The job interview is usually the first meeting between you and the candidate. Often, candidates are nervous. However, we aim to meet a relaxed candidate, as we don't want tense colleagues in the workplace. Therefore, it's important to make the candidate feel at ease and ensure the conversation is always amicable. We place great importance on the candidate experience.
You can structure the job interview as follows:
-
- Warm up and set the structure: Don't start with questions right away, but allow both of you some time to warm up. Ask if the candidate found the location easily or if they would like a glass of water. If you're conducting an online interview, check if the connection is good and if the candidate can see everyone clearly. After warming up, frame the purpose of the conversation. Indicate the structure of the conversation and how much time you plan to spend.
-
- Ask questions about the CV and cover letter: Review the candidate's application in advance and ask questions about their experiences with previous employers. Focus especially on aspects that stand out to you. It's not always necessary to discuss all experiences. For example, you can ask which experience the candidate thinks is most relevant for the position they are applying for. This way, you can see if they can limit themselves to the essentials while still gaining insight into their experiences. Other notable aspects include short periods of employment. It's interesting to ask why previous collaborations between the candidate and their former employer ended.
-
- Ask competency-based questions: To discover the talents of your future colleague, it's best to ask open-ended questions. Focus on the candidate's past behavior. What have they done and how did they do it? Behavior from the past is a predictor of future behavior. Below is an overview of the types of questions that are suitable to ask during a job interview, as well as a list of competencies and the questions that can be used to assess these competencies.
-
- Provide information about the position and entity: The candidate is also there to gather information during a job interview. Therefore, explain the characteristics of the position, the conditions under which it is performed, and the main contacts the person will have. Be honest about the culture within your department and the context of your service, and dare to frame any difficulties.
-
- Allow the candidate to ask questions: Answer the candidate's questions briefly and to the point. For questions about employment conditions (such as salary, insurance, etc.), refer to the HR department. Please always coordinate salary and start date with the selection advisor.
You can prepare the job interview as follows:
- Determine the Required Competencies:
- Clearly establish to yourself and the selection committee which competencies are absolutely necessary to perform the job adequately. Make a clear distinction between a required competency and a nice-to-have. Write a concise definition for each competency (for inspiration, see competency list in the appendix). It's important that every member of the committee "speaks the same language." Additionally, besides competencies, you may also decide that motivation, drive, or values are important qualities for the position. The key is to determine in advance what you want to learn about the candidate.
- Select the Interview Techniques:
In most cases, it's desired to assess competencies during an interview. You can find the best ways to assess this in this document (interview structure and types of questions). However, you may also want to conduct a case study or practical test alongside an interview. This strengthens your selection process and is highly recommended. However, this doesn't apply to every type of position, so carefully consider whether a case study is meaningful in your selection process.
- Example:
- A creative writing exercise for the position of communication officer.
- An Excel analysis for a financial officer.
- A presentation on change management for a department head.
- ...
- If you create a case study, ensure that the tasks reflect the job content. Also, it's important to have the case study ready before the selection process begins. This way, your case study is based on the competencies you deem necessary for the position. Often, a case study is only prepared after an initial interview. The case is then tailored to the candidate, thus less effectively highlighting the role. This makes your selection process less sharp and more prone to making incorrect assessments of candidates.
- Therefore, the selection process is determined in advance based on the job requirements and is not influenced by the qualities or growth potential of your candidates. In short, stick to the competencies needed to perform the job.
- Example:
- Determine Your Role: Throughout the entire selection process, at least three members of the selection committee should be involved. It's important to agree in advance on who will lead and conclude the interview. Also, determine who will keep track of time and give timely warnings if the interview is running over. Usually, it's also agreed upon who will provide information about the entity/position to the candidate.
