One of the most important skills while interviewing a job candidate is doing proper assessment.
The candidate’s resume may look fantastic to you as they must have made all the efforts to look their best on the big day but all candidates are equal up to this point.
As an interviewer, it is up to you to use your special skills from this point onwards to determine whether or not the person in front of you is worth hiring.
There are generally a special set of advanced interviewing skills that can help you figure out if you’ve got the right man or woman for the job. If you are not too sure how to hire the most deserving candidate for the job post, then take a look at the following tips that can help you make a good decision:
Observe The Candidate’s Emotional Condition
Go above and beyond the physical appearance of the person sitting in front of you. Does he or she look flustered or unprepared? Is he or she fidgety? Both these factors could indicate lack of experience or confidence.
In contrast, a candidate who is confident, comfortable and relaxed most likely means that he is sure of himself and his skills. However, you need to be very careful of over-confidence.
Any candidate who appears to be over-smart may just be using this as a facade to cover up for his lack of skills.
Candidate’s Eye Contact
It is generally believed that a liar will never look you in the eyes. In order to prove that they are honest, many liars will deliberately seek eye-contact to defy this belief.
If you find that a candidate is trying to look you in the eyes, over and above what is normal, this could be a red flag. However, a truly honest person would also maintain the eye contact with you; this is where you have to go with your gut instincts and judge the person accordingly.
Look Out For The Pupils
Take a good look at the candidate’s pupils. Wide pupils indicate that they are interested, whereas the smaller ones indicate the lack of interest.
The candidate generally cannot control pupil expansion and contraction, so you can generally rely on this method, unless they are suffering from an eye condition. Note, however, that it will fail you if the candidate has dark irises; since you will not be able to tell the pupils and the irises apart.
Test The Candidate By Remaining Silent
Use silence strategically in order to gauge the candidate’s response. After getting a response from the candidate, try to stay silent for a bit before moving on to the next question. If he or she appears uncomfortable, this is generally a sign of insecurity.
A candidate who uses the opportunity to explain his or her points further or when a candidate inquires whether you require further explanation is generally a good bet.
Watch Out For The Rapid Breathing
If the candidate is not suffering from a health condition, rapid breathing is yet another sign that he or she is not being entirely honest with the information being discussed in the interview. This generally means that you will need to perform a more thorough background check on the candidate or decide if it is even worth the trouble.
Most importantly, remember that these techniques are not entirely fool-proof. You need to use your own best judgment before reaching any conclusion about any candidate. Also remember that your judgment may go wrong at times.
About the Author:
Alastair Trot is a fresh college graduate currently doing internship for a prominent assignment writing service in the UK. When not working, he loves to spend his time researching current education trends and how they can integrate into the conventional academic realm.
