Eric K
Helping people achieve their career vision (and next job) through innovation. Email:epkramer@gmail.com (610-624-1953)
As a recruiter, how much time do you spend in interview preparation with your candidates?
Preparing candidates for an interview is an important step in the recruiting process. However, it can be time consuming and some recruiters are more skilled at interview training than others.
I am interested in how much time you spend in preparing candidates for interviews and what is your process/approach. It would also be interesting to know if your client companies have any expectations about your role in interview preparation.
Good Answers (1)
I tailor my interview preparation based on the level of the position and the personal qualities as well as professional qualifications of the candidate. The type of hiring company is also a factor in how I approach this critical phase of the recruitment process. Key points that I cover verbally and/or via email include:
1. How I have presented the candidate, viz. what I have highlighted and why. They can then build on this preliminary work in their own presentation of their qualifications.
2. What the team is looking for in the position. This includes, if applicable, what has worked well and what has not worked well for other candidates that have interviewed.
3. General interview strategies as well as specific interview suggestions depending on what phase of the interview process they have achieved. As most companies seem to require multiple interviews, I consider it important to understand how to handle both early stage and late stage interviews.
4. Details of the company: history, team dynamic, future prospects, etc.
Re: the second part of your question. Yes, my clients absolutely have expectations that candidates will be prepped for an interview. They are taking out time based on both my recommendation of a candidate and their assessment of the candidate's resume. It is important that they feel and receive value for their money!
More Answers (14)
At least a solid half hour, going over the companies expectations and what types of questions the candidate will be asking and should be asking. If the client asks if I prep them I will tell then I do if not then no I wont tell them. I let them know up front what I do and if they forget well its on them. You must prep your candidate and make them aware of their interviewing mistakes and what to avoid so that they can present themselves properly.
I spend at least a half hour per interview prepping candidates. This consists of basic interviewing tips and specific info regarding the company, job and interviewer. I like to do the formal prep a day before the interview. I want this info to be fresh in the candidates mind. The recruiting process has many steps and candidate preparation might be the most important. My clients know/expect my candidates will be ready and can then concentrate on intangibles and fit.
Amber M
Business Development Manager/HR Generalist, and Sr. Recruiter: Signature Staff Resources, LLC
Best Answers in: Staffing and Recruiting (4), Job Search (1), Public Relations (1)
Hi Eric,
I truly believe that interview preparation is important. How much time spent preparing the candidate typically depends on the cognitive, deductive reasoning, experience, professionalism, and communication skills each candidate has.
A good interviewer can tell if their candiate needs coaching..especially if they are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, so-to-speak. It is always good to go over any questions that the hiring manager might ask and what his/her interviewing style is, but as far as etiquette, mannerisms, appearances...all of this depends on the candidate and which position they are applying for and hopefully the candidate being prepared already knows the basics.
I am a firm believer that too much coaching and preparation brings on anxiety and from experience, when the candidate is focusing too hard on everything you told them-they end up trying too hard during the interview.
How much time spent preparing your candidate depends on the type of candidate you decided to submit for a position.
6 30 minute sessions
Preparing your candidate is crucial and should be done EVERY time. I tend to do my interview prepping in two stages which takes 30 - 45 mins in total.
The 1st part is when I confirm the time & date of the interview, along with the interviewer and give them a loose format of the interview(compertancy or informal).At this stage I always tell the candidate to start their research on the organisation and start thinking about some of the questions they may get asked.
I do the 2nd part around 24 hours before the interview and ask them what they have prepared, what they know about the organisation and then I can fill any crucial gaps, this also gives you a good indication on how keen the candidate is on the role - if they have done no prepartion at this stage I seriously consider withdrawing the candidate.
I hope this helps
30 minutes and an indepth email with all the details, then a call to make sure they read over it.
Pam C
Principal, Custom Search Group, Inc. TopLinked.com
Best Answers in: Staffing and Recruiting (6), Using LinkedIn (1)
It varies depending on the candidate. With every candidate, I spend quite a bit of time in the initial interview process, really trying to understand why they are looking and what they are looking for so that any interview is a strong match. During that initial meeting we discuss interviewing and how they've been doing, what their experience has been like thus far. That is usually where I can assess how well they will present themselves when they actually interview with the client. Some candidates are naturally strong interviewers, so for these candidates I'll cover any information I have about the company that we haven't already discusses as well as any insight about they people they will be meeting with so that they can be as fully informed as possible.
For candidates that are excellent skill-wise, but not naturally gifted interviewers, I'll spend a little more time with them, asking them which questions have given them trouble in the past, and suggesting some ways that they might want to highlight their achievements. I'll also send these candidates a handout that I give when asked to speak to schools or groups on interviewing. It covers some of the more typical interview questions and gives tips on resumes and networking.
Generally, I've found that the more information I can share with a candidate, the more confident they are and that is key to interviewing well.
Hope this helps,
Pam
Clarification added 10 months ago:
Apologies for the typos! Forgot that there's no edit function here.
