Interviewing For Open Positions

I have been interviewing potential new employees at our firm.

Firstly, let me state that I am by no means a Human Resources Manager. I have worked for a large company before and gone through the hire process and the transfer / promotion process. I have a rudimentary understanding of the laws, rules and regulations of what can and can’t be asked. I have done sales in the past so I understand “open ended” questions and “closed” questions, and I understand how to take over conversations and get them back on track. With that said:

I posted two positions for our company online *. The first was a “Bookkeeper / Clerical” position. I devised a two on one interview session, including a list of five standard questions to ask (basic questions on history, expectations, future goals, and a couple out of the box questions like “what do you expect to do on your first day?, ext…). We successfully hired an employee who, after a month, is turning out to be a pretty good choice.

I posted the second position the other day; we sifted through resumes and found two candidates we identified as possibilities. I sent an email notifying these people we would like to interview them. In the email I listed five possible days and time slots that would fit our schedules. Immediately after the list was the line, “please let me know which two of these times best fits your availability”. This is a relatively simple task. Only one candidate replied with the instructed two slots.

It is very possible the “non instruction following” candidate is the more qualified of the two, and I am going to go ahead and interview this person anyway, but this is an absolutely horrible first impression. And I know prior to interviewing this person that it is basically a formality, and there is little chance of even being considered. Moral of this story… READ THE ENTIRE EMAIL BEFORE RESPONDING!!!!

This is a very difficult job market; no one knows this fact more than I. Do not eliminate yourself from contention for the position prior to even applying!

If you are interviewed, you are already on a short list of candidates. I understand that we are in a very technology driven society, but for crying out loud, spend the $0.50 to send a hand written “thank you” note and an email “thank you”. It makes you look like a considerate person.

* I used the Georgia State University job search page for current students and alumni (my boss is an alumnus of GSU, and we are confident the Robinson College of Business has adequately prepared its graduates).