5 key steps to successfully conduct a job interview
Recruiting is the main mission of a company, so it is essential not to miss it.
The job interview is a A crucial step in the recruitment process. This allows you to get to know the candidate better through their skills, experiences and personality.
It is then the perfect opportunity to present your business and expectations linked to your job offer and more specifically to the position to be filled.
As a manager, how do you conduct a job interview effectively and give yourself every chance of recruiting the best talent?
Through this article; you will discover 5 key steps for a successful job interview.
Before discovering them, it is essential to explain what a really is job interview.
1 - What is a job interview?
The job interview, also called the recruitment interview, is the first step in the process of creating a profile. This is the precise moment when a formal meeting between the candidate and the future employer.
THEpurpose of this interview is to check and show how and how the candidate's skills correspond to the needs of the position to be filled.
In this context, certain good practices increase your chances of making it effective. Let's discover them now.
2 - The 5 key steps of a successful job interview
2.1 - Preparing for the interview
Evaluating and recruiting a great candidate is no easy task.
Our advice : prepare your job interviews in advance. This will allow you to maximize your chances of making it effective and therefore of obtaining the best applications.
During each interview, it is essential to present your business and expectations related to the position to be filled. Indeed, this is an essential step for candidates to understand their potential future working environment.
You have to take the time to Define selection criteria then sort through the information on the resumes and cover letters that you have in front of you. It is very important to identify the key points that need to be explored during the interview. It's just a good Tip for assessing motivation, the skills and experiences of a candidate.
If candidates learn about the company, it is also important to take note of their profiles in order to be able to judge them in the best possible way and seduce them in case their profile is of interest to you.
Prepare in advance a woof which will allow you, during this exchange, to discuss and deepen the various experiences and situations in line with the position and its missions.

Depending on the selection criteria, to understand the skills and personality of the profiles, we advise you to prepare various questions. It can be of great help, let's see a few examples :
- How did you hear about our company and why do you want to work for us?
- What do you think you can bring to our business/brand?
- What would you like to know about our company?
- Can you tell us about a group project you contributed to, and your role within this project?
- When you have very little time, how do you manage multiple tasks?
- What is your biggest achievement?
Do not forget to schedule your interview, choose a specific date, time and location and then inform the candidate. This will allow him to easily find his way around the big day and to limit His stress.
2.2 - Welcoming the candidate
To increase the effectiveness of your job interview, the second thing you need to think about is welcoming your interviewer.
Prioritize ideal reception conditions, he must feel unique and taken into consideration. This is a very important and decisive element for positive feedback. You choose a candidate but you must not lose sight of the fact that they also choose you.
This is why it is essential to make him feel at ease from the start, to do so, welcome him in a professional and courteous manner. Thank him for being there. You can even offer him water and ask him if the trip went well, this will limit his stress and allow him to express himself as effectively as possible.
Also, remember to introduce yourself. The interlocutor should know who the person in front of him is. First of all, give your name and position in the company. Seriousness is an asset that anyone is looking for, whether it's you or a candidate.
Our advice: to reduce the stress of your collaborator, it can be very useful to present the interview process to him beforehand. Tell him that you plan to ask him questions, suggest a simple presentation of your business, and don't forget to let him know that he can ask you questions to find out what he didn't see or understand from the start.
2.3 - Assessment of skills and experience
Conducting an interview consists of assess the potential of a candidate Through questions in connection with the skills that the interlocutor was able to acquire during his previous experiences.
The exchange should allow the recruiter to know if the future collaborator is capable of achieving the objectives and missions that the company could offer him. It is therefore essential to consider asking him to talk about his past experiences, an old project and the results he was able to obtain to know if this is the ideal profile.
97% Recruiters pay particular attention to behavioral skills, this is what we call Soft Skills. 1 recruiter out of 2 considers soft skills as a determining criterion when selecting their candidate. That is why during the interview you should focus on this type of skills first and foremost.