- Be Aware of the Salary: Every vacancy is advertised with the intention of filling it at a modal grade. Initially, we consider remuneration at the modal grade. Promising candidates who may not be able to perform all tasks immediately are offered the induction grade. The senior grade is rather exceptional and is reserved for candidates who can take on extra responsibilities right from the start of the job. Make sure you know in advance what the remuneration entails. You can consult the pay scale books or your selection advisor for this. During the first interview, salary expectations are often discussed to see if they somewhat align with the pay scale. This can be easily asked during an initial interview by briefly inquiring about the candidate's salary expectations. Most candidates will talk about their current salary. Be sure to ask if there are any additional fringe benefits besides a gross salary that may not be part of our package (e.g., a company car). During the selection interview, you should not make any statements about the expected salary. This depends on the selection process, the candidate's experience, and competencies. An offer is only made after mutual agreement and consultation with your selection advisor.
You may invite the candidates you wish to meet for a first interview yourself or you can rely on your selection advisor for this.
- Inviting Yourself: When inviting candidates yourself, ensure that the purpose of the meeting is clear. Is it solely an interview, or do you also expect the candidate to undertake a case study? Of course, provide the day, location, and time. But don't forget to specify the end time as well. This allows candidates to organize themselves optimally. In any case, inform your selection advisor of the candidates who need to be notified that they will not be invited for further steps in the selection process.
- Through the HR Department: If you enlist the HR department to invite candidates, we need a specific overview of the candidates (to be invited and rejected) at least 5 working days before the start of the first interview. Clearly state the purpose of the interview (with or without case/tests/preparation) and the time allocated to meet all candidates (e.g., 1/9/2022 from 9 am to 1 pm). Also, indicate how long you wish to meet each candidate (e.g., a minimum of 45 minutes per candidate).
The following questions are best avoided during a job interview:
- Hypothetical question: A hypothetical question is asked, leading to a hypothetical answer. For instance, if you have a difficult customer, what would you do?
- Suggestive question: The answer is already implied in the question. You surely remain polite to the customer, right?
- Alternative question: The interviewee is forced to choose between different alternatives. Do you involve your boss or do you resolve it yourself?
- Cocktail question: Asking multiple questions in a row. Only the last or easiest question is typically answered. How would you... and what did you experience? And would you do it again like that?
- Closed question: Questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no. Are you interested in this position?
When meeting candidates, you need to be extra cautious with mechanisms that make your assessment unreliable. We list the most common pitfalls (biases):
- Non-verbal bias: judging a candidate based on appearance, clothes, handshake, posture, etc.
- First impression bias: judging a candidate based on the first impression is not representative of the entire conversation.
- Contrast bias: when you see different candidates back-to-back, you can fall into the contrast trap.
- Halo effect: when one aspect of the candidate is so positive that it overshadows all other properties.
- Horn effect: when one aspect of the candidate is so negative that it overshadows all other properties.
- Anchoring bias: when you rely too much on a previous experience, preventing you from seeing the candidate's opportunities objectively.
- Similar-to-me effect: when you recognize your own characteristics in the candidate. To counteract biases, you need to be very aware of your own pitfalls. When interviewing with a selection committee, point out biases to each other and be objective in assessing candidates.
Sometimes it's very clear, and the entire committee has an absolute preference for one candidate. At times when this isn't so clear because you don't agree or because there are multiple good candidates, we can offer two suggestions.
Sometimes inviting the final candidates you're undecided between for an additional interview can help. This interview is more informal in nature, often showing the work environment and allowing them to meet potential future colleagues. It mainly provides the candidate with an opportunity to get acquainted with a potential future work environment calmly. We often receive feedback from committee members that the final informal interview clarified many things. Afterwards, they can easily make a decision.
Unfortunately, we don't always have time for an additional interview. In that case, a competency matrix can be helpful. A competency matrix is a structured tool used to assess and compare candidates based on predetermined criteria or competencies deemed essential for a specific role. In our case, the committee has identified several key competencies: motivation, experience, collaboration, decisiveness, and vision formation. Each of these competencies is assigned a value on a scale of 1 to 3, representing their presence or strength in the candidate.
