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How long should an interview last?
Discover the full range of items to take into account when planning to interview a candidateInterviewing candidates is often the most crucial part of any recruitment process. Our clients often ask the question, “How long should an interview last?”Spending too little time in an interview can mean you don’t pick up on candidate skills. Too long and it you will experience a diminishing return on your time.Commonly, face-to-face interviews tend to last no less than 30 minutes. Half an hour doesn't give either you or the candidate an accurate impression of each other. After all, you want to ensure that they are the best fit for the business.Although it varies depending on industry, most interviews last between 45 minutes and one hour. This should provide sufficient time and flexibility from both sides to get to know one another.But what works for one business may not work for you. The length of time spent in an interview is also highly dependent on how senior and/or specialist the role is, as well as the total time you and your staff have available.So, to help you to decide on how long an interview should last, here are some items to consider:Before the interview:To make a good impression, candidates often arrive before their allotted time. Ensure either you or a member of staff has the time to greet them before the interview begins.During the interview:Making a firm decision on how an interview will be structured beforehand will help dictate the overall duration of the interview.If an interview is a structured series of competency based questions then the overall time spent will be fairly consistent across multiple candidates. Rehearsing the interview process with another employee can help to gauge how long the interview will take. Less formal interviews often help to gain a better insight into a candidate and can help to build a greater rapport. If you're planning on a more relaxed interview style then extra time may need to be factored in depending how the conversation develops.In certain industries, companies will often ask candidates for a demonstration of their skills alongside a traditional face-to-face interview. If there are any tasks, tests or formal presentations that need to be completed the time for these will also need to be factored in.It is also important that a candidate has the opportunity to raise anything that they're unsure about. Remember to allow time for questions from the candidate at the end of the interview.After the interview:Once the discussions have taken place does the candidate need to be shown anything more, meet members of staff, or see your facilities?The more you can plan your interview process, the better you will be at estimating how long the interview will take – which will give you a more effective recruitment process.
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Top questions to ask candidates on a telephone interview
They may not be everyone's cup of tea, but telephone interviews have a lot of advantages. They are fast, easy to arrange and arm you with just the right level of information to begin whittling down your applicants.Of course phone interviews present challenges too. Mostly arising from the fact that you can't see the person you are talking to. Here's a primer on the kind of questions you should ask to get the best out of your phone interviews.Keep things simple...It's important not to get carried away with telephone interviews. Remember they are intended as a screening measure to decide who to invite for a face-face interview. You don't need your candidate's entire life story. Simple questions are the best policy.Candidates can often be nervous, which can make for an uncomfortable conversation where you fail to get the insight you need on your candidate. Put interviewees at ease by introducing yourself, explaining how long the interview will last and telling them how it will be structured.What type of questions should you ask?Remember to keep things simple. The lack of visual interaction means that phone interviews are not suited to complex questions that require lengthy answers. Of course, you want your candidates to be thorough with their answers - but don't attempt to ask anything too brow-furrowing.Questions should be geared to find out more about the applicant - expanding on the information supplied on a CV and cover letter and assessing whether their professional experience is suited to the role. Here are our tips for the best phone interview questions to ask candidates.1. What made you apply for this position?Does your candidate sound like they want the job? Look for a passionate answer. You want a candidate who really cares about getting hired by you, rather than someone who sounds indifferent and apathetic. Genuine enthusiasm shows that your candidate believes they have what it takes to succeed in the role.2. Screening questionsScreening questions allow you to gauge whether an applicant has the essential minimum experience or skills required for the role - such as expertise with a certain piece of software or a key qualification. Example screening questions might be:Are you willing to travel?Do you have a clear driving license?Do you have PRINCE2 certification?Screening questions will always be determined by the type of role you are recruiting for - and should be led by the job description. They are a simple way to make sure no unsuitable applicants make it through to an in-person interview and can be as simple as yes/no questions.3. What experience do you have that will help you succeed in this role?Look for evidence that the applicant has studied the job description. They should provide concrete examples that prove they have the experience required. Ideally their answers will also show how they have applied their knowledge/experience to provide tangible, measurable results.4. Why are you leaving your current job/Why did you leave your previous job?If your candidate launches a full scale diatribe about how much they dislike their current employer, it should probably set your alarm bells ringing. Seek out candidates who are hungry for a fresh challenge or who have been waiting for an opening in this particular field or - even better - with this organisation.5. What challenges are you looking for in a post?6. What is important to you from a job?7. How would you describe your approach to work?This set of questions is great for finding out more about the professional mindset of your applicant. How ambitious are they? Are they looking for professional development? What's their self-discipline like? Listen carefully to how they structure their answers and look for similarities with the person specification document.8. What motivates you?9. What type of work environment do you perform best in?These questions allow you to assess how well the candidate will fit with your organisation's environment. Do they need a lot of assistance or are they self-starters? Do they prefer working alone or are they great collaborators? Sometimes individuals simply aren't suited to certain working environments, no matter how talented they are.10. What are your hobbies outside of work?It can be easy to forget that your candidate is a person first and a professional second. Look for signs that the person on the end of the line will click with other members of the team.11. Do you have any questions?It's important to field any queries your candidate may have, whether about the job or the recruitment process. Once you have answered any questions, close the interview by thanking the candidate for their time and giving them your contact details - they will appreciate being able to get in touch should they think of any further questions.Getting the information you need from telephone interviews is about keeping things simple and looking for evidence that your candidates have the essentials required for the role. Come the face to face interviews you will have saved a lot of time by filtering out unsuitable applicants, meaning less time asking basic questions and more time deep-diving into the people behind the CVs. Just the way it should be.
