5. The Interview Process: After the Interview

In this lesson, we will outline considerations for the end of the interview and after the interview. This is where your preparation before the interview pays off in terms of making good hiring decisions. 

After the Interview

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Finishing Well

The end of an interview should be as well-ordered as the beginning and the middle. Make sure you’ve left enough time for any questions the candidate may have. Go over the steps you’ll be taking from this point on and how long your decision making process will likely take. Try to end things on a positive note. If this is a strong candidate, it’s important to leave them with a good impression—excited about the idea of working for your organization.

The Assessment

While the interview is still fresh in your mind, it’s time to itemize your impressions using the assessment scale you created at the beginning of the interview process. A solid assessment tool will help you make the best hiring decision possible. However, we all have built-in biases that can prevent us from assessing a candidate objectively. Hire Immigrants, an immigration employment resource produced by Ryerson University, highlights five potential assessment pitfalls. It is worth spending some time reflecting on them:

Primacy Bias—This refers to the tendency to make a decision within the first few minutes of an interview.

Similar to Me Bias—This involves the practice of hiring people who are similar to us.

Halo Effect—This can cause candidates to get a high score on all skills when they possess just one skill, but a skill we value highly.

Strictness Bias—This bias has the opposite effect. Candidates are rated lower on all skills because they don’t possess one particular skill we’re looking for the most.

Demographic Bias—This bias involves assessments that are made based on stereotypes, which may or may not be accurate, i.e. an interviewee from a culture that values independent accomplishment is assumed to be a poor team player.

It is worthwhile to consider which effect you feel you may be most prone to. Reflect on this in the following exercise.

Here is a printable resource which provides tips for a successful interview process.

In the next lesson, we will look at the important skill of providing feedback.