Are you looking out for these key factors when conducting an interview?

The interview stage is the part of the hiring process where you really get the chance to know the candidate and ask yourself: Will they be a good fit for the team? Are they motivated? Are they a team player? Not only is this the chance to ensure you are asking the right questions, but to also look out for how the candidate is delivering their answers.

To ensure you do not miss out on anything here are 5 key factors to keep in mind during the interview stage:

Are your questions actually being answered?

The key thing to look out for here is, is the candidate over prepared? This will be evident if you are receiving a response to a slightly different question that what you originally asked. Preparation is what everyone looks for in a candidate, however over compensating could result in them sounding slightly unnatural and contrast to how the candidate usually articulates themselves. This suggests that they lack the ability to listen attentively or think on their feet.

How is the candidate portraying themselves through their behaviour?

You want your candidate to be confident as well as professional. Even though interviews can be nerve wracking, you are looking for someone who deals well under pressure and someone who can cope outside of their comfort zone. You are looking to see if they are relaxed yet keeping professional. How can this be correctly balanced? Look to see the body language of the candidate. They should be sitting up straight. Ideally, they will even be leaning toward you a little. This shows that they are engaged in the conversation. The candidate should be capable of making eye contact with you both when listening to your questions and when giving their responses.

What questions do they ask you?

The candidate should anticipate that you will give them the opportunity to ask any questions they may have, and so failing to prepare any shows a serious lack of interest. More importantly, what questions they do choose to ask can tell you a lot about what motivates them and how interested they actually are in the role they’ve applied for and the company as a whole. If their first question is about salary, you know money is on their mind. Ideally, they’ll be interested in something like the daily life of the office or whether the company is undergoing any substantial changes in the near future.

Is the candidate all talk?

If the candidate uses positive adjectives such as ‘hard-worker’ or ‘team-player, are they capable of giving evidence to back this up? Press them for details – can they give an example of a difficult problem they overcame at work? If they’re struggle to answer, or again give you an answer that doesn’t relate to the question asked, this is a flag to indicate the candidate could be all talk.

Are they the missing piece to your puzzle?

It’s easy, when conducting an interview, to favor candidates who answer the way you would. However, on occasion, there can be a number of acceptable responses and it can be a good idea to hire someone who thinks differently to you or the rest of the team. After all, someone who thinks differently is more likely to spot those problems you may miss.