Find the rare pearl with the interview grid [ Template to download ]

Assessing a candidate at a job interview is never easy. Between their training, their professional experience and their personality, recruiters sometimes don't know which way to turn ... and we understand! To recruit effectively, it's essential to be organised and ask the right questions when comparing applications.

Today, Appvizer is offering you its advice, with the added bonus of an interview grid that you can download free of charge and fill in straight away to conduct an effective job interview 😉

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What is a job interview grid?

Definition

A recruitment interview grid is an assessment tool made up of all the useful information about your candidates. In general, it is organised so that you can quickly find their training, skills and overall assessment. Your interview grid guides you in asking the right questions to help you make your final choice.

Why use an assessment interview grid when recruiting?

The interview grid is a real guideline that gives you a procedure to follow. Depending on the questions you ask your candidate, you can get to know them more easily and save a considerable amount of time. Filling in an assessment interview grid helps you to :

• structure the interview
• facilitate communication
• guarantee equal access.

Free job interview template to download

We offer you an interview template that you can download free of charge. Simply fill it in directly on your computer or print it out to use when recruiting.

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4 steps to filling in an effective interview grid

Now that you've got your template, it's time to fill it in. Here are our 4 tips for a top-notch recruitment grid! 🤩

Step no. 1: reach agreement with your colleagues

Before you start anything, why not talk to your colleagues such as your team leaders, managers and employees to target the expectations and needs of your future candidate?

Those who work with you are the best qualified to guide you in your choices thanks to their experience, but above all their employment within your company. What qualities do you need when you want to recruit a salesperson, for example? The sales manager can then guide you and list the skills you need, such as active listening, communication or ambition, and even tell you what qualifications you need.

💡 It's worth noting: collaborative recruitment helps to promote corporate well-being, exchange and performance ... not to be overlooked!

Once you've gathered as much information as possible for each vacancy sheet, you're ready for the second stage!

Step 2: Structure your grid in a logical order

When you prepare for a job interview, there is a beginning and an end. Logical, you might say! 🙄 However, many recruiters get confused during their interviews and confuse candidates.

If you follow a precise and practical order, you'll avoid going from one thing to another and making your candidate feel uncomfortable so that they reveal their true potential. Your grid should be divided into several logical categories:

• Category 1: first impressions. Let your candidate introduce himself in a few words without interrupting;
• Category 2: knowledge of the company. In order to check their motivation and seriousness, your ideal candidate will need to know a minimum amount about your company;
• Category 3: training and professional experience. Ask about their educational background, diplomas or training and find out about their professional experience in previous positions;
• Category 4: personal skills and qualities. Finally, ask them questions to determine their personality traits, such as their passions.

To ensure that you and your employees are on the same wavelength and that there is no possible confusion, use the same evaluation criteria for all the interview grids. In our model, we've chosen a scale from 0 to 5, but you can modify it to suit your needs.

Step 3: Customise your interview grid

You've already got everything in order on your interview grid - perfect! Depending on the post to be filled, it's up to you to add other rows or columns at the click of a button to personalise it for assignments that require additional information.

For example, if you're hiring an employee with strong technical skills, you'll need to emphasise their training and skills by evaluating them. For a salesperson, on the other hand, their soft skills, motivation and personality are more important than their qualifications.

Step 4: Questions to exclude

Contrary to popular belief, you cannot ask your candidate every question that comes to mind. If your question is too personal or illegal, the candidate is entitled not to answer it.

There are 4 types of question in particular that you can avoid.

Illegal questions

Illegal" questions such as religion, illness, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, etc. are prohibited. These questions are discriminatory and you could be convicted. We would also remind you that all recruiters in a company with more than 300 employees must undergo training to combat discrimination in recruitment.

💡 Please note: you can ask about the applicant's criminal record if, and only if, their position requires a clean criminal record, such as a security guard for example. If this is not the case, the candidate has every right not to reply.

Questions that are too personal or awkward

Be careful not to cross a certain line with your candidate. For example, avoid questions such as "Do you prefer to work with a man or a woman? "in short, questions where the candidate has no real answer to give you.

Similarly, asking too many questions about a candidate's personal life can be intrusive and scare them away. Stick to simple questions that are very effective in determining your candidate's skills and motivation.

As you will have realised, the interview grid is an essential tool for all recruiters who want to make a success of their interviews. There are several other quite original methods, such as escape games or simulations, if you want to be original.

What do you prefer?