• By the point of Interview stage, you will have drawn up a job description (we are able to help you with this) and consulted with Rubyred on the type of candidates you are looking for on both personality and skill set.

• We will have conducted first interviews on your behalf and will have provided you with thorough details of the top candidates in the market for your position. It’s now your turn to interview the candidates.

• By interview stage Rubyred candidates will know all about your company and the role you are recruiting for so it’s a matter of you finding out a bit more about them and for you personally to find out why you think they are suited to the position.

• There are many different ways to interview candidates, however face-to-face interviews will provide information to predict performance under pressure.

As the employer, the interview is an opportunity for you to:

• Describe the organisation and the responsibilities the job holder would need to take on in more detail.

• Assess candidates ability to perform in the role and the potential future opportunities within the role.
• Discuss with the candidate details such as start dates, training provisions and terms and conditions such as employee benefits.
• Give a positive impression to the candidate of the company as a ‘good employer’ (who they'd like to work should they be offered the position).
• It’s important to get the interview right as a poorly conducted interview may leave the candidate with an unfavourable impression of the organisation that they are likely to share with other potential applicants and customers.
• Rubyred is able offer advice as to how you can maximise your efforts and manage your time at the interview stage. An overview of Rubyred’s top rules to interviewing and offering the right candidate can be seen below, however to talk through the interview process in more detail and to ensure you get the most out the time spent with the candidate just pick up the phone – we’re here to help! Bristol 0113 815 2105 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

For the candidate, the interview is an opportunity to:  

• Ask questions about the job and the organisation and decide if they would like to work with your company.

Rubyred Rule 1 Preparation:

• It's very important to find time to prepare for your meeting and hopefully this document will save you some time pointing you in the right direction. Read through the candidate CV thoroughly. Candidates should know their CV inside out to speak with conviction so likewise, you should be in a position to ask them relevent questions. Although the hiring power ultimately lies with you, they too will be assessing whether they want to be working for your company; in effect interviewing you. They will have a first impression too.

Ruby Rule 2 Body Language:

• Shaking their hand and making good eye contact is often said to be the most important part of the interview. Bear in mind, the candidate may be nervous. Try to put them at ease with an ice breaker such as asking how their journey to the meeting was. Nerves are not necessarily a bad thing, it gives you an idea of how they deal with pressure and how they will deal with strangers when potentially starting with you.

Rubyred Rule 3 Set the agenda:

• Just explain very briefly how the meeting will be structured. This is logical, it also gives you control of the meeting. Introduce yourself and also give a brief overview of the company, your department and the role on offer.

Rubyred Rule 4 The Questions:

• Base interview questions on a comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date job description. Form questions in an open ended way so that candidates are able to elaborate on their answers and give detailed explanations to your questions. Open questions may begin with “Explain why, where, what, when, who”. Closed questions mean the candaidate can only answer yes or no. You may want to start your questions with a statement e.g. “You state on your CV that you have increased turnover by 100%. How did you achieve this?”
• Consider in advance how information collected at the interview will be used to assess the performance of candidates. Will a scoring system be used to help make comparisons? Will the interview be used alongside other activities as part of the selection process?
• Allow time during each interview for candidates to ask questions and make sure that you have sufficient information about the job to answer any reasonable questions.
• You may only want to meet the candidate once, or you may feel you would like to meet them again. Especially if you have two candidates who both score favourably. For advice on second interviews, contact Rubyred. We will be more than happy to help - Bristol 0113 815 2105 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Refer to our "Sample Interview Questions" document on the "Client Advice" section of our website www.rubyredrecruitment.com for further details on sample questions.

Rubyred Rule 5 Making a Decision:

• Make sure you have all the information from the candidate that you need.

• You want to feel that at the end of the interview sessions you know who you would like to offer the position to.
• Take brief notes during the interview but not at the expense of the dialogue; allow time in the schedule to write longer notes immediately after each interview.
• Try to let the candidate know at the end of the interview when you are likely to be making a decision. This will allow the candidate to schedule any other interviews they may have around your timescale and also ensure that they have made up their mind as soon as you have made your decision.
• Once you have decided who you would like to offer the posiotion to, Rubyred will organise the offer management process. As the potential employer you will neeed to take responsibility for taking candidate references.