Interview Invitation and Preparation

Candidates should be advised of the time, date and venue of the interview, where to report and how much time to allow for on the day. It may be helpful to provide information about:

• The interview panel (names and job title)
• Directions to interview venue, including car parking and train / bus services
• Whether expenses can be claimed
• What equipment is available if they are expected to give a presentation, and what the topic of the presentation is and how long for
• The fact that they will be expected to do a written exercise

Prior to attending interview all Candidates should be asked to provide evidence of their right to work and bring any relevant qualification documents to their interview.

Candidates should also be asked if there are any reasonable adjustments that could be made so that they can participate fully and fairly in the interview process. The accessibility of the interview venue should be  considered when securing a venue, and it may be necessary to delay scheduled interviews to accommodate certain reasonable adjustments. Recruiting Managers should consult with the Lay Employment Secretary/ Employment Adviser should they require any guidance.

An example of interview invitation letter is available from the Downloadable Templates section. 

Pre-Meeting of the panelBefore the interview time should be set aside at least a day or two in advance of the interview date for the panel to convene and decide on:

• the format of the interview and order of questions
• which panel member will ask which questions
• the specific questions to be asked of individual candidates
• the optimum start date for the post
• any other details candidates may need about the role that were not sent with the application form

Online interview is becoming more of a trend as organisations are looking at ways to reduce the hiring costs these should be considered alongside the traditional face-to-face interview methods.

The venueWhere you hold the interviews is important. This should ideally be in a light and airy room, with sufficient space to hold the panel and interviewees, without being so large as to be intimidating. In cases where a presentation is required, the correct equipment must be booked.

All potential distractions should be minimised, such as:

• Put a sign on the door to indicate interviews are taking place
• Forward any telephones to another office
• Provide refreshments (particularly water) for the panel and the interviewee
• Where possible, ensure that the temperature in the room is comfortable
• Place the interviewee's chair facing away from any windows where appropriate to minimise any distractions to them
• Arrange the room and furniture in a format suitable to the particular interview you are doing. An ideal layout is to have a round or square table around which the panel and the candidate can sit.