Interviews

Information you need to know about job interviews including setting them up, deciding on how many people to interview, types of interviews and sample interview questions.

How many people to interview

For many jobs, only shortlisted applicants will be formally interviewed; this may mean two to five people per job. If there are many similar skilled (from CVs) applicants for a job, employers could:

  • do initial short or less formal interviews to shortlist
  • formally interview all applicants.

How many times to interview a person

For many jobs, a person will only be interviewed once, however sometimes it is appropriate to have more than one interview. This might involve:

  • the preferred applicant or two applicants being interviewed by a more senior manager, or peer manager to get a second opinion (especially if you’re taking a risk with the preferred applicant)
  • the preferred applicant being interviewed by the chief executive (for senior jobs, or in smaller businesses)
  • a less formal chat with workmates to assess the fit with the team
  • if a recruitment agency is being used, they will often have already interviewed the applicant before putting them forward for interview by the organisation.

Time and place for interviews

Interviewing can be time consuming and costly. You should consider:

  • how many interviews you need to have
  • the best times for you and the applicant (eg if the job could be an after-school job, you should interview after school, and give applicants enough time to get there from school, or interview at the weekend)
  • how much time you need to interview the applicants, and for breaks between interviews
  • privacy and confidentiality, eg schedule interviews so that applicants don’t meet each other
  • giving enough notice so that applicants can take time off existing jobs or arrange childcare
  • travel time, if you’re recruiting from outside your local area
  • choosing a quiet place with no interruptions where you and the applicant can talk comfortably.

When setting up interviews with applicants, be careful to maintain their privacy and follow any requests regarding contact that they have included in their application.

Make clear to the interviewee any information, proof of experience or preparatory work that will be required at the interview, for example, a tradesperson’s certification, designer’s work portfolio.

Types of interview

You should apply consistent criteria for choosing who and how you interview. Choose the interview method that best fits with the job. You should use the same approach for all interviewees, and advise them in advance.

Approaches may include:

  • a one-on-one meeting, formal or informal
  • an interview panel
  • a written project or examination
  • a workshop environment
  • skills testing
  • a mix of the above.

Questions and information you need

To make sure you are consistent and that information you need isn’t left out, write down all your questions for each job in advance. Then you’ll be ready if someone just rings up looking for work too.

Make sure you ask open-ended questions, not just ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions. That way the applicants will be able to show you what they know and you’ll get more detailed information about them.

Information the applicant may need

Your comments at the interview may be relied on later, so be clear and accurate.

Prepare answers on:

  • the process to be used after the interview
  • the likely employment terms and conditions,

so you don’t make unintended commitments.

If an applicant raises special requirements, such as car parking or flexible hours, think carefully before answering. If you’re not sure, you can look into it and let them know later. If you say no, you should say why, particularly if it could be seen as discriminatory.

If you agree and the applicant is successful, then you will need to put any special requirements in the draft employment agreement when you offer the applicant the job.

Skill assessment

It is sometimes appropriate to ask job applicants to perform tasks during the interview process, so you can assess whether they have the skills needed for a job. For example, this could apply in cases where the applicant’s previous work experience used different skills, or to help you to compare the skills of several applicants. If you are using assessment tasks, they shouldn’t take too long and should genuinely assess ability to do tasks relevant to the job. You should tell applicants in advance about the assessment they will be doing. It is important that it is made clear to applicants that performance of any tasks is a part of the interview process and that the assessment is not paid or rewarded.

There is a risk that performance of the assessment tasks may be considered employment under some circumstances. This could include situations where it is unclear if the tasks performed were actual work or part of the interview, and/or the business has received financial gain from the tasks performed. Payment by money or reward (or the creation of such an expectation) makes performance of the tasks more likely to be viewed as employment.  For example, it is acceptable to ask a barista to make two or three coffees, or a waitress to service a table, but working a whole shift, or even a few hours, would likely be considered employment.

A skill assessment as part of a job interview should not be confused with a trial period or probationary period.  Trial periods and probationary periods can be part of an employment agreement between an employer and employee, and apply once employment has been offered and accepted.  If you are considering a trial or probation period, it is important to understand the difference between them and when and how they can be used.

Trial and probation periods

There is no such thing as an ‘unpaid trial’. People can perform work unpaid as volunteers. 

Volunteers

Who is an employee

Interview tips for applicants

Tips for preparing for an interview and what you should do in an interview.

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