Park interview

Conducting the Interview

 

Make sure that you have prepared prior to the interview.

  • Take some time to read through this article.
  • Have a copy of the interview questions to hand.
  • Read through the candidates application, including their resume and all emails communications.
  • Practice reading the questions to yourself, do mock interviews with friends or even your dog, but don’t go into the interview unprepared.

 

 

Who Are We Looking For?

  • Good people – Are they nice? Do they seem like good-people?
  • Reliable – Are they taking too long to respond to your emails? Can they commit to the weekly hours? How busy is their schedule?
  • Passionate – How do they feel about the cause? How important is it to them? Do they understand how we operate?

 

Who Do We Want To Avoid?

Angry

  • Me, Me, Me, Me, I, I, I – I want this job, because it’s a good opportunity for me to help advance my career.” Eliminate candidates who are in it for themselves.
  • Angry/Bitter – Anger is the emotion that drives many people to action, so naturally when it comes to politics or an issue, you’ll encounter some angry/cranky folks. We don’t want angry people… We want happy people. 🙂
  • Not Totally on Board/Overly Cautious – There’s a certain personality type that is slow to get behind anything and always looking for its flaws. If their responses and questions during the interview seem cautious and not fully onboard, then listen to your gut instinct.

 

Candidate Questions

Give the candidate a chance to ask questions at the end of the interview.  If they ask you something you are not sure about, then tell the candidate that you will check with the manager for the team and get back to them.  Don’t make it up! Add the candidate’s question to their application as an internal note, making sure you add the name of your manager to the note, so they can get back to you.

 

Outcome of the Interview

At the end of the interview, do not tell the candidate whether they have been successful or not. Advise them that we will be conducting other interviews through the day and that we will email them with the outcome the following day.

If candidates feel that they have been chosen over other applicants they will feel more valued and hopefully go that extra mile during their internship.