For example, a candidate might be rated as follows:
- Motivation: 2 (indicating sufficient motivation)
- Experience: 3 (indicating strong experience)
- Collaboration: 1 (indicating limited ability to collaborate)
- Decisiveness: 1 (indicating limited decisiveness)
- Vision Formation: 3 (indicating strong ability in forming vision)
These values are then multiplied by a predetermined weight assigned to each competency, reflecting its importance in the role. For instance, if vision formation is considered particularly critical, it may be assigned a higher weight. By multiplying the value of each competency by its weight and summing the results, you arrive at a total score for each candidate. This score provides a quantitative measure of how well each candidate aligns with the desired competencies for the role. However, it's important to note that the competency matrix is not meant to be the sole determinant of candidate selection. Instead, it serves as a structured framework to aid decision-making, particularly in cases where committee members may have differing opinions or where multiple candidates appear equally qualified. Discussing the matrix can facilitate consensus-building among committee members and help identify any biases in the evaluation process. Ultimately, the decision to proceed with a candidate is made collaboratively based on both the quantitative assessment provided by the matrix and qualitative insights from the interview process.
The candidate experience is the overall experience that an applicant undergoes during the job application process. It starts from the moment the candidate comes into contact with your organization. We provide some tips to guarantee a pleasant candidate experience:
- Be honest about the position and clearly explain it.
- Put the candidate at ease and ask relevant questions.
- Explain the process (number of rounds, what to expect).
- Keep to your commitments (you'll hear from us within 5 days).
- Provide honest answers to candidates' questions.
- Give honest feedback.
Below is an overview of the most frequently asked questions. If you have other inquiries, please contact the selection advisor who is assisting you with this vacancy.
Q: What if a candidate doesn't have the required degree? How flexible can I be?
A: Take a moment to review your job posting: what exactly did you include in it? The stricter the diploma requirements stated in your job posting, the stricter you should apply the assessment on this criterion. Here are some examples:
• You obtained a bachelor's degree in office management: this is a strict formulation, and only candidates who meet this requirement are eligible.
• You obtained a bachelor's degree in office management or equivalent through experience: in this case, you can also consider candidates who have gained relevant job experience.
• You obtained a bachelor's degree: in this case, you can consider candidates with either a bachelor's or master's degree, but you cannot include candidates without these degrees but have relevant experience in the preselection.
• You obtained a bachelor's degree or equivalent through experience: in this case, you can consider candidates with either a bachelor's or master's degree, as well as candidates without these degrees but have relevant experience."
Q: "Can I use other criteria than the ones we have predefined in the job profile? A: No, it is important that you adhere to the requirements outlined in the job profile. Candidates are not aware of the elements not mentioned here and thus could not address these needs in their CV and cover letter. You risk unfairly excluding a number of people. Dticking to the criteria outlined in the job profile is essential for maintaining fairness, transparency, and legal compliance in the hiring process. Introducing new criteria midway can create confusion, disadvantage candidates, introduce bias, and raise legal risks, ultimately undermining the integrity of the selection process.
Q: I have a large pool of candidates and have selected enough for the first round. Can I hold the rest as reserves and only consider them if the first round doesn't yield a suitable candidate?
A: No, for the sake of equal treatment of candidates, it's important to consider each application and review all candidates with equivalent profiles in the selection process.
Q: My top candidate applied on day one. Can I proceed with their candidacy and close the vacancy?
A: No, here too, for the sake of equal treatment of candidates, it's important to review each application and consider all candidates with equivalent profiles in the selection process. Moreover, in order to provide equal opportunities for consideration for a position at KU Leuven, we cannot simply close vacancies prematurely. However, you can contact the selection manager to discuss how you can initiate initial contact with these candidates to ensure their continued interest in your vacancy."
Q: My candidate not only asks for feedback about the procedure for which I conducted the pre-screening but also seeks more information about other selection procedures. However, I am not aware of this. What can I do?
A: In that case, you can refer the candidate to the Recruitment & Selection manager. We will ensure to promptly contact the candidate and provide them with the necessary information."
Q: The candidate wishes to reschedule the selection interview to another time, should I agree to this? A: If you wish to meet the candidate and you can convene the entire selection committee, then you can certainly accommodate this request. It's important that you schedule the new time not much later than when you meet other candidates. They expect feedback, which you can only provide after meeting everyone. Similarly, it's important that the procedure remains consistent. If all other candidates were given 45 minutes, this should also apply to this candidate. If other candidates met with the full selection committee, then the candidate requesting a different date should also meet with the full selection committee.