Job interview has always been something that can make anyone tremble, despite the number of interview he/she has gone through. But, have we ever given a thought to how an interviewer feels before and during a job interview? Taking a job interview is equally pressurizing as giving one. 

61st HR Kurakani organized at Real Solutions Pvt. Ltd. focused on sharing of job interview stories on the part of recruiting professionals. HR professionals from diverse industries participated in the program to share their stories, challenges and limitation of job interviews they conducted in the past. 

Participating in job interview requires preparation on both the sides, interviewers and interviewees. Given the fact that interview preparation tips are not provided in classrooms, jobseekers as well as recruiters need to research on it. 

As an opportunity to know more people and identify if you can work with that person or not, an interview also lets the candidates know about the organization and what will be expected from them. Many interviewers come across candidates who are not prepared for the interview. Sometimes, interviewers also come across candidates who apply for jobs even without going through the job description.

It is also seen that few companies provide financial benefits to the candidates appearing for the job interview. This is done especially, if the candidate needs to come from distant areas or if the interview is taken in remote areas. The HR professionals also discussed if this is a good practise or not. Interview should also be taken as an opportunity to make the candidate familiar with the organization in terms of its brand and profile. 

The story sharing also brought instances such as a panel interview consisting as much as 11 interviewers. This situation was a result of lack of trust among the members of the company conducting the interview. With regard to the panel interview, the HR professionals shared that a cross functional panel would be very effective in minimizing biasness. 

In this case, the HR manager can prepare a set of questions which will be asked by each interviewer but the answers will be marked by everyone in the panel. Also, it is also considered effective to review the candidate as soon as he/she from the interview. 

The preparedness of HR regarding the knowledge of the organization as well as each department is also one of the major determinants of the success or failure of the interview. Whereas, the interviewer should be clear on “why they are hiring” and “what type of profile they are looking for." 

Significance of competency based test was another major topic of the discussion. The HR professionals discussed on what type of competency based test was required for different job positions. For example, “Attitude Test” can be done through Stress Interview as pressure management skill is highly demanded by jobs today. 

The case, however, is different for mass recruitment. An interesting story of mass recruitment was shared in the program. A case study of Big Mart in Nepal showed a different type of recruitment. During recruitment, the HR started mass interview where firstly, they started discouraging the candidates by focusing on the possible negative aspects of the job. And then, they were asked to join the interview after a short break. This really helped them in filtering the candidates who were possibly not a good fit for the job and were left with serious candidates. 

Key to effective recruitment is to observe people from the very first step of recruitment. However, the interview process does not finish after a final selection is made. The HR managers and the supervisor should monitor and evaluate the candidate throughout his/her probation period as a part of the interview process itself. 

The role of the “Emotional State” & “Thought Process” of the interviewer during the interviewer also hugely affects the interview outcome. The interview should be very well aware not to reveal his/her emotions to make the interviewee feel at ease. 

Each one of us have something to share regarding job interviews, as an interviewer or an interviewee. Share with us your interview stories at the comment section below.