4 Tips to preparing and conducting a job interview

If you want to find the cream of the construction talent, you can’t run your interviews on a wing and a prayer.

Solid preparation and creative research is needed to ensure you bring out the best in your job candidates.

1. Study the field

You expect candidates for your construction jobs to do plenty of homework on your company, so return the favour and show that you’ve put in the time on them too.

Resumes and job applications need to be fully scanned for keywords and meeting of relevant criteria.

Your candidate research also needs to extend beyond the submitted paperwork. Most candidates in today’s job market live a large portion of their lives online, so it’s easy to check out their social media profiles.

It’s vital to browse their LinkedIn profile, as this is the channel where candidates can make a strong professional impression, marketing their business assets and linking up with like-minded networks.

2. Watch your interview timing

Try and get your timing right across the board at interviews. That means not just showing up on time and attending to candidates promptly, but giving candidates the appropriate amount of time to settle down, answer questions and pose their own once they are inside the interview room.

It’s all about balance. Candidates will appreciate interviews running to schedule, so punctuality is important. There’s nothing worse, however, than rushing a candidate in and out of the room, with insufficient time to get over their nerves and concentrate on answering the questions to the best of their ability.

Sometimes it takes time to get past the initial anxiety and allow the candidate’s real personality to emerge. So don’t miss a golden opportunity for potential employees to shine.

3. Present the real company face

This is your chance to show your company culture, not just talk about it. And it needs to be genuine, as smart candidates are quick to see through pretence.

Dress as you would during a normal work day and adopt the manner you normally use when talking to your staff. Hopefully this is a welcoming and friendly one, encouraging candidates to put their best foot forward.

If your tone is usually more brisk and formal, it’s important that potential employees know this. If they respond positively to this approach at interview, they are likely to be a good fit for your organisation.

4. Be polite, stay legal

It’s not only disrespectful to ask candidates personal questions but, in many cases, it’s illegal too.

Questions about race, religion, age, marital status and whether the interviewee has children should be strictly avoided.

Many of these issues may arise naturally in the conversation, which is why it’s important to allow the candidate time to present useful information about their background, motivation and value to the company.

Call in the big guns