How to prepare for an interview presentation
Particularly for executive level positions, a presentation stage can be an integral part of the short-listing process.Many employers opt for a presentation interview as it gives a better overview of your general aptitude when compared to (or combined with) a traditional question and answer interview. The presentation is your opportunity to showcase your knowledge, experience and communication skills as well as your general organisation and diligence.Here are our tips on how you can ensure you deliver the best interview presentation possible.Preparing your presentation for an interviewKeep each slide short and significant, aiming for no more than 10 slides. This ensures the information you deliver is memorable and will help you to stand out from other intervieweesUse a range of formats to help illustrate your points. Include graphs, statistics, diagrams, video clips, and images to help break up large volumes of text and maintain the attention of the interviewersInclude quotes from industry leaders and/or research pieces. This helps give your points authority and demonstrate your commercial awarenessIncorporate company colours or fonts in the design of your presentation. This will show you’ve done your research and highlight your brand awarenessCheck spelling and grammar thoroughly – small mistakes can really undermine the content of your presentationPresenting tipsPresent confidently and enthusiastically. Remember to speak clearly, make eye contact and use open body languagePractice, practice, practice. Ensure you are well rehearsed so that you are familiar with the structure and are able to deliver your presentation smoothlyArrive early to give yourself time to set up the presentation and settle any nervesGet comfortable with PowerPoint and presentation equipment. Make sure you know how to work the projector, visual screens or remote control before you begin to avoid any awkward stumbles or pausesHave access to multiple sources of your presentation. Email the file to yourself and the recruiter, bring a copy on a USB stick and bring printed handouts. This way you are covered if anything goes wrong with the file you’re intending to useStay within the allocated time. If you have not been given a guidance on length, aim for the 10 minute mark. Time your presentation when you are practising to make sure it will fit within your allowed time slot. If you need to reduce the content of your presentation, cut out the least relevant or weakest pointsBe prepared to adapt. You may have practiced your presentation in a certain way, but the interviewer might not respond accordingly. Be prepared to be stopped for questions or further discussion unexpectedly10 minute interview presentation templateBelow is an example for the structure of your interview presentation. Use this as a baseline and adapt or reorder where appropriate based on the task you have been set by the interviewer.Slide 1: Introduction – Reiterate the objectives you have been set and lay out the structure of your presentation so that the interviewers know what to expectSlide 2: About you – Detail your professional experience, skills and working styleSlide 3: Company history – Give a brief summary of the company history, any milestones or awardsSlides 4-7: Answering the brief – Give your responses to questions you’ve been asked to answer, the benefits and limitations of your suggestionsSlide 8: Question and answers – Include a slide titled ‘questions and answers’ as a cue to pause for interactionSlide 9: Conclusion – Sum up the key points you have made, reach a decision and explain your reasoningSlide 10: Personal achievements – End the interview on a high with a brief slide on achievements that show you will succeed in the roleTaking these steps should help you to succeed in your presentation interview.
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How to prepare for a second interview
The second interview can seem like a frustrating hurdle between you and a successful job offer. Yet that all-important second round has a different character altogether; so it's only natural for you to prepare accordingly. With that in mind here's our fool proof guide for how to prepare for interview number two. How a second interview differs from the first… Depending on the organisation and the role you apply for a first interview may have been a box-ticking exercise carried out by HR. Often, it's just to ensure you match the job description and are telling the truth on your CV. Now though is the time to really sell yourself. A second interview is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate your skills, provide tangible evidence of the effects your work had and most importantly to set a shining example that makes you stand out from the other candidates. So, to achieve this… Plan Ahead Before interview day, never assume your second interview is going to be in the same location. Larger businesses can mean multiple offices, so make sure you know where and when you're going. If you're going to be travelling to an unknown area, plan a practice run at a similar time and ensure roadworks and rush hours don't spoil your plans. Prepare your clothes You might want to dress to impress but if you're best shirt is still in the wash from the last interview, you'll want to ensure you have a backup number ready to wear. Yet, just because you passed the first round shouldn't make you complacent with what you wear. Keep smart and professional with an outfit that reflects the sector you're applying for. If you need a little more inspiration in this department, we've got you covered: Research No doubt it's going to be someone different interviewing you this time. From technical experts to your new line manager there's a variety of people who might be there to question you. If you can, confirm who they're going to be and research them via LinkedIn beforehand. See what their skillset is, what makes them tick and prepare accordingly. From brushing up on technical knowledge to finding mutual topics of conversation, thorough research can really help you to make a good impression and build rapport with your future employers. Review your last interview Be honest – was there anything you could have done better in your last interview? Maybe you forgot to mention some of your crucial selling points or wish you'd given crisper answers to standard interview questions. Take some time to think back over what was said. If time allows, work on what could be improved, from developing your interview technique to reading up on latest industry developments. Reflecting on your past performance is going to put you in good stead and help you stand out from other candidates. Plan your question A combination of nerves and new environments can leave any interviewee with a blurred memory of what just happened. If there was anything that the interviewer discussed that passed you by or questions you forgot to ask - write them down. Remember them. Whatever method of recall you use be sure to give yourself the ability to ask them. Is it the right role? Remember, a second interview is a two way thing. It's the key opportunity for you to ask questions – lot of questions. As well as helping to demonstrate your enthusiasm it allows you to dig deeper into a business. Asking everything from why the vacancy has become available to the vision of the company is going to reveal whether or not the role is right for you.