Conduct a Great Job Interview

What is your perception of a job interview? Most managers see it as a part, and sometimes an unimportant part, of their job duties. They perceive it as "an interruption" or "a distraction". Why?

Are you too busy?

The reason you are so busy might be you didn't do a good job of recruiting the right people or conducting the right type of job interview prior to your recent hiring decisions. Have you properly trained the ones you did hire? What about your leadership skills?

Most managers create their own time crisis because they are not doing the job they were hired to do. Great managers understand their role.

This section is about how to conduct an interview. If you need additional help in the areas mentioned you can find it at these links.

Hiring the Right People
Effective Sales Training
Leadership Skills

If you devote time to preparing for and conducting a job interview will hire better people. Better people equate to better sales, happier customers and less turnover. Let's take a look at the typical interview sequence in car dealerships across the country. If this sounds familiar take notice...a change may be in order.

1. The applicant comes to your dealership
   As soon as they arrive they are upped by one of your salespeople. When your salesperson finds out they are here for a job interview one of two things happens. They take them to the receptionist or straight to you. If they go to the receptionist she gives them an application to fill out. If they come to you you send them to the receptionist.
2. They fill out the application
   Or at least the best they can. Very few dealerships provide written instructions on how they want the application filled out.
3. They wait
   You are busy. They need to see how busy you are. So they wait...and wait...and wait. After the proper amount of time has passed you go them and get their application...and they wait some more while you review it.
4. You take them to the nearest unoccupied office
   You ask them some questions. Perhaps very good questions. You satisfy yourself they are worth continuing to interview.
5. You tell them what's next
   You either don't hire on a first interview or your policy is that more than one manager interviews before any decision is made. You dismiss yourself to find your partner...and the applicant waits some more
6. Another manager interviews them
   They may even ask the same questions you did. Do you have a list of interview questions that are important to you? When they finish they ask the applicant to wait some more. They find you.
7. Well, what did you think?
   You decide they are either a project, a reject for whatever the reason or you want to hire them.

The job interview is over. You now have several man hours invested. You have made a decision. What to do next. Company policy dictates that the applicant have a clean background and driving record. So, off to the office to get the forms to do the check of each. Heck, no problem there, the candidate told you so, right?

You tell the applicant they are hired and what time to be there in the morning. Congratulations. You have just solved your manpower issue. Or have you?

What if the background comes back negative. What if the drug screen is positive? Simple, you can start the cycle all over again with another applicant. Or you can do it the right way by attracting the proper candidates with your employment ads.

Once you have attracted better quality candidates don't repeat the mistakes above. Make the interview significant for both parties.

Can you pass a job interview for your job?

If you find this information useful recommend it to a friend.

SiteMap

Top of Page