Having interviewed many candidates over the years, it has been interesting to see how market conditions and ever evolving work environments have moved to change the way interviews are conducted and their associated value and critical importance.

Where interviews used to be a fairly inconsistent process, many companies have realised that as the “war for talent” increases, they need to make very aspect of the "candidate experience" a positive one. The interview is generally the first real personal interaction with a candidate and as the cliche goes: “first impressions count!” It is amazing how many companies still do not fully understand the importance of so many aspects of this stage of the process:

• Are your employees trained to interview?

• Do they know how to balance selling the company and gauging the suitability of the candidate

• Do the interviews take place in a physical environment that promotes the culture and values of the respective brand

• Is the interviewer the appropriate level of staff to meet the prospective candidate

• Does the interviewer know what the interview process is after the first interview to give a candidate an idea of what to expect

• Does the interviewer know the facts and figure of the business to be able to answer any questions about the state of the company and future prospects

• Have you spent proper time analysing a CV to fully understand a candidate's background and to formulate appropriate questions.

• The list is long and it is easy to gloss over this and rush in and effectively “lose” the candidate before they walk out of the door to one of your competitors!!

Once again- who is selling to who?