Speaker 1: Hey ambitious professionals, it's Linda Rayner of LindaRayner.com guiding you to a career and life you'll truly enjoy. Now if you're someone who happens to be a hiring manager, a recruiter, or an HR professional, then you're in luck because this episode is actually the fourth of a five-week special series that I'm doing right here on YouTube where I'm going to be teaching you how to recruit and hire the best job candidates for your company. And in today's video I'm going to be sharing with you my top tips on how to interview candidates well. Not just how to interview, but really how do you determine the amazing job candidates away from the good or the average job candidates.

Speaker 2: Ready to get the job you want? Top Notch Interview is coming soon. For more info and free training head to jointni.com.

Speaker 1: Now as a career strategist I've had the honor of being able to help numerous professionals land their dream job offers. And so if this is something that you're looking for, one-on-one help from me, then I will give you details about that at the end of this video. Now as a recruiter or hiring manager you may actually find that when it comes to interviewing candidates this might actually come very natural to you. Maybe you really enjoy asking people questions and gaining insight into their experiences and who they are as professionals. But are you interviewing them in the best way possible where you're going to get true insight into what they're really capable of? Or are you more so asking them questions that are a little bit tricky that will make them nervous and squirm and limit their ability to be able to show you who they truly are? So today I'll be showing you the right way on how to interview a candidate so that it's not only efficient, but you're going to be able to clear, accurate insight into whether they're a real potential employee for your company. So here's a checklist of four tips that you want to make sure you're doing. Tip number one. Have at least three to five questions that you want to ask ready beforehand. Never start an interview with, so what questions do you have for me? To the job candidate. Good job candidates can smell lack of preparation on your part as a hiring manager right away if you start with this question. Being prepared with targeted questions shows professionalism on your part as a hiring manager. And these questions can be anything that you personally feel are appropriate to ask to determine if they are a potential fit for the job and the company. You can always start off with the classic, tell me about yourself, followed by, why do you feel you're fit for this position? Followed then by, can you please tell me about a time where, and insert a specific experience or type of experience that you want them to describe to you. And then end it off with, what were aspects of your previous role that you most enjoyed? Each of these questions have a unique purpose as to why you would be asking them, so you want to determine what that purpose is and what it is that you're looking for in your ideal candidate's answer. Tip number two is to communicate your expectations for this person in this position throughout the interview process. As a hiring manager, it's easy for you to get caught up with just asking the interviewee questions about them, their roles, and their experiences without revealing very much about yourself, the job, or the company. You want to make sure that you let the job candidate know what it is that you, as the hiring manager, hopes for this person to achieve. When you explain the goal for this position, the purpose for this role, if they're a good job candidate, you can see enthusiasm and excitement in their face. But if they're not, you can see that maybe they're not really looking to contribute or add value to your organization. They have to show some sort of level of enthusiasm and excitement when you can describe the purpose and the goal for this role. Tip number three, highlight the items in the CV that you want to ask about. When you highlight specific experiences and then ask the job candidate about them, this is giving them the opportunity to showcase to you their value, what they can do for you, and what experience they have. So if they have the ability to answer you well by giving you clear details, showing clear achievements, then you know that they know what they're talking about and that they have the ability to do your job. But if somehow you're asking about specific experiences and they're stumbling, and they're tripping over their words, and it's not just because they're nervous but they don't really know what they're talking about, then that is a red flag. Tip number four, know the difference between someone who's nervous versus someone who has the wrong experience, credentials, or is unqualified. One of the things that I find happens with recruiters and hiring managers when interviewing candidates is that they mistakenly assume that when a candidate is nervous that that automatically means it's a sign that they're probably not a good fit for the organization. Nervousness should not equate to their potential. Maybe they're nervous because of the way that you greeted them and that the way that you are currently exuding your body language is causing them to tense up and not feel comfortable around you. As a recruiter and hiring manager, you want to give a fair chance to every candidate that comes through the door to be able to demonstrate and prove themselves to you. Because that slightly nervous candidate might actually be a superstar employee who is hardworking and dedicated, but you were too quick to dismiss them because they were nervous. Now on the other hand, if you have already done a good job at getting them to feel settled and not nervous and they're still struggling to tell you what their experience is, then that is a red flag and that is an indicator that maybe they don't have the right qualifications for what you're looking for. And finally, tip number five, if they seem to be a fit for your company, let them know what the next steps would be. Managing expectations is extremely important in keeping your reputation as a hiring manager and as a professional in general. So just send them a simple email because it's common courtesy. So there you have it, those are my top tips on how to interview your job candidates the right way. Now if you yourself happen to be a job candidate, you're currently looking for a new position, you've been going on interviews but you haven't been getting offers and you realize that you need one-on-one professional guidance, then feel free to reach out to me. Head on over to my website lyndarayner.com slash standoutgethired, read through the page, fill in the application form, and if it seems that you and I are potential match to work together, then my teammates will be reaching out to you directly. If you like this video, then please give it a thumbs up, subscribe, share it with your friends. Thanks so much for watching and I will see you in the next video.

Speaker 2: Ready to get the job you want? Top Notch Interview is coming soon. For more info and free training, head to jointni.com