important in this type of interview to: 

• Apply context, and don’t ask deep, psychological questions if the nature of the job or position doesn’t warrant it. This just wastes time, puts people on the back foot and doesn’t elicit the information you need. 

• Identify the key skills you need. Ask questions relating to these key skills, rather than simply generic interview questions, and make sure you get the responses that will help you make a good decision.   

• Remember that all candidates are different.  

• Drill down into their CV and pick out the key points which might impact on your business. Having a list of stock questions you ask to all candidates regardless of skills and background, often doesn’t get you the information or responses you need.  

Panel Interviews 

These involve multiple interviewers, usually from different departments of the business. While this offers a diverse perspective and reduces the chance of someone applying an individual bias, it can be intimidating for a candidate, and needs to be applied with context, i.e. do you need this approach for a shopfloor or temporary position that is relatively low paid, for example?  

Group interviews 

In this situation, a number of different candidates are interviewed simultaneously in a process which involves group exercises or discussions. This is a good process for recruiting employees who will need to be strong team players, as you can see how candidates interact, behave and communicate with other people.  

How to find the right interview technique for you

There are many tips to adapting interview techniques to find the right person – preparing tailored questions, researching candidate CVs, listening and giving the candidate time to talk, not applying any conditional biases and avoiding the seeking of perfection – but how do you choose the right interview technique from the list above? Ask yourself these questions: 

• How quickly do I need to fill a position? Will a phone call or video chat make this process quicker and easier? 

• Do I need to understand a person’s psychological profile and is a face-to-face interview the only way to do this?  

• How best can I build a rapport with a candidate and is this important for this particular position? 

• How important is the job vacancy and do I need to meet the candidate in person?  

• Are the candidates local or can I lessen our environmental impact by carrying out online or phone interviews?  

• Would the interview process benefit from different people’s perspectives? 

• Would it be beneficial to see how the candidate performs? i.e. via exercises and activities or in an actual work situation. 

If you ask yourself these questions then you can start to establish what is the right interview technique for the specific position you are seeking to fill. If you want further support and assistance with the recruitment process, contact CSA Recruitment. We can advise on the recruitment of permanent and temporary staff in various different industry sectors, and we can help you to manage this recruitment process, so get in touch today.