Management Guide
Conducting a Recruitment Interview
Introduction
The key purpose of a recruitment interview is to assess the skills, experience and general
background of job applicants in order to make a decision on which candidate is the most suitable
person for a particular job. This management guide provides practical advice to help employers
make the most informed decision in the right conditions, and to avoid discrimination or bias.
Interview panel
The interview panel should ideally include more than one person to avoid inevitable bias which may
be on a subconscious level. Two or three interviewers is generally the norm since a larger panel can
intimidate the candidate and inhibit them from performing as well. All interviewers should be
trained to conduct interviews as well as being familiar with the post for which the candidates are
applying.
Interview location
The interview could be conducted on the site of business or in an external location, depending upon
availability of suitable rooms, the importance of showing candidates the work environment as part
of the interview process, and the budget available to hire a room at an external site. What is most
important is that the interview takes place in a quiet and comfortable space.
TOP TIP… an interview is a two-way process, the employer is assessing the candidate’s
suitability to the job and the candidate is also assessing the organisation, the staff/managers,
the job role and the place of work.
Interview questions
It is a good idea to structure the interview questions and to ask the same questions of each
candidate so that a scoring and comparison exercise can be undertaken, and so that there is
consistency and fairness. Supplementary questions should not be completely restricted, and are
sometimes necessary, for example to follow up on something vague in the application form, or to
clarify a response to a previous question. Interview questions should be ‘open’ (e.g. What
experience do you have that matches the criteria for this job?) rather than ‘closed’ (e.g. Do you have
the right experience to do this job?). Open questions start with “what”, “which”, “why”, “how”,
“where” or “who”. Closed questions tend to generate a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer rather than a description
and explanation. Questions should be structured to explore facts, and allow candidates to
demonstrate their strengths.
TOP TIP… nerves and anxiety can inhibit the candidate from performing as well, and prevent
the employer from making the most informed decisions. Try to make the candidate feel
comfortable by offering them a drink of water, and by explaining the format of the interview
before commencing the questions. Ensure that your tone when asking questions is nonaggressive or intimidating.
Discrimination in recruitment
Anti-discrimination law applies throughout the entire process of recruitment, including selection
interviewing. Employers are liable in law for any discriminatory actions perpetrated by their staff in
the course of their employment. This means that if a manager who is conducting recruitment
interviews does or says anything that could be construed as discriminatory, the employer will be
potentially liable to pay compensation to the victim if a successful complaint is subsequently made
to an employment tribunal. A job applicant who believes that he or she has experienced
discriminatory treatment during the process of recruitment has three calendar months from the
date of the discriminatory treatment to lodge a claim with a tribunal, and there is no limit on the
amount of compensation that can be awarded by tribunals in discrimination claims.
Job applicants are protected by the law against discrimination because of:
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gender;
transgender status (ie where a job applicant has had a sex change or is in the process of
changing sex);
pregnancy and maternity;
marriage or civil partnership;
race, colour, nationality, ethnic origins and national origins;
religion or belief;
sexual orientation;
age; and
disability.
Rejection for employment is also unlawful if it is on the grounds of a candidate's past or present
trade union membership or, with some exceptions, on the basis of a "spent" criminal conviction.
The general principle contained in the UK's anti-discrimination legislation is that all job applicants
must be treated equally, irrespective of sex, race, etc. The structure of the law on disability is slightly
different in that the employer may choose, if it wishes, to treat a disabled candidate more
favourably than other candidates (and in some circumstances, must treat a disabled candidate more
favourably than other candidates).
Avoiding bias
It is important for managers responsible for recruitment decisions to recognise how bias might
influence their thinking. Some practical tips to avoid bias are:
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Be aware that a favourable first impression may prevent or inhibit the interviewer from
objectively recognising any negative elements in the candidate’s suitability for the post. For
example if the interviewer finds the candidate’s manner, appearance, accent pleasing, or
finds out that he/she attended the same university.
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Recognise that candidates from different racial backgrounds may have different ways of
communicating their achievements, for example in some cultures it is considered impolite to
make direct eye contact or to ‘boast’.
Don’t be influenced by stereotypes, for example assuming that older people will not be
familiar with technology.
Candidates should not be asked questions about:
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their marital status or marriage plans;
childcare arrangements;
general family commitments and/or domestic arrangements;
actual or potential pregnancy/maternity leave;
their partner's occupation and mobility;
any actual or potential absences from work for family reasons.
Employment tribunals have consistently taken the view that such questions, if asked of a female
candidate, indicate an intention to discriminate (whether conscious or not). This is because
questions of this type are usually rooted in an assumption that childcare and other family
commitments may have a negative impact on a woman's commitment to the job, attendance or
availability to work overtime.
Interviewing a disabled candidate
Job applicants are not obliged to disclose a disability to a prospective employer. It is also unlawful to
ask about an applicant's health, which includes asking about disability, before offering him or her a
job, except in limited circumstances. The purpose of this prohibition is so that employers do not
reject candidates without allowing them to exhibit their suitability for a role.
To avoid discrimination during an interview, interviewers should focus on the candidate’s ability to
perform the job duties, refrain from asking intrusive questions about the candidate’s disability and
avoid making negative assumptions about the candidate’s capabilities.
Once an offer of employment has been made to a candidate, it is permissible to ask questions
relating to the candidate's health, and where necessary make a job offer conditional on passing a
medical examination.
Interview Records
It is essential for managers conducting recruitment interviews to keep notes of the interview and
afterwards to make a record of the rationale behind the selection decision. Not only will this allow
for informed decisions to be made, and feedback to be given to candidates, but it will also provide
evidence that the recruitment process was conducted in a structured, objective and fair manner
should any complaints or employment tribunal claims be made.
Any record created about an individual and placed in a structured file (or input to a computer) will
give rise to individual rights under the Data Protection Act 1998. Specifically job applicants will have
the right, upon written request, to be given a copy of their own file. Interview notes should
therefore be compiled with this in mind.