This Is How You Are Not Supposed To Lead an Interview

Let’s have a moment to discuss the process of hiring new employees – in an interview, what are some of the worst behaviors candidates could come across?

Numerous times I’ve talked about one of the key factors when it comes to business development. Other than hard work, great marketing, and outstanding customer service, we all really need to focus on employment.

In the very first months of your company’s establishment, perhaps you were on your own, dabbling between all the different tasks and projects, shaping your day as a really dynamic and sometimes overwhelming one. But once your company takes off, it’s quite likely you will need tons of help.

Essentially, that’s where the hiring process takes place.

The hiring process in a nutshell – how it happens and what should we aim at

Okay, so before we dive into some of the worst behaviors during an interview from a candidate’s perspective, let’s first take a moment to talk about what actually hiring someone means.

As we’ve already stated, a company’s development and growth require gathering a team that can handle all clients’ queries and requests. Can you imagine one person executing all tasks by themselves? This one-man-show approach not only will doom their mental health and overall well-being but will also downgrade the enterprise’s development. I doubt any entrepreneur out there would want that. After all, we all enter the world of hustling and business with hopes of establishing something meaningful that will bring value and stay successful.

So, the moment we feel the need of adding a new employee to the team is the moment when the hiring process begins. Of course, there are certain aspects of it that we all need to take into consideration in advance.

First, we need to be clear with the type of position we’ll need an addition to. Whether we are in charge of a small or a big company, we have to really think things through before requesting candidates to send their CVs.

After we are certain about the job title, in particular, we need to take an extra step toward describing the job itself. Remember that you are not the only one who is interviewing – candidates do so as well so your job offer needs to really be impeccable and with high standards.

An essential part of the hiring process is for you to have a clear mind about how exactly are you going to be interviewing the candidates. Certainly, there are many forms of an interview – you can choose to have a conversation, you can ask the candidate to execute a certain task, or you may even open an internship after which you can choose the best fit for the team. The interviewing and hiring process is entirely up to you.

What you must not forget, though, is that while you have the freedom to outline the interviewing process, there are certain things you should well be aware of. Don’t forget that during the interview your behavior represents the company in its entirety. If your behavior doesn’t match the company’s high standards, it’s quite likely that candidates would choose to pass on your job offer.

That’s the sole reason behind me writing this article today. I’d love to offer some useful advice and tips to entrepreneurs who are just about to begin their hiring process.

Behaviors in an interview that would likely make the candidate run for the hills

As I’ve already mentioned, it’s very important for any entrepreneur to understand that they are being interviewed too. Nowadays the market is very demanding and each professional has really the chance to choose the company they will be working for. With this being said, it’s only natural for future employees to be quite picky. Can you blame them?!

Unfortunately, there are some types of behavior that would certainly not do you any good, especially if you want to hire a top-notch employee. (As you should – always aim at hiring experts to the team!) Here’s a list of some mistakes you’d wish to avoid when interviewing:

• being scarce on words when writing the job specifics – a huge red flag for many candidates will be the lack of information regarding the job they wish to apply to. Don’t forget to fill out requirements, expected results, and all things that might actually interest a future employee;
• failing to present the company properly – it’s not enough to simply explain what’s the job’s main goal is; you, as a leader, should also adequately get the candidates acquainted with the company itself. Feature company’s story of establishment, a bit about its work culture, tell about its current employees, etc;
• never offering feedback – I know it could be quite overwhelming having to respond to each and every candidate’s request, but this effort will be worth it in the long run. After carefully selecting a few candidates, make sure you connect with all candidates to let them know whether or not they made the final cut;
• having candidates wait for you for an unreasonable amount of time – when you schedule your interviews, make sure you do so in a way that won’t interfere with all your other tasks. Having candidates wait for you for an hour or even more is very unprofessional. Even if you experience a slight delay, make sure to apologize and offer a reasonable explanation;
• you tend to interrupt or not listen to the candidate – bear in mind that an interview is a two-way street and the main goal is for both parties to have a meaningful dialogue. This, of course, means letting the other person speak their mind, ask questions, share thoughts, etc. Being a good listener is a key asset of any good leader;
• you talk negatively on behalf of your business competitors – regardless of your personal opinion about your business competitors, avoid sharing negative thoughts during your interview. It’s unprofessional and immature.
• avoid answering questions altogether – a good interviewer shall answer all questions the candidate may have openly and honestly. If you avoid offering appropriate answers, this may look shady and will put your company in not so pleasant state.

In a nutshell

The hiring process is an essential part of each company’s development and growth. Any enterprise will need at some point exceptional professionals in order to keep its assets and profits flowing. A leader’s part has to do with adequately and successfully gathering the best additions to the team, but in order to do so, they need to have impeccable interviewing skills. Avoiding all the above-mentioned behavioral mistakes would certainly move you several steps forward.