How To Spoil a Good Interview

The comment we hear from candidates is that no one seemed to know what to do next when interviews were complete. The result is unnecessarily awkward when neither the candidate nor your employee (often a staffer) knows what will happen next. The candidate leaves with questions about how well you run things and maybe even a sour taste about the visit.

This problem is easily preventable. And with the challenge of finding good talent is one you should do all you can to avoid.

Follow these tips:

• Priority goes to scheduling yourself to say goodbye to your candidate.
• If that’s not possible, the next priority is making sure someone of equal or relatively high seniority is available and knows what you want to be said to the candidate.
• If push comes to shove, ensure you have an assistant who can extend  your regrets at being unavailable and say the appropriate goodbyes.
• Whichever approach you use—and especially if the last person the candidate will see is not you—make this known to the candidate at the beginning of the visit. Offer your apology, along with an explanation for not being there.

It may seem like a small thing. But, if your candidate is interviewing somewhere else, and that employer handled this detail when you didn’t, you could lose.