Hiring Managers & Interview Panels - This is for YOU!

Hiring team, have you ever paused and asked yourself if the interview experience reinforces the job applicants interest in working for the company you’re employed with? What’s the energy that you’re emitting during the job interview?  Have you and/or your panel prepared? Will the questions help to offer insight about the candidates strengths or their potential. Have you practiced to ensure a seamless start - finish? Are you rested, alert and attentive or are you falling asleep during the interview?

An interview panel experience can be quite overwhelming for a job seeker. You could have as little as 2 to 5 panelists participating in the candidate interview process. That feels like a lot when the 1 job applicant is the focus for the next .45 to .60 minutes.

Remember, create a space for the candidate to relax. It’s totally ok for you to be kind, share something that will help to diffuse the power dynamic of the panel holding the hiring decision and the candidate feeling like they're in the hot seat.

Once an interview question has been answered, respond with something thoughtful like “thank you for your response, I have one follow up question to your reply.” Or, “thank you for your response, the next question will be posed by and say their name.” This is the moment to continue the feeling of welcome to this interview space.

As an applicant, it’s unsettling to give an answer and the interviewer only responds with “next question.” Believe me, that’s giving interrogation vibes. Please, loosen your collar, relax your presence, and create a welcoming experience for your applicant pool. When they’re comfortable it will help them to bring their best forward. When they’re not comfortable, the opposite can be expected.

Believe me, you get to choose the impression you leave on your applicant pool, for better or worse : ).