Eric,
I do have a particular process that only takes about 15 minutes. The clients I recruit for have detailed profiles so all the information has already been put together to make the prepping process go smoother. Information like the companies web site, how many employees, what their industry is, who will they interview with, dress code etc. Once I have verbally given all information about the company I then give them about 3-5 questions they should ask the company as well as prep them on 3-5 questions that will be asked of them based on previous interviews. I also confirm everything in an e-mail congratulating them on their interview.
Michael G S
Owner, Smith Recruiting
Best Answers in: Career Management (2), Job Search (1), Resume Writing (1), Staffing and Recruiting (1)
My approach is, perhaps, a bit different. I spend 45 minutes discussing the opportunity with the candidate in order to inform them about the position and so that I can make a decision as to whether they are viable.
If, at the end of this conversation, I view the candidate as qualified and a good fit, I tell them so. I email a detailed position description and urge them to visit the employer's website. I tell the candidate that after they have read the material, if they wish to be considered for the position, they must call, or email, and inform me of their decision to move ahead.
Occasionally I won't hear back from a candidate, indicating they weren't very interested in the job, or aren't good at follow-through.
Most candidates respond positively and indicate in their email what they view as the highlights of the opportunity and, sometimes, what they see as the risks, or shortcomings in their qualifications.
Unless the candidate contacts me again to ask for interview help, I don't prep them further. My feeling is that if I find the "right-size square peg" to fit in the client's "square hole", and the candidate has done his or her homework on the job requirements and the employer, everything will work out fine.
This may seem to some as a bit too laid back, but my concern is always the long-term. I would prefer to have a candidate be rejected, rather than have them be hired and do less than an excellent job. My reputation is determined, not by the number of positions filled, but by how well the employees perform during the years they are employed by my customer.
After twenty years in this business, I've found that when the employer has reasonable expectations, and the candidate is truly a good fit, then all I have to do is make certain the candidate has a general understanding of the employer's reason for hiring and nature of the employer's business.
I don't like to "coach" the candidate for the interview (if that's what you mean by "prep"), as that increases the possibility that my customer will base the hiring decision on the interview (which I don't want them to do), rather than on qualifications, experience, and references (which is what I DO want).
Michael G Smith
Depending on the candidate, I would say at minimum 20 minutes. Preparation includes letting them know about the company, the culture, what the expectations are for the position. I also will send an email confirmation the day/time of the interview, all the contact information - mapquest directions if the location is not easy to find, and clear expectations in the form of a do/don't list.
I find that most of my companies expect us to know about their company/culture and do expect us to relay that information to the candidate.
Craig F
Principal at A-List Solutions (craig (at) alistsolutions.com)
Best Answers in: Compensation and Benefits (1), Staffing and Recruiting (1)
Eric, it sounds like everyone has their standard 30 minute prep. And I like the follow up emails and last minute phone calls. I'm big on reassurance and confidence building (unless the candidate is overly cocky). But my process for preparing a candidate for an interview starts with our first phone call. If I decide this candidate is a player and will likely get an interview, the pre-closing could start right then and there. Subsequent calls for actual interview skills prep, client research, and re-enforcement. The interview prep is not just about making sure the candidate does well. It's about making sure they will do what it takes to get an offer and hopefully are ready to accept it (recruiting gods willing). Tally the total time at 1+ hours to completely prep a candidate for that kind of success.
On average I will spend approximately 45 minutes to an hour just qualifying the candidates. In addition, I will spend approximately 20-30 minutes prepping my candidates for their interview each and every time. The more I can share, coach, listen and provide input and feedback the more confident and prepared my candidates are.
My process is that if I'm going to market a product (a human being) then I need to know as much about that individual in order to uncover those opportunities that would peak their interest. It also eliminates my wasting their time and mine traveling down dead ends or always having to go back to the well for more answers.
Many of my clients have expectations about the role I play because I have taken the time to share what I bring to the table as a professional recruiter.
Hey Eric,
As long as it takes to go through my checklist. I have a list of items we cover, position details (including things as mundane as where to park!) to appropriate follow up. Can be as quick as 10 minutes, as lengthy as 45. When we're done the checklist goes into their file as documentation that we covered everything. Some colleagues think it's overkill, but it works for me. Some candidates think it's overkill too, but I had a C-level candidate once blow an interview after stopping me halfway and telling me he knew how to interview thank you very much. Guess he was off that day.
As far as client expectation, other than the usual (location, company information, interviewer) it doesn't really come up. I've had very few clients complain that a candidate wasn't prepared, and the ones that did usually didn't follow my advice from the checklist.
It depends on the level and experience of the candidate but usually anywhere from 10-30 minutes. I work exclusively with HR types so they, generally speaking, know what they should do to prepare for an interview. I make sure that they've done their research on the company and that they've developed a list of relevant questions. I'll cover potential hot buttons that I think the client will ask about, relevant to both the position and the candidate's resume, and make sure that the candidate has developed solid answers and examples to go along with the answers.
