Why Interviews Are an Important Part of the Recruitment Process

If you're a human resources professional, learning about the importance of recruiting and interviewing may help you support your company more effectively. Understanding why interviews are essential and recognizing key components of a successful interview can help your company find the right candidates. Assisting your company in hiring effective employees can also reflect positively on you and may help you advance your career.

In this article, we explain why interviews are an important part of the recruitment process, list the types of interviews, recommend qualities to look for during an interview and share several tips to help you improve your company's interview and recruitment process.

Why are interviews an important part of the recruitment process?

Interviews are an important part of the recruitment process because they can help HR professionals meet a variety of candidates and determine which one is right for their company's needs. Additionally, interviews can help you identify prospective employees who align with your company's goals and culture. You can also use an interview to:

Evaluate a candidate's work experience

In an interview, you can evaluate a candidate's qualifications, work experience and industry knowledge by asking targeted questions. The candidates' responses can help you identify who has a background that aligns best with your company's goals. Learning what skills and experience a candidate has can also help you determine if you may need to provide additional training to a candidate after hiring them.

Related: Guide to the Recruitment Process

Introduce a candidate to the company

During an interview, consider introducing candidates to the leaders of your organization. This can help you determine how they may form relationships in your company. It can also help you see how well they might fit into your company's culture.

Assess a candidate's hard and soft skills

Interviewing a candidate can help you determine their proficiency in various hard and soft skills. To evaluate their soft skills, you could ask questions about communication, problem-solving and teamwork. For positions that require technical skills, you might incorporate a hard skills test to determine a candidate's ability to perform a specific task, such as using Microsoft Excel.

Discover the most qualified candidates

Since interviews provide you with an opportunity to analyze a potential employee's experience, skills and professional background, they can help you discover the candidates who are best qualified for the position. This may assist you in choosing the right candidates to advance to the next stage of the hiring process. Additionally, it can expedite the recruitment process and help fill essential positions at your company quickly.

Related: Guide to In-person Interviews: Benefits, How To Prepare and Tips

Define the position and company expectations

During an interview, you can clarify the required duties for a position and the company's expectations for the role. This can help candidates ask for more details regarding a role to determine if the position is right for them. Some details you might add to define a role include:

• Typical work schedule

• Duties and responsibilities

• Example of daily life in the position

• The leader to which they would report

Types of candidate interviews

There are several interview types you can try to help you find the right candidate for your company. Some of the common interview methods include:

• Telephone interview: Also known as a prescreening interview, this interview type can help you quickly determine which candidates are compatible with the position. Furthermore, a phone interview can assist you in deciding which candidates advance to the next stage of the recruitment process.

• Individual interview: The individual, or in-person, interview allows you to learn about a candidate's personality, skills, qualifications and experience. This method can help you determine how a candidate might align with your organization's goals.

• Group interview: This interview method is useful if you have many candidates for a position. It can help you determine which candidates are most highly qualified and decide who to invite for an individual interview.

Read More: 20 Most Common Interview Types and How To Succeed at Each

What to look for in candidates during the interview process

Here are several elements to look for when conducting interviews for your company:

Confidence

When a candidate shows confidence in their interview, they're demonstrating that they believe their experience, knowledge and skills are right for the position. Confidence can also signify that a candidate may succeed in a leadership position at your company. In addition, a confident candidate may effectively highlight their soft skills, such as public speaking, customer service and teamwork.

Communication skills

Regardless of the industry, companies often seek employees who can communicate concisely and clearly. You can assess a candidate's communication skills in an interview by asking questions that require in-depth answers. You can also learn about a candidate's written communication skills by emailing them before the interview and evaluating their response for professionalism and clarity.

Non-verbal communication

Monitoring a candidate's non-verbal communication in an interview can help you predict the way they feel about the position, the accuracy of their responses to questions and their confidence level. Some non-verbal cues exhibited by candidates during an interview may include:

• Maintaining eye contact

• Demonstrating a relaxed posture

• Having open hands

• Leaning forward during the conversation

Attitude

An employee's attitude can affect the overall work environment, so it's important to find candidates who have a positive outlook. You can assess a candidate's attitude by taking note of their word choice as they answer questions. If they typically focus on problem-solving, learning from mistakes and collaboration, they may have a positive attitude. Learning about a candidate's attitude can also help you predict how they might interact with coworkers, customers and leaders in the organization.

5 tips for refining the interviewing and recruitment process

Here are five tips you can apply to help you improve your company's interviewing and recruitment process:

1. Incorporate technology

Many companies integrate technology processes in their hiring process. This can help them find quality candidates and facilitate the overall recruitment process. For example, some companies use an applicant tracking system to assist them in processing a large volume of resumes.

Incorporating technology can also help your company:

• Expedite the recruitment process

• Generate a list of highly qualified candidates

• Respond to candidates quickly

2. Choose your interview methods

Choosing which interview methods to incorporate into your recruitment process can help you screen, evaluate and hire qualified candidates quickly. Planning your interview methods can also ensure the recruitment process is the same for each candidate, which may help your company comply with fair hiring practice regulations. For example, you might start with a 15-minute telephone interview, then conduct a 30-minute individual interview and complete the interview process with a 15-minute follow-up interview.

3. Establish evaluation criteria

Determining your company's evaluation criteria before interviewing a candidate can help you prepare comprehensive interview questions. This can help you discover high-quality candidates who fulfill the company's expectations for the position. It can also provide a measurable method you can apply to analyze candidates and make informed hiring decisions.

4. Prepare questions before the interview

Creating a list of questions before the interview can help you fully comprehend each candidate's unique skills and qualifications. Additionally, keeping the questions uniform for individual positions helps you select the candidates with the most skills and experience. To help you formulate effective questions, consider reviewing your employer's evaluating criteria and asking questions that relate to the requirements for the position.

5. Create detailed job descriptions

To attract the right candidates before you conduct interviews, you can create a detailed job description for the position you're looking to fill. In the job description, you can list the skills, experience and qualifications the employer is seeking. This can also help candidates determine if the position is right for them before applying, which may accelerate your recruitment process.

Please note that none of the companies mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.