How to Arrange Interviews with Candidates

If you have a great candidate who you want to interview, tell them straight away and remind them of the PORC:

“The next stage of our recruitment process is a face-to-face interview where we’ll discuss your entire career history. Finalists are then asked to arrange Reference Calls so we can verify all the information with their previous bosses. This is a thorough process to ensure that if you’re offered a job, it’s because we’re a good fit. Does that sound okay?...

It would be a pleasure to meet you. I’d like to invite you to visit us on {date and time}. Can you make this time? Great, the best place to park is {location}. When you arrive, please ask for me, {your name}. Please allow at least one hour. Do you have any questions?”

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<span class="grey-callout"><span class="text-color-purple">Tip:</span> To win the race for talent you must book interviews as soon as possible. You need to see them before someone else does. If that means meeting them before or after work, so be it.</span>

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I’m amazed how many candidates don’t turn up for interviews. Often, it’s the fault of the employer who has only given a date and time, then left the candidate to use their initiative. Instead, a hiring manager should:

• Always arrange an interview over the telephone: With a verbal agreement, candidates are much more likely to turn up – and they’ll also be more engaged and excited about your opportunity. Confirm everything in detail, from where to park to who will be interviewing them. I never tell them how they should dress because letting them decide can give valuable insights into how they conduct themselves in business settings.
• Ask if you need to make any provisions for visible or non-visible disabilities.
• Avoid arranging interviews during lunch hours: A typical interview lasts up to 45 minutes. If you try to squeeze this into a lunch hour, candidates may get distracted by time constraints and lose focus.
• Explain how long the interview will last: This will help manage expectations and ensure there are no diary clashes.
• Confirm everything by email: An email makes it easy for a candidate to hit reply and let you know they aren’t coming. And if they reply unprofessionally about another matter, you’ve just learnt about their preferred communication style.
• Don’t attach a job description: These are often bland, boring, and meaningless internal documents that will quell many candidates’ motivation for the job!
• Send a calendar invitation by email: Most diary software allows you to invite others to an event. In testing, we found that candidates who accepted the invite were significantly more likely to attend. If they don’t accept the calendar invite, they will likely not be attending!
• Follow up the day before: Send a text message saying, “We’re looking forward to seeing you”. They may explain they’ve received another job offer, and you can decide whether to move on or make a competing offer (eg. “If you were to come, we may be a better fit”).

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<span class="grey-callout"><span class="text-color-purple">Note:</span> If the Telephone Interview goes well, the candidate can start immediately, and the job doesn’t need much training, you might consider offering them a paid trial instead of more interviews.</span>

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Additional Resources

• Recruiting Book; The Secrets of Great Recruitment: How to Recruit Great Employees.
• Downloadable PDF guide; How the Pros Interview Candidates: Learn Their Secrets.
• Downloadable PDF guide; Transform Your Interview Process: The Structured Interview Approach.
• Downloadable script; Script for Structured Interviews.
• Article; Interview Questions to Ask if You Want to Avoid Hiring Mistakes.
• Article; How to Interview Candidates: A Simple Guide to Effective Candidate Assessment.
• Article; Interview Questions for Employers to Ask: Your Guide to Selecting the Best Applicants.
• Article; How to Interview Candidates: Unlock the Secrets to Finding Your Next Star Employee!