For Employers: The Interview Process & Interview techniques | Part 1

Employer Blog - January 2017

Interviewing Techniques that will help you.

It's essential to know in advance what you want to ask each candidate. Don't be tempted to make it up as you go along, it won't look professional and you won't find out what you need to know. The answers to your questions need to give you an insight into what each candidate has to offer and also what they can’t provide. Remember, the person you select will have a major influence on the future of your household.

As a guide, interviews should last around 45 minutes. Try to create a relaxed atmosphere, since this will give domestic staff candidates the best chance of showing themselves in a good light. However, the interview should also be structured so that you can cover everything in the short time available.

Rather than bombard the candidates with questions, consider starting the interview by telling them about the household and include what’s important to the family or client. This allows the candidates to settle, listen and not have to respond straight away.

Now that you are relaxed and talking, you can move onto asking questions. Always try to ask open-ended questions that cannot be answered simply by “yes” or “no”, for example: “Over the last ten years you’ve had several good positions in well know homes, which position did you like the most. What was good about it, what didn’t you like about it and why did you decide to leave?”

This will give you some indication of whether the candidate is suitable and what their motivation is for applying. If elements that they disliked in their previous job are in the job you are offering it will obviously cause problems.

“Where would you like to be in 5 years' time?”

This will give you an idea about the ambitions of the domestic staff candidate and whether they have a realistic idea about the prospects of the job you are offering.

You can then discuss the job you are offering and how their skills would enable them to do it well. A useful technique is to ask how they would react to a series of scenarios that could occur in the job.

“What are your strengths and weaknesses?” Designed to tell you what they are good at and, alternatively, how well they can take criticism and learn from their mistakes.

Finally, if you are recruiting in a hurry, remember to ask the candidates when they would be able to start and if they have any holidays booked or family commitments.

Recording the Interview

Making notes during the interview must not be at the expense of dialogue. Write down your impressions a bit more fully afterwards, while they are still fresh in your mind. It might be good to have a marking system but make sure that you are consistent.

As well as reactions to their answers, you should also record other more general impressions on how well they are suited to the job and the company. Also important are features such as enthusiasm, self-confidence, communication skills and smartness of appearance. The fact that you need to compare the domestic staff candidates means it is important to do all the interviews in the shortest possible time