When it’s time to interview the shortlist of candidates for your vacancy, you need all the help you can get to ensure you eventually make the ‘right’ hire.

Interviewing is a skill, and just because you are in a managerial position, that doesn’t mean that interviewing comes naturally to you.

Likewise, just because you’ve been interviewing for years, this doesn’t mean that your technique doesn’t need honing.

Today, we share 6 clever tips for interviewers to help you make the best possible hire from your shortlist of IT applicants.

1. Review Your Company Mission and Vision

Companies with the strongest culture attract the best candidates; it’s a fact.

Reviewing your company vision and mission might be a case of refreshing your memory of the values and attributes that your business aspires to, but it could also be a case of rewriting them entirely.

Since the pandemic and the shake-up to businesses that this caused, many companies are finding that their mission and vision has changed – is this true in your business?

For example, in some technology teams, communication between employees in the form of weekly in-person meetings might have once been an essential part of their business strategy. But since the role of remote working, this is no longer the case.

Does your department recognise and appreciate the need for flexibility to allow for remote working, which is more vital than ever?

The first thing to do before the interview process starts is to review your company vision and mission statement for our post-pandemic world.

2. Get Familiar with the Job description

In an ideal world, you will have written the job description yourself and inherently understand what you need from your new hire, but this is not always the case.

In larger companies, there can be several people involved in the recruitment process, so it is essential that everyone involved is aware of what you are looking for in your new Tech role and that this is communicated to candidates at every stage.

Especially now in our ever-changing world, the position that you are hiring for might be an entirely new role for the company – do you know the exact skills and attributes that you are looking for?

3. Work to a Method

Interviewing candidates can be an emotionally-charged experience for both the employee and the employer.

Many interviewers by-pass red flags in the interview and go with their ‘gut feeling’ – but this is not the best way to hire the right talent for your business.

For every interview to have the best outcome, you must work to a method and stick to it. This means:

Choose your questions carefully and don’t deviate. You can ask extra questions that might crop up in your mind at the end of the planned questions – this gives all candidates a fair interview.

Practice your note-taking – taking accurate notes is an essential quality for all interviewers to have.

Use a scale to rate candidate answers – you can give a score out of 10, or use ‘excellent’ to ‘poor’ at the end of each answer to remind you when you are looking back over your notes.

4. Be Compassionate

Interviews can be daunting, and this is something that interviewers and hiring managers can become desensitised to, especially if they have a lot of experience conducting interviews.

Showing compassion and consideration instead of the stony managerial tone some interviewers adopt will benefit both the employee and yourself.

Candidates perform much better in interviews when they feel at ease, and so making sure they feel relaxed is a great way of seeing the real candidate and allowing their best self to shine through.

So, don’t be continually testing the candidate or focusing on negativity and flaws to try and ‘catch them out’. Keep it positive, even if you plan on asking the dreaded ‘what’s your greatest weakness?’ question (we will look at interview questions in the next section).

Take your time, and allow the candidate to take theirs – allow enough time for a good conversation, don’t aim to get them in and out in 20 minutes.

And finally – smile!

5. Get Your Questions Right

There are certain interview question stereotypes, which it is best to avoid if you want better interview outcomes.

There are standard questions that many interviewers ask, such as ‘what will you bring to the role’, ‘tell us what you know about our company’ and of course, ‘what is your greatest weakness’.

But for an outstanding interview, there are some questions to introduce, which can give impressive results.

Try asking the candidate to explain a passion of theirs to you – it can be work-related or not. As this will allow them to demonstrate their communication skills and their passion – it brings them out of their shell and shows you how effective they are at communicating ideas to a layperson.

Another great question right now is to ask how they coped with the Covid-19 crisis, either at home or at work. We all had to make changes to our lives and routines – did they take it in their stride or did they find it hard to adjust quickly to new ways of living and working?

Additionally, aim to curate an interview environment which feels like a conversation rather than an interrogation – this will put candidates at ease and makes the interview experience more pleasant and productive for everyone involved.

6. Candidate Aftercare

Ensure that you treat each candidate, even unsuccessful ones, as you would treat a customer, even after the interview process is over.

This is a great way of looking after your talent pipeline – candidates who are suitable but unsuccessful on this occasion will be inclined to apply again if they come out of the experience with a positive view of your company.

Respond to candidates in a timely manner – this goes for successful and unsuccessful candidates both during and after the interview process.

Encourage unsuccessful candidates to apply again, and you can even keep in touch on LinkedIn, where you can share industry information and updates about your business.

As for the successful candidate – congratulations on your new hire; now it’s time to get them onboarded successfully.

