How to help a candidate to alleviate nervousness during an interview?

As experienced as you are, when you go to a job interview, you still experience nerves and the thoughts in your head just disappear into thin air. Often, this anxiety can lead to awkward situations and the candidate will leave a completely different impression on the interviewer than intended. A candidate’s true potential may not come out in such a situation and the employer may therefore miss out on a suitable employee. As a recruiter, you want to avoid such situations at all costs.

One of the responsibilities of the recruiter should be to manage candidate stress levels, because the recruiter manages the entire recruitment process, and it is ultimately their decision whether or not candidates will be selected.

Therefore, it is important in the recruitment process to help candidates to cope with nervousness and maintain calm. Here are some examples of how candidates can manage stress and increase the efficiency of the interview.

• At the beginning of the interview, if it is available, give the candidate access to the job description or any other document relevant to your organisation. This will allow the candidate to gather themselves and move away from thoughts that may be worrying them.
• Next, make a presentation to the candidate about your excellent company to make their eyes sparkle and eliminate nervousness. Be sure to focus your presentation on the positives and benefits of the workplace.
• One way is to have a conversation in a cosy setting, rather than a formal one. A cosy café or an office lounge is perfect for this.

Limit the number of interviewers in the first round of interviews as too many interviewers will have a negative impact.

• It is wise to involve more people in conducting the interview in the later stages.
• Be friendly and supportive, and always show respect and importance to the candidate. Indicate how fortunate you are that they decided to enter the competition.
• During the interview, make handwritten notes, rather than on a computer. A computer will create a communication barrier between you and the candidate and will enhance the formal environment.
• If possible, do not try to hide the handwritten notes as this will not inspire confidence in the candidate.

If you follow these suggestions, your interviews will be relaxed and successful for both you and the candidate. However, if you do not feel confident in recruiting, it is definitely worth considering an outside assistant. TeamCreator has a long track record in recruitment and using the recommendations above is a daily practice for us. Feel free to contact us to discuss the different options we offer.