Preparing for interviews

Set up the interview: one on one or panel

One on one interviews are suitable for casual or entry level positions and are less intimidating for the interviewee. It provides the employer with the opportunity to build a rapport with the interviewee and creates a more relaxed atmosphere for the interview.

A panel interview is used for more senior positions and has more than one person at the interviews to observe, listen, take notes ,ask follow up questions and assist with the final hiring decision.

It is important to keep notes and ensure the interview process is consistent for all applicants to prove fairness and objectivity in case there is a later accusation of discrimination or unfairness. The purpose of any job interview is to find the best applicant and the interview must conform to equal employment legislation. Treat applicants with respect and give them feedback if requested.

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Goals of an interview

 The goals of the interview are to discover enough about the candidates to be able to select the best person for your position (and for the candidates to learn enough about your farm business to decide if they want to come on board). Things you want to know about are:

• Does the candidate actually have the necessary knowledge and skills to successfully fulfil the role?
• Will he or she fit the existing culture and the team currently working on the farm?
• Does he or she have the right work ethic and attitude, and how best can they be successfully managed?
• Will he or she become an asset for the farm business?

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Preparing interview questions

Now it is time to prepare interview questions to ask the selected applicants.

Before the interviews, prepare some questions that will allow you to discover these types of things from the candidates. Each question asked in an interview should be relevant to the assessment of the candidate’s suitability for immediate and continued employment.

The characteristics of sound interview questions include:

• clear purpose – designed to elicit specific information;
• tied to job requirements – must be related to the position description and person specification;
• focused and clear – avoid confusion;
• repeatable – ask all candidates the same questions;
• meaningfully placed – asked in a logical order;
• primarily open-ended – allow candidates to do most of the talking; and
• behavioural in nature – relate to questions about past ‘job-related’ behaviour.

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Open-ended questions

Interviewing sometimes requires probing (but not intimidation) of the applicant to get the information that is needed. Question’s which begin with five W’s and one H – will stimulate the discussion and invite a response from the candidate:

• Who;
• What;
• When;
• Where;
• Why and;
• How.

‘Tell me what you think is the most…’ is another good open question. It invites the other person to choose the most significant aspect to discuss with you.

Examples of closed questions that have been changed to open-ended questions:

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Behavioural interviewing

Behavioural interviewing is based on the principle that past behaviour predicts future behaviour. Asking the candidate questions about how they behaved in the past is the best way of predicting how they will behave in the future. Effective behavioural interviewing asks questions in a non-threatening, structured way. This encourages candidates to talk about what actually happened in selected situations, what they did, how they thought and felt. If they are talking in terms of we, rather than I, further probing and clarification will be required.

Information that should be collected from the candidate’s answer should include:

• the situation or task;
• the action taken by the candidate; and
• the result or outcome.

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Examples of behavioural questions:

Can you tell me about a particular initiative you developed to implement change in your past role?
Sometimes in the course of the day, we come across a situation or problem that someone else has missed and could have been important if not addressed. Give an example of when you have experienced a similar circumstance or situation.
Talk about a stressful situation you have experienced.
Describe a time when you have had trouble seeing eye to eye with someone in your role on a farm.
Describe a time when you tried to persuade a person or group to do something they didn’t want to do.

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Example interview questions

Some more examples of useful questions include:

• Briefly describe properties you have worked on, your duties and level of responsibility.
• What aspects of your previous jobs have you enjoyed the most / enjoyed the least?
• What kind of people do you enjoy working with? What kind do you find most difficult?
• What would make you a good candidate for this job?
• What do you want to do in the long term?
• What are your hobbies and interests?

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