About Inspire People

We believe that technology has the power to change the world for the better and we love working with businesses whose technology or purpose has a positive impact. We help businesses that share our vision access the people, resources and strategic advice they need to achieve their digital transformation goals.

Our service is designed to accelerate your digital growth. We created our offer in response to emerging challenges in an uncertain business landscape: a blend of Advisory, Talent and Project led services that will help you achieve your strategic aims and deliver more for your employees and customers. We’ll connect you to rare specialist talent, experts and insight to help you navigate your biggest challenges and remain competitive in a changed world.

Get in touch today to discover how working with us could help you innovate and grow.

Speak to our expert team on +44(0)20 7871 8550 or email hello@inspirepeople.net

When you spend most of your day sitting in front of a computer screen, dealing with lines of code, it’s not always easy to keep your personal communications skills on point in an interview. It's not just coders who potentially can struggle with the interview framework, either.

Many IT professionals forget that it's not just what they say, but how they present themselves to a hiring manager, that makes the difference between a job offer, and a missed opportunity.

Since psychologists suggest that 55% of our communication is non-verbal, it's important to remember that your body language can have a huge impact on how you're perceived by other people. Everything from a limp handshake, to a fidgeting habit, may be enough to make your interviewer and prospective new line manager feel less confident about your potential.

So, how can you make sure that you're communicating the right messages during your next interview? Especially with video interviews being the normal for now. Here, we'll look at just some of the ways you can use non-verbal communication to your advantage.

Demonstrate Engagement

If you're interviewing for your next career move or contract assignment, the hiring manager will be able to sense your passion and excitement. While sitting in front of your potential future boss can be a nerve-wracking experience, make sure that your nervous habits don't make you seem bored or distracted.

Fidgeting can make you look as though you are not really invested in your new career opportunity. If you're worried that you won't be able to avoid fidgeting, transform the habit into something more productive. Take notes on important points that you cover in your interview, such as which key tasks you may need to perform. This will show your interviewer that you're committed to doing well in your new role. Just remember to maintain plenty of eye contact too!

Remember Your Eye Contact

Eye contact is a powerful tool when you're meeting your hiring manager, as it helps to establish connections, and shows confidence. Failing to offer enough eye contact will make you look nervous and distracted. If you're interviewing with more than one person, make sure that you distribute your attention evenly around the room. While you can direct about 60% of your focus towards the person asking questions, it's important to address the other people present, too.

Although eye contact is important, remember that you don't need to stare constantly throughout the course of your interview. Glancing down at your notes from time to time can help you to appear more diligent, and less intimidating.

Manage Your Posture

Technology professionals can frequently suffer from bad posture because of the amount of time sitting in front of screens. Unfortunately, posture can speak volumes in an interview scenario, so you'll need to be cautious about the way you're holding yourself. Slumping or shrinking in your chair may indicate nerves or even boredom, while a stiff posture can suggest anxiety.

A Firm Handshake (When Allowed!)

Its always been advised that the best way to start an interview is with a firm, strong handshake. When we can! Individuals are more likely to remember people who they've had physical contact with, so establishing that connection early on is crucial. A firm handshake demonstrates confidence and shows your professional nature.

But as video interviews can for the time being replaced face to face interviews, maintaining direct eye contact and building rapport is key. See our resources pages for some tips. 

Become a Mirror

While your default pattern of behaviour will include sitting up straight, and showing genuine interest, it's worth watching what the other people in the room do for signs of how to behave. Watching the body language of others during the interview can help you to adjust your own actions to make yourself appear more natural and confident.

Additionally, watching the body language of others can also help you to determine when you're taking too long to answer a question, or when your interviewer might want to bring the meeting to a close.

Practice Makes Perfect

If you're nervous about your interview abilities, it might be helpful to practice some of the suggestions above in advance. First impressions count, so making sure that you present yourself as assertive, and professional might be key to getting that all-important second interview.

Remember, when in doubt:

• Show engagement
• Maintain eye contact
• Watch your posture
• Remember the handshake
• Respond to body language cues
• If you are in any doubt you can always talk to a specialist recruiter who will be happy to give you advice.

About Inspire People

We believe that technology has the power to change the world for the better and we love working with businesses whose technology or purpose has a positive impact. We help businesses that share our vision access the people, resources and strategic advice they need to achieve their digital transformation goals

Our service is designed to accelerate your digital growth. We created our offer in response to emerging challenges in an uncertain business landscape: a blend of Advisory, Talent and Project led services that will help you achieve your strategic aims and deliver more for your employees and customers. We’ll connect you to rare specialist talent, experts and insight to help you navigate your biggest challenges and remain competitive in a changed world.

Get in touch today to discover how working with us could help you innovate and grow.

Speak to our expert team on +44(0)20 7871 8550 or email  hello@inspirepeople.net