Developing our skills (1) - Interview techniques
Featured in the Recruiting and Keeping the Right People training manual
By Susan Iacovou
Category: Recruitment, Selection and Induction
Credit price: 4 download credits (Single user)
It is tempting to see an interview as nothing more than a conversation between two people discussing a job vacancy. However, to interview someone successfully, you need to be able to open, lead and close an interview in a way which allows you to gather all the information you need in order to make a selection decision – and to do this requires good interview techniques. The old adage that ‘to fail to prepare is to prepare to fail’ certainly applies to interviewing. To make it work, the recruiter needs to prepare well in advance of the interview. During the interview, they also need to follow a pre-determined interview plan, and use good questioning techniques to lead the discussion in the right direction. Finally, at the end of the interview, the interview should record the discussions to help with later selection decisions. This training activity looks at the before, during and after of good interview techniques.
You introduce the training activity by explaining to participants that effective recruiters need good interviewing techniques and that these involve a variety of skills, including planning, questioning and recording information. You then introduce participants to the ‘before’, ‘during’ and ‘after’ of good interview techniques. Before the interview, the recruiter needs to prepare, during it they need to follow a clear interview plan and use good questioning techniques, and afterwards they need to record the content and outcome of the discussion. Looking at what you should do before the interview, first of all you lead a brainstorming exercise designed to generate a list of the things that an interviewer should prepare before an interview. You then consolidate this learning by taking participants through a preparation checklist which uses the mnemonic ‘PREPARE’ as a way of remembering all the things you need to get ready. (A mnemonic is a word or phrase which is a short summary of an idea designed to help you remember a list of longer points.) Moving on to during the interview, you then introduce participants to the six stage interview plan which can be used as the basis for any interview. You will also show participants how to use good questioning techniques to steer the discussion, and then give them a chance to practise their technique during a short training exercise. Next, you take participants through what to do after an interview by reminding them of the importance of recording the discussion in writing. You then ask them to take part in a role-play exercise which allows them to use the knowledge gained during this session in a practical way. You conclude the training activity by reviewing the session’s key learning points.
Who is it for: This training resource is intended for use by trainers to look in detail at the interview process. Participants will look at processes and interview techniques they should be using before, during and after an interview.
- Themes:
- Communication,
- Planning,
- Recruitment and selection,
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 4 |
| Max Group Size: | 20 |
| Typical Duration: | 03:00:00 |
| No of Pages: | 30 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Purpose: This training resource is intended for use by trainers to give participants the opportunity to learn about, and put into practice, the core skills interview techniques. It links closely with ‘What kind of person do we need?’ but can be run with participants who haven’t completed that training activity.
Download the training activity, Developing our skills (1) - Interview techniques as featured in the Fenman training manual; Recruiting and Keeping the Right People