In the following memo, I will analyze an interview by our recruiter with a potential college grad for a sales position in the agricultural products division. I will point out where the recruiter could improve in his interviewing technique. I will also recommend some pointers that could help the applicant make it from the 'meeting' to the 'got to have him' stage.
The opening to this interview is dated. The interviewer should have been familiarized with federal regulations regarding smoking in public buildings before asking the interviewee if he smoked.
The opening question was common. Many interviewers begin with this broad and open-ended question. It would have been better for the interviewer to have prepared by reading the interviewee's resume and directing questions more specifically from items listed there.
The interviewer does not appear to be listening to what the interviewee is answering. In some respects, he asks the exact same question of his interviewee twice. Then, he asks the interviewee a question the interviewee has already answered. The interviewee, on the other hand, does not really answer the questions in depth.
When it comes to covering key areas, the employer interviewer seems to have a "sales pitch" down when it comes to describing the company and what it sells. This information is specific and in depth and doesn't allow much time for the applicant to digest it for querying. Therefore, the applicant does not seem effective in getting his points across during the pitch.
The applicant's answers do not seem thorough, to the point or persuasive. The employer is most effective, to the point and persuasive when he is comfortably within his company 'sales pitch'.
The applicant is unsure of himself when he is asked if he would be willing to travel or willing to move. He is unsure of exactly what his career goals are. He has a broad picture based on financial gain, but no real plan of h...