How To End An Interview With A Job Candidate

Job interviews can be tricky, both for the interviewer and for the interviewee. For the interviewee because they want to get everything right and leave a good impression on the interviewers so that he or she can easily get the job. For the interviewer because he or she is responsible for representing the company and its values. While the beginning and the middle part of the interview is easy for the interviewers, the closing can be quite tricky. Mostly, recruiters and talent acquirers fail to gracefully close an interview with job candidates. So, in this article we will cover how to close or end an interview with a job candidate:

ASK THE CANDIDATE IF HE HAS ANY QUESTIONS

The first step of closing a job interview is asking the candidate if he has any questions regarding the job or the organization. This basically gives the candidate a signal that the interview is about to end. If he or she has some questions, then reply to him with as much detail as you can, make sure that the answer completely satisfies the candidate.

EXPLAIN THE NEXT STEP IN THE PROCESS

Usually after an interview, the candidate has to wait to hear back from the recruiters. So, explain it to him or her the next step in the process, if they are required to wait for a call, or if there will be another interview call. If there are other steps like tests or forms that need to be filled, then politely but clearly explain that to him or her. This creates a very good impression of the organization.

IF THE CANDIDATE IS NOT HIRED

If you are sure that the candidate cannot be hired and you have already made that decision then the best practice is to tell him or her there and then, but in a non-critical and a gentle manner.

GIVE FEEDBACK

This is not a very common practice but some companies give feedback to the candidate on the spot. If he was rejected due to a reason, the recruiters give proper feedback so that the candidate can work on that skill and prepare well for other interviews. This is one amazing practice and should be normalized everywhere.

THANK THE CANDIDATE

Last but not the least, this step includes formally ending the interview. In this step the recruiter is required to thank the candidate for appearing for the interview. You can also let him or her know that they will be hearing from you again soon and live up to that commitment.

AFTER THE INTERVIEW

Do not rely on your memory. Make notes as soon as the candidate leaves the office. It is not necessary to make the decision of hiring or rejecting the candidate, at this point the best thing is to just summarize the interview and what you felt about the candidate so that you do not forget later. This will help you in making a final decision and choosing among different job applicants.