How do I lead my first job interview?
Transcript
How do I lead my first job interview?
What is the role you are looking for? Understanding this role for you as the person who is preparing the interview is very important. What are the skills? What are the capabilities? What is the know-how that people need? But then I would even go deeper. What is the optimal recruit look like? What background should they have?
How do they contribute in the wider context of your team to this task, to the role?
And of course, do your research. For me the CV just gives you a perspective and it's a snapshot of what they have done over time.
Sometimes you are missing the important things inside of the CV because a CV is not showing how are they performing in the environment you put people in. Then you have cover letters, a portfolio review, depending on which company you work in and where you hire someone from. Important when you go into the interview, be prepared, have written down all your questions. The key questions you should ask all the people you interview, because then you can compare the answers. And then read between the lines, build an environment where the people are open up. I always try to build a cozy environment.
And that's just how I am leading because I like to lead people with confidence. I like to lead people in the way that they like to work with me and as well like to work in the team where they are. So if you show this from the beginning, if you built a trustful environment rather than, a very distant approach where you just follow step by step key questions, ask a question, stop, answer, stop.
For me is very important having a conversation. If you do your first job interview as a leader, test it with a couple of people before. You can do this with your spouse, with your friends, with your brother, with your sister in an environment that's not giving you that pressure, where you can ask different question and see how people are reacting.
What I like very much to have someone else joining the interview. They can give you feedback on topics where you give them a brief before. Can you please look on how I'm asking question.
Can you please look if I do this right? Whatever you're uncomfortable with, they can give you feedback. Having someone else who has an opinion about the person to be hired is very helpful to have a conversation after the interview . Do you think that fits? How does this person compare to the other person we interviewed? And if you do all the interviews together, you will have a clear picture. It is very hard to select a person in just one interview. I love to have more touchpoints than one because you get a better feeling.