- You can set up and send out interview time slots to the applicants you want to interview. The interview dates should match what was stated in the job advert. Make sure you leave sufficient time between interviews to carry out the interview assessment.
- Make sure you think about what you expect candidates to do at the interview, such as completing a task. Give them enough time to prepare. You should meet with the interview panel beforehand to plan the structure of the interview.
- The panel must agree whether the interviews will be face‑to‑face or online. All candidates must be interviewed in the same format, unless a change is needed as a reasonable adjustment for a disabled applicant.
- Online interviews are now common, but face‑to‑face interviews can still offer many benefits, so consider both options before deciding.
- If you choose to hold interviews online using MS Teams, it is the recruiting manager’s responsibility to set these up. See the separate guidance on conducting online interviews for more help.
- The Council’s Connect for Success Principles are central to how we recruit. During interviews, you will be asked to assess how well candidates show these behaviours.
- Structured or competency‑based interviews are not new, but they are a good way to explore a candidate’s skills, experience and behaviours in relation to the job.
- Using a mix of behaviour‑based questions and competency‑based questions gives you a better picture of each candidate and helps you make fairer decisions.
- Asking follow‑up questions that focus on how and why a candidate acted in a situation helps you understand their behaviour, motives and values. Past behaviour is often a good indicator of how someone will behave and perform in the future.
- Don’t accept vague or unsupported answers. Ask for clear examples and evidence so you can properly assess what the candidate is claiming. This is a key part of making stronger, more consistent decisions.
- More guidance on how to run interviews, including example behaviour‑based questions, can be found here.
Giving candidates a good experience during the interview process is important. It helps attract the right people, protects the council’s reputation, and ensures even unsuccessful applicants leave with a positive impression.
“Candidate experience” means how applicants feel about the whole recruitment process. A positive experience can result in:
- More candidates accepting job offers
- A stronger reputation as an employer
- More people applying for future vacancies
To provide a positive experience for all involved you should arrange a meeting with all the recruiting panel members to plan and discuss your approach, and how you will be assessing candidates, as well as pulling together your interview questions. This will also provide an opportunity to discuss any applicants who have requested adjustments and how these will be dealt with.
It is good practice to schedule time before the interviews to make sure everyone has what they need and confirm who is doing what.
The shortlisting process will ensure that each interviewee meets the Criteria reasonably well. However, there will be areas that you should explore more deeply at interview with each candidate, and you should study each application for:
- Any missing items,
- Any areas that seem weak compared to the Criteria,
- Any aspects which require more clarity than the candidate has provided. These may include descriptions of previous experience which seem potentially of considerable interest (for or against selection), but which are too abbreviated.
- When planning what you want to assess at interview, base everything on the JDPS. Your questions should help you understand how well each applicant can meet the requirements of the job.
- Make a note of anything that might need more explanation during the interview.
- An interview assessment form is available to help with this. You should list your questions or assessment activities under the relevant criteria in the form and score them using the weighting scoring agreed. See the separate guidance on interview questions and interview assessment for more detail.
- You should agree who is going to ask which questions in advance of the interviews and be prepared to probe for more details or clarification.
- Make sure you take notes for every candidate. These notes will help you make decisions and will be useful if a candidate asks for feedback afterwards.
- When planning what you want to assess at interview, base everything on the JDPS. Your questions should help you understand how well each applicant can meet the requirements of the job.
- Make a note of anything that might need more explanation during the interview.
- An interview assessment form is available to help with this. You should list your questions or assessment activities under the relevant criteria in the form and score them using the weighting scoring agreed. See the separate guidance on interview questions and interview assessment for more detail.
- Make sure you take notes for every candidate. These notes will help you make decisions and will be useful if a candidate asks for feedback afterwards.
Interview questions will usually be part of the selection process, but you can also use other types of assessments, such as:
- Presentations
- Case studies
- Practical exercises
- Group interviews (useful when there are many applicants for certain roles)
Whichever method you choose, it must be the same for all candidates and must be relevant to the job.
To give candidates a positive experience at interview, make sure you and the panel are well prepared. You can do this by:
- Greeting candidates warmly and introducing the panel, including each person’s role
- Making some small talk to help them relax
- Explaining how the interview will run and reassuring them that it’s fine to take their time
- Using clear, inclusive language and avoiding jargon
- Asking the same core questions to all candidates
- Being respectful and giving candidates time to think before answering
- Being understanding if they are nervous and encouraging them if they stumble
- Allowing time at the end for candidates to ask their own questions
- Explaining what will happen after the interview and when they will hear back
- Thanking them for their time and interest in the job
Remember: candidates are also judging you and the organisation based on their interview experience.
At the same time as being invited for interview, applicants will be sent:
- An Interview Expenses Guideline & Claim Form. This will allow all candidates to comply with the Guidelines, where approval is required in advance.
- Eligibility to Work in the UK Information. Information will be included to allow candidates to prepare their right to work documents prior to interview in compliance with the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996.
- Link to Online Interview guidance, if you have chosen to hold an online interview, this guide provides some tips and some helpful information for candidates participating in an online interview.
- Argyll and Bute Council uses psychometric tests as part of the recruitment process for leadership roles.
- If psychometric testing is included, it should take place right before or right after the interview so that the panel has the results when making their final decision.
- These tests are carried out by an external provider. To arrange them, contact your departmental HR Business Partner, who can support you through the process.
As the recruiting manager, you should collect the following documents (these requirements were explained in the letter/email inviting the candidate for interview):
- Original qualifications (if required): explain these will be copied for our records, and originals returned before they leave.
- Proof of eligibility to work in the UK: this / these will be copied and returned on the day before they leave. Please ensure you review Section 17 which sets out your responsibilities as Line Manager / Chairperson to check each interviewee’s eligibility to work in the UK under the terms of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 either in person or digitally.
- PVG scheme form (if required): If successful the candidate will be sent an email from Manager to request an online application is completed.
- Disclosure Scotland form (if required).
- SSSC (if required).
- Driving licence (if required).
- Where interviews are carried out online documentation can be shown on screen, however, the original documents must be checked and verified in person or sent via courier for the successful candidate.
- There should also be an opportunity during the interview for disabled candidates who might otherwise be disadvantaged to discuss any necessary support or reasonable adjustments to enable the candidate to perform the job in question.
The chair of the panel should thank the candidate for attending and indicate when they are likely to be contacted regarding the outcome.
Don’t be tempted to make this a short timescale. It is important that the final decision on the successful applicant is not rushed, and it may take time to follow up references etc. It is better to give a realistic timescale, of around a week, and be able to contact them earlier, than set a short timescale of one or two days and be unable to meet this.
- Following the interviews the panel should carry out the interview assessment process based on questions asked and any assessments that made up the process.
- This is where you use the weighted scoring to score candidates and enter these into the iTrent system.
Add link to iTrent guidance