While technical skills are learned over the years and require regular updates, behavioral skills are not.
Les case studies are a very good tool since they allow you to assess the skills of your candidates using concrete situations. They are very often used in Assessment Center.
After several years of R&D with researchers in Psychology and Neuroscience, we imagined Yuzu : one New Generation Assessment Center, specialized insoft skills assessment (the famous soft skills).
With Yuzu, talents are immersed in scenarios developed with the latest technologies of the Video game.
The evaluations, on the other hand, are accessible to all profiles thanks to simplified orders and cloud technologies (all you need is a computer and an internet connection to be evaluated).
Evaluate the soft skills of your talents with Yuzu
The advantages of our solution:
- One candidate experience exceptional to boost your employer brand ;
- A solution accessible to all to ensure equal opportunities;
- A decision support tool to detect and promote interpersonal skills.
Whether it's for your recruitment process Or of internal mobility, we are transforming the assessment of Soft Skills in a strong and fun moment.
2.4 - Assessment of personality and corporate culture
To assess your candidate's abilities, what better way than to observe their behaviors?
For example, when the candidate arrives at your structure, do not hesitate to surprise him by presenting him to the team directly to obtain various information: stress management, teamwork, relationships with others, relationship with others, relational ease...
Observe your interactions with colleagues and reception staff will give you an idea of how it relates to your corporate culture.
Regarding your values, ask your candidate questions about his personal interests to determine if they correspond to your business and more specifically to your business.
2.5 - Post-interview analysis
At the end of the interview, it is essential to compare candidates effectively, do not stay focused on your intuitions. You need to analyze the skills, experiences and personality of your candidate and not your instincts. Pay attention to different recruitment biases such asHalo effect And theRecency effect ! These are traps that are easy to fall into.
The first encourages you to recruit according to your first intuition while the second encourages you to recruit according to the latest information you have been confronted with.
The recruiter should evaluate the answers to the questions to assess the candidate's ability to solve problems and make decisions.
Our advice : ask for the help of a manager, for example, to guide you in terms of the information you are going to provide. It may even be preferable to have a second interview conducted by an employee to make the decision less complex and increase the chances of welcoming a competent person to your team. This will allow him to benefit from various advantages that we will discuss below.
Last step! It's time to be smart.
You can contact the selected candidate directly or arrange for a second interview. This will allow you to confirm your opinion and potentially validate the hiring.
3 - Original methods for conducting a job interview
Conducting a job interview is one thing, opting for the most original method is another.
Here it is 3 original methods to meet the best candidates! It's up to you to make your choice.
3.1 - Interview conducted by the employee
It is not very common for candidates to conduct a job interview. This is why it may be interesting for you to opt for this type of interview during a second exchange. This would allow you to stand out from other businesses.
Our advice: Give your employee a maintenance schedule to ensure that the approach is effective. This method values your employees by giving them importance in your structure. In addition, you will reassure the candidate about their future integration.
3.2 - Interview conducted in a café
Opting for an institutional framework can increase the stress of your interlocutor. It would be a shame to miss out on the ideal candidate because of this natural reaction. That's why meeting in a less formal location is a very good solution. This can help the candidate feel more confident and comfortable.

It is an innovative experience that allows the recruiter to stand out from other managers. Through this face-to-face interview, he can also draw a conclusion about the candidate's behavior. Is it still suitable for a professional environment?
3.3 - Gamified interview
The problem of distance can be eliminated through a single interview on a interactive virtual space. It is possible to use 2D avatars that can move and interact with other participants. It is an original way to get your candidate selected.
At the same time, it would make it possible to assess complementary soft skills such as methodology, curiosity, or even leadership...
The interest for the recruiter is to see the candidate as naturally as possible and how he interacts spontaneously with his team.
This approach could send a different image of your business. Candidates forget about the evaluator side while being observed, it's an opportunity worth seizing!
To remember
To conduct a job interview efficiently, it is imperative to prepare in advance the interview and therefore to scrupulously analyze the CV and the cover letter. This will allow you to create a list of relevant questions.
Give importance to the candidate by showing that you are interested in their application. Take advantage of this exchange for introduce precisely your structure and the missions that will be assigned to it.
If the interview is one of stages of the recruitment process, know that it is also one of 7 tips for successful recruitment.
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