The interviewing process has been around perhaps for as long as there have been professions. Since trust-building is the most important aspect of any inter-human relationship, the interview is particularly important when it comes to hiring just the right person for the right job.
As the free market developed and grew, both quantitatively and conceptually, so too, did our ideas of what an interview should be like. But today's free market is vastly different from yesteryear's. With the rise of the Internet, globalization, and a general rapid, flexible mobility in almost every aspect of our modern lives, business as usual is different. This we cannot deny.
Although changing the way we think about the interview may be difficult, here are a few things we should consider before resorting to the old interview model.
1. Playing mind games is inefficient.
Recruiters may sometimes get a certain pleasure out of playing psychological tricks on interviewees. This of course, is understandable. However, when we actually think about the process, we will understand how counterintuitive these tricks are. The job of the interviewer should be to bring out the best in each prospective employee. While it can be helpful to see how quickly interviewees can think on their feet with questions like "What are your biggest flaws?", these types of questions should be limited. Making the interviewee as comfortable as possible will most accurately demonstrate exactly how the person can benefit the company.
2. Gauging interviewee interests is important.
While it may seem like an irrelevant endeavor to ask the job candidate about her extra-curricular activities or hobbies, this may be a more important set of questions than one would initially think. An interviewer should aim at getting the best possible holistic picture of who each individual candidate is. Asking the candidate what she does outside of work can help to understand how she can employ the full stratum of her abilities at work.
3. Personal branding is much more complicated now that it used to be.
The Internet is now at the heart of virtually every job, no matter how mundane or basic the position may be. As such, it is essential to find out how well-developed the candidate's knowledge of the Internet is. More importantly, the candidate should have a thorough understanding of her respective Internet identity. Personal branding is not just about general presentability, amiability, and persuasiveness. It's about identity construction, especially in a place that is as mired with falsehoods as the World Wide Web. An interviewer can accomplish this by both searching social media networks, but also by being up-front about virtual and real identity issues during the actual Interview.
Some of these considerations may seem now more self-evident aspects of the interview process. But they are easy to forget since the old-school interview is so deeply embedded in our collective business sub consciousness. Remember these tips, and both you and the candidate will have a more productive and enjoyable session.
This guest post is contributed by Katheryn Rivas, who writes on the topics of online universities accredited. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: katherynrivas87@gmail.com.
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