Preparing Employers for interviews

Top tips on preparing employers for interview

Many people think it is all about preparing the candidate for interviews when it is just as important to help prepare employers. The interview process should be seen as a crucial part of the recruitment process, as the questions asked will determine whether the employer gets the right answers they are looking for.

It is best to be organised at every step of the way, why not draw yourself up a timeline showing the stages of each process you are planning for eg

• Date job was published
• Decide on a date for advert to close- this should be included in your advert
• Date for short listing
• Set dates for interviewing
• Set dates for working interviews ( if applicable)
• Date for making final decision.

It is advisable to include dates for short-listing and interviewing within your application packs so that people are made aware and are available if called for interviews.

Before the interview process think about what system you may be using to help you shortlist as this has to be seen to be fair and legal. It may be helpful to use a scoring system and use this against the person specification and the application form.

When you have received application forms check for any gaps in employment and make a note of these and any dates that do not add up. You can ask about these gaps during the interview as you should not discriminate against candidates who have gaps in their employment eg to have children.

Here are some tops tips to help employers get ready for interviews

• Decide who will be on the interview panel during interviews
• Decide on questions to use during the interviews
• Do questions involve candidates to demonstrate their skills and knowledge eg explain how you would set up a creative activity for a two year old?
• Is there questions relating to safeguarding children’s safety and welfare
• Will you be using any other form of tests or practical exercises- this could include literacy or numeracy test/task
• How long are you setting yourself for the interviews – It is best practice to be fair and give all applicants the same amount of time.
• Don’t forget to offer to make reasonable adjustments for any candidates that require this- this should be offered prior to interviews
• If anyone has disclosed spent convictions or police warnings, cautions you will need to discuss this further during the interview
• Obtain all details of reference

After interviewing decide on your next stage of action, will this be working interviews to see how applicants get on in the working environment?

After all the stages ensure you have documented the reasons for making that final decision and received all references, as your recruitment process has to follow a legal process, if not this could lead to someone saying they were treated unfairly.