Conducting an effective job interview
Conducting an effective job interview
Conducting an effective job interview
Conducting a job interview is a key part of the recruitment process for any employer. It allows you to obtain information about a candidate’s ability, skills, and previous experience. These can help you decide if they're right for the vacant role.
Review the job description
Before the interview, it's important to review the job description, person specification, and the candidate’s CV again to help you prepare the best questions. Make sure your questions do not discriminate – see HR company Breathe HR’s advice on avoiding discrimination. Familiarise yourself with the salary and benefits on offer.
Interview score sheets
Some employers like to create an interview score sheet. This can help interviewers evaluate candidates in a fair, consistent way. Score sheets typically include criteria such as experience, technical skills, knowledge, education, communication skills, and problem-solving skills.
During the interview, candidates are graded according to their performance in each area. Using the score, you can compare the strengths and weaknesses of different candidates and determine the best fit.
Which questions to ask
When preparing for the interview, think about the questions to ask. They should be tailored to the role and be asked in a way that allows the candidate to provide specific examples from their experience.
Questions should also be framed to ensure the candidate has enough information to answer them fully. For example, employers should provide context for the question and explain the purpose of the question.
Effective questioning
Questions should be open-ended to avoid simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. Questions will likely focus on competency, experience, and career goals and gauge whether the candidate fits into the company’s team and culture. If the candidate is new to the farming and growing sectors or has worked in a different part of them, questions should aim to discover any transferable skills they might have.
Practical matters
Ensure the interview room is private, quiet, and comfortable, with water on the table. It’s usually best to sit at right angles to the candidate or in a diamond shape if two people are interviewing. If an interview is held remotely, check the sound and camera are working and that the Wi-Fi connection is good. It's helpful to have a second person present to take notes and to discuss the interview with afterwards.
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This TIAH Guide offers support to those looking to conduct effective job interviews for agricultural and horticultural positions. It covers the importance of reviewing job descriptions, preparing questions, and how to sell your company to the candidate.
Conducting a job interview is a key part of the recruitment process for any employer. It allows you to obtain information about a candidate’s ability, skills, and previous experience. These can help you decide if they're right for the vacant role.
Review the job description
Before the interview, it's important to review the job description, person specification, and the candidate’s CV again to help you prepare the best questions. Make sure your questions do not discriminate – see HR company Breathe HR’s advice on avoiding discrimination. Familiarise yourself with the salary and benefits on offer.
Interview score sheets
Some employers like to create an interview score sheet. This can help interviewers evaluate candidates in a fair, consistent way. Score sheets typically include criteria such as experience, technical skills, knowledge, education, communication skills, and problem-solving skills.
During the interview, candidates are graded according to their performance in each area. Using the score, you can compare the strengths and weaknesses of different candidates and determine the best fit.
Which questions to ask
When preparing for the interview, think about the questions to ask. They should be tailored to the role and be asked in a way that allows the candidate to provide specific examples from their experience.
Questions should also be framed to ensure the candidate has enough information to answer them fully. For example, employers should provide context for the question and explain the purpose of the question.
Effective questioning
Questions should be open-ended to avoid simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. Questions will likely focus on competency, experience, and career goals and gauge whether the candidate fits into the company’s team and culture. If the candidate is new to the farming and growing sectors or has worked in a different part of them, questions should aim to discover any transferable skills they might have.
Practical matters
Ensure the interview room is private, quiet, and comfortable, with water on the table. It’s usually best to sit at right angles to the candidate or in a diamond shape if two people are interviewing. If an interview is held remotely, check the sound and camera are working and that the Wi-Fi connection is good. It's helpful to have a second person present to take notes and to discuss the interview with afterwards.
The interview:
- Greet the candidate and help put them at ease by smiling and asking something conversational, such as about their journey
- Introduce yourself and anyone else present and outline what will take place during the interview
- Give a brief introduction about the company and what it does and explain your role within it
- Outline the job role and what you're looking for in a successful candidate
- Start by asking some general questions, such as “Tell me about your previous job experiences” and “What is it about farming (or growing) which attracts you?” before moving on to more evidence-based questions, such as: “Tell me about a time when you faced a challenging task which needed completing under pressure.”
- Recruitment website Reed stresses the importance of listening: “A popular rule is speak 20 per cent of the time and listen for 80 per cent of the interview.”
- Active listening involves always showing interest, looking at the speaker directly, and nodding occasionally, so stay alert and ask follow-up questions, such as “Tell me more about that” and “What did you learn from that experience?”
- Remember, you're also looking for evidence of enthusiasm, genuine passion for the farming and growing sectors and the position on offer, and interest in the company
- Expect the candidate to ask several questions and be prepared to answer the common ones, such as “Can you describe a typical day for someone in this role?”
- Bring the interview to an end by thanking the candidate for their time, explaining the next stage of the hiring process and how they'll be informed of the outcome of their interview
After the interview
If interviewing with others, review a candidate’s performance and mark a scoresheet independently before discussing your opinions together.
Interviewing internal candidates can help a company make the most of its resources and help create a transparent hiring process. In such cases, an interviewer will also seek the views of the candidate’s supervisors to help judge their performance.
A view from an industry expert
Sam Clayton, founder and managing director of AgRecruit, which recruits for agritech companies, says it's important at the interview stage to strike a balance between ensuring a candidate is right for the job and ‘selling’ the company to them.
“We are currently in a candidate-driven market, and people have lots of choices,” he says.
“As well as checking they are the right fit for the role, you're trying to convince them to potentially leave the job they have already and choose you above other opportunities on offer.”