Interview Smarter – and Find Your Ideal (part 1 of 3): Make Like a Boy Scout…
…and be prepared!
When you interview a food & beverage candidate for a professional or executive role, you expect that individual to have:
- researched your organization;
- practiced answers to common interview questions;
- created a list of follow up questions for you.
Guess what? Your candidate expects the same from you!
In a job market where top professionals receive multiple job offers, candidates size you up as much as you do them. If you appear unprepared for an interview, it sends the message that you’re disorganized, disinterested or working for a poorly run food & beverage organization (and we’re guessing that’s not the impression you want to make).
So Be Prepared – and Interview Smarter!
An intentional interview will not only make a great impression on your candidate; it will help you hire more successfully. Prepare these four things to conduct a smooth, professional interview and hire your ideal:
Know the candidate’s background.
Show the applicant that you respect his time and have done your due diligence by reviewing his resume well in advance of the interview. If you’re in the habit of quickly scanning a candidate’s resume moments before he walks in the door, start blocking off 15 minutes or so before each interview’s start time. This will give you ample time to:
- thoroughly review an applicant’s qualifications and experience;
- determine which details need to be clarified (especially if you notice red flags);
- customize the behavioral interview questions you’ve planned (see below);
- start the interview poised and focused.
Formulate behavioral interview questions.
The best way to predict how a candidate will perform for your company is to ask questions around how they performed a similar role in the past. Identify the traits and behaviors that correlate with success in your available position, and then create a series of behavioral questions to draw out examples from a candidate’s work history. For help formulating the right questions and interviewing smarter, check out these earlier posts:
4 Ways to Identify Top Food & Beverage Talent
Exceptionally Revealing Food & Beverage Interview Questions
Determining a Job Candidate’s Ethics
Know what kind of responses you want.
What’s the “right” response to an open-ended question? How can you fairly compare one candidate’s answers to another’s? Planning is critical! Give just as much thought to the answers you’re seeking as you do the questions you’re posing. When designing your interview questions, determine “ideal” and “acceptable” responses to increase objectivity and improve the accuracy of ratings.
Have the interview environment/space ready.
Nothing says “I gave absolutely no thought to this interview” like scrambling to find a meeting room after you’ve greeted your candidate. But beyond reserving space to conduct your interview, make the room comfortable and conducive to great communication. Consider:
- Lighting. It should be bright enough to see well, but not feel like an OR.
- Background noise. Make sure others outside the room understand that you need reasonable quiet in which to conduct your interview.
- Furniture. If you don’t have dedicated interview space, make sure your office or meeting room is clean, has comfortable seating and offers adequate surface area for writing.
Trust Kinsa to help you interview smarter – and hire your ideal food & professional.
As a national food & beverage recruiter, Kinsa has the resources and interviewing expertise to deliver exceptional professionals with the skills, experience and personality to thrive in your organization. We use professionally trained interviewers, a wide array of assessments, thorough background checks and satisfaction guarantees to ensure the long-term success of your next hire.