Employers Hub | How to make a good 1st impression

Nov 25, 2021

Daniel Hale

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    The days of the interrogation first-round interviews are well and truly behind us. These days, candidates choose companies more than the other way around and, therefore, a lot rests on the quality of the first interview. It’s a two-way street and important to find out if the candidate has what it takes to thrive in the role but equally for them to get a real sense of who you are and what is great about working there.

    You won’t get a 2nd chance to make that first impression, and high-quality talent might just have slipped through the net when the competitor next door, nails that initial interview.

    So, it’s never been more important than ever to have a strategic approach to your first interview.

    The first thing to look at is who is conducting the first interview. Ideally, the person the role reports to will do the first interview because the candidate can get information straight from the source and assess whether you can work together. If not, does the person have the right level of knowledge to answer important questions and do they represent your brand in the best light?

    If Talent Acquisition or a Recruiter has already screened the candidate. It’s vital that whoever is conducting the first formal in-house interview knows any areas of concern that the candidate might have so they can be addressed early. Communication here is key.

    Keeping it conversational and relaxed is also important because it allows the candidate to open up. This takes the conversation to places where a one-way interview wouldn’t usually go.

    Some of the key areas to cover include;

    • Why the role has been made available
    • Internal success stories and promotions
    • Recent acquisitions and new product releases
    • What the main challenges are
    • Future growth plans
    • Who they will be selling to

    If you feel that the candidate isn’t right after the first round, that’s fine. At least you’ve made a good impression on someone that might be a future client or may even refer someone else to you.

     

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