Interviewing for Managers – An Article by our Talent and Business Development Manager
The following article was written by RAM’s Talent and Business Development Manager, Freddy Rawji.
Dear Company Executives,
When was the last time you invested in training your managers on how to interview people? If the answer is “a long time” or “never,” then read on.
As a hiring manager in an interview, you should have these two objectives in mind:
1. Accurately assess the candidate for relevant skills to the position
2. Make the candidate leave as an ambassador to your organization.
If you’re not doing these things, you’re at risk of wasting your time and creating a bad reputation for the company. I’ve witnessed too many managers use an interview as an opportunity to act arrogant and entitled.
Furthermore, here’s a list of what NOT to do when interviewing a candidate:
1. Treat the candidate differently than you would treat your client.
2. Not explain the company, the role in detail, and why it is open.
3. Try to catch them off guard (weird flex I’ve seen way too often)
4. Ask personal questions irrelevant to the position.
To combat the above, here are three questions you should always ask a candidate:
1. Ask about their current job situation and why they are looking for a new opportunity.
2. Ask about the type of work that truly gets them excited.
3. Ask them about the best manager they’ve ever had. What effect did that person have on their work?
The above questions are all information the candidate can answer quickly and honestly without too much thought. Furthermore, the questions ideally foster positive feelings, making candidates at ease for tough questions later in the interview. Interviewing is a skill that requires training, so ensure you allocate for it in your budget – doing so will ensure interviews are effective and create ambassadors for your business!
Interested in joining us or learning more about what we do? Head over to our careers page or connect with our Talent and Business Development Manager, Freddy Rawji.