How to Interview Students and Entry Level Candidates

How to Interview Students and Entry Level CandidatesHow to Interview Students and Entry Level CandidatesHow to Interview Students and Entry Level Candidates DezubeStudent and entry-level job seekers often lack a job history, which can make it difficult to discern their job skills.But by knowing how to vorstellungsgesprch, and byasking appropriate interview questions,you can better match the right candidate with the job requirements.Recruiting Generation Y Generation Y candidatesoftenlack exposureto behavior-based training recent graduates in particular often benefit when the hiring manager takes a few minutes to explain to them how to interview, says Stacie Garlieb, author of My resume is perfect (I think) so why didnt I get an interview? Fast and easy guide for students and recent grads to write a resume that gets interviewsAs the interviewer, its best to provide the novice job candidate with a clear directive in how to respond to your interview questions As I ask you the questions, please give me examples from your class work or prior jobs. Tell me specifically what you did and the results you achieved.Even after delivering that prompt, its likely the hiring manager will need to probe for details with follow-up questions, Garlieb adds.Phrases like these work well with students and entry-level job candidatesTell me a little more about what you did. What happened when you confronted that problem? What grade did you get on that project? Three Crucial Job SkillsRegardless of where, or even if, a student has worked, there are three skills that are good to explore in the interview because theyre used in most entry-level positions, says Martin Yate, CPC, author of Hiring the Best A Managers Guide to Recruitment and Selection. These three job skills include1) Time Management and Organization For time managements skills, ask the candidateTell me how you organize your day. Look for a response that indicates they consider everything they have to do that day and then pri oritize their tasks.2) Problem-Solving SkillsTo assess problem solving, if the applicant has had any work experience, askWhat were some of the typical problems you experienced in that job? Who was responsible for them? What did you do about those problems? How did you go about preventing them from occurring in the future? What skills did you use to solve the problem?If the job candidate doesnt have work experience, ask about situations at school or in group activitiesTell me about a time when things went wrong at school or when you worked with a group and how you fixed the problem3) Communication SkillsVerbal communication skills can be assessed by the way that the applicant speaks in the interview and how they listen and respond to interview questions. For instance, do they answer questions immediately or take time to process the questions?These questions can also help you judge communications skillsWhat technical-based communication skills do you use? What platforms are you famili ar with in addition to Facebook and Twitter?Assessing Soft SkillsNext, ask about emotional intelligence and social graces by asking first What would your favorite prof say about you?Follow up by askingWhat would your least favorite professor say about you?These questions uncover a persons worldview and how theyll relate to authority in the workplace, says Joseph Logan, author of Seven Simple Steps to Landing Your First Job.Watch out for anything too good from the favorite professor. My favorite professor would say I should win the Nobel Prize he says. From the least favorite, I would look for anything putting the complete blame on the professor. What you want to hear Maybe the professor was unfair, but heres my part and heres what I did to work with that.Assessing MotivationNext, move on to motivation. Start by exploring what motivates your job seekerWhat did you enjoy doing most at college? When youre not working, what do you enjoy doing?Then, transition from the person to discussi ng the position. Has the candidate researched your firm, indicating that they want to work for your organizationWhy do you want to work for us?Find out if the candidate know what the position involves by askingWhat do you know about this job? What would you like to know about this job? These answers reveal the applicants values and orientation to making a contribution, as opposed to just collecting a paycheck.Look for answers that focus on alignment with your company culture, for example a candidate that responds by saying I resonate with the mission of the Humane Society, and I want to do something to contribute to the well-being of animals. Id like to be a part of increasing the number of animals adopted.You can also dive further into values and workplace ethicsat this point in the interviewTell me about your values as a person. This may generate a bit of silence at first, but a good applicant will come up with specific answers, such as Im honest, trustworthy, and have a good work ethic.Your response? Ask for details that will give you insight into the person youre interviewingCan you give me a specific example of a time when you were honest?When you come across an entry-level job candidate who seems right for the job, make sure the job is right for them, Garlieb warns. Find out if they understand the results you want in the role youre hiring for, perhaps by asking them to do a job shadow.Also discuss how your organization measures wertzuwachs in the first 90 days, six months, and year, whether thats by tracking efficiency, productivity, or some other metric.If their eyes glaze over or you hear crickets on the other end of the phone line, thats someone who cant take on that responsibility or cant visualize themselves in the position, Garlieb concludes.