Small Business: How To Use Exit Interviews As A Tool To Improve Your Future Business
nterviews are traditionally used to find out “why people leave”. You’re much better off treating them as a chance to seek the opinion of employees who’ve resigned. Forget the “heart to heart” chats about the past. concentrate on obtaining information to enhance the future.
What An Exit Interview Is Not. An exit interview is not the time to convince the employee to stay. Do not use it for this purpose. Once an employee submits a resignation, they’re lost – emotionally and mentally if not physically. No matter how much it hurts, accept the fact, cut your losses, find out what you can and leave it at that.
Have Clear Objectives. Objectives should be specific and measurable; not open ended and general e.g. “To reduce delays in paying invoices” not “to discuss invoicing procedures”. Balance is a most important objective. Resignees should be asked about “good things” as well as “bad things”. e.g. “What are the major benefits of working with us, our systems, our relationships”.
Prepare Well. Treat each exit interview separately. There are no standard questions. Ask questions specific to the resignee, their job and their experience in your business. You set the tone. You’ll get the quality of information you deserve.
Be prepared. Write down your questions before you start. If issues arise that require further questioning, follow them up then. Don’t rely on your memory. Don’t rely on your memory. Record what resignees actually say as they say it.
Be Careful of Extreme Responses. Remember, an issue that’s irritating a resignee may be perfectly acceptable to other employees. Never accept a statement by a resignee that can’t be verified and supported by “stayers”.
It’s common for resignees to be reluctant to say anything that could “backfire” against them or damage an established relationship. Alternatively, if they?ve “thrown caution to the winds”, they may use the interview as “payback” against persons they’ve clashed with. Either way, you’ll get little useful information.
Use Precise Questions. Avoid broad, imprecise questions like “Why are you leaving?” or “What’s making you leave?” Ask “What’ s so attractive about your new job compared with here?” You may find that the resignee is just moving on to an opportunity you can’t offer. Focus on gaining information you can use to improve things. You want information that leads to future improvements.
Seek Positive Comments. Be as positive as possible. Seek positives before negatives. Balance “What’s wrong” with “What’s right”. This helps you to evaluate objectivity in resignees? responses. If resignees launch into criticisms of individuals, try to turn the comments from “who” to “what”. If the resignee persists with personal criticism, terminate the interview.
Avoid Speculation. Never ask questions requiring speculative answers. Ask only about work related matters that they’re competent to answer. Don’t ask salespeople about transport or marketing managers about accounting. Avoid questions that refer vaguely to “the company”. Ask “How could we have made work in IT more stimulating for you?” not “What’s your opinion of the company’s IT approach?”
The “Why” Trap. It?s difficult, but try to avoid questions starting with “why”. “Why” questions encourage speculation and opinions. If you want facts start your questions with “how”, “what”, “when”, “which” and “where” ……… even “who”.
Beware Of Interviewer “Agendas” Interviewer subjectivity can be a problem. Should an interviewer have an “axe to grind”, he or she may subconsciously direct the interview in such a way as to confirm views already held. Self-fulfilling prophesies are common in exit interviews.
Conclusion. Exit interviews can provide useful and valuable assistance for managers. Good exit interviews require absolute clarity of objectives, an enhanced level of interview skills and total objectivity from the interviewer. With all these present plus a cooperative, positive, honest and well informed resignee, the exit interview is a sound tool.
7 Interview Techniques That Will Get You Hired
Despite all the advances in technology and communications these days, the traditional rules still hold when it comes to interview techniques that will get you hired. Whether you’re applying to a global corporation or a small company, the most important part of an interview is that you have a winning presentation. This is usually the key factor in determining whether you get the job.
Once you have created an effective resume and have sent your resume to prospective employers, the next step is to try and obtain an interview. This can be done by phone or in person. Chances are you will first meet an administrative assistant or receptionist. This person could be the key to your future in terms of helping you to get an interview or providing information about the company, so remember to be polite and friendly.
Once an interview is scheduled, your personal appearance and behavior are critical factors which could decide whether your job search is successful.
Here are 7 important steps to help you improve your interview techniques.
Interview Techniques #1 — Proper Preparation
To make sure you’re on time for the interview, find out ahead of time where the interview is and how to get there. Give yourself plenty of time to get dressed and get there on time. As a matter of courtesy, make sure your cell phone is turned off before the interview.
Plan to dress in a manner which is appropriate for the job. Your appearance will determine the first impression the interviewer has of you. Take care in your grooming before the interview, and be aware of your body language during the interview. Good posture will help to give an overall good impression.
Interview Techniques #2 — Do the Research
Use every possible resource to learn about a company before you interview there. You should be prepared to answer question about why you’re interested in the company or what you’ve heard about it. Make sure you know what the company does and if possible a little bit about its history. Be familiar with the company profile.
While it’s a good idea to prepare some answers to questions ahead of time, avoid memorizing your responses. You need to sound unscripted and as natural as possible. Rehearse an overview of what you want to say, but keep it spontaneous.
Interview Techniques #3 — Keep your Cool
When you meet the interviewer, remember to look him or her in the eye and be prepared to return a handshake if offered. A polite greeting and friendly smile are in order. Only take a seat after it’s offered. Thank the interviewer for taking the time to meet with you. Keep your demeanor and comments positive.
Interview Techniques #4 — Sell Yourself
As you’re being interviewed, answer all questions as honestly as possible. Honesty and sincerity are both important interview techniques. Make your answers concise and not unnecessarily wordy. Do your best to convey to the interviewer what type of employee you will be and what you will offer the company. When asked about previous employers, stay as positive as possible.
If this is your first job, don’t be intimidated by your lack of experience. Emphasize your skills and talents, and let the employer know that you are confident and eager to learn.
One of the most important interview techniques is to see through the eyes of the employer. If you were the one doing the hiring, what qualities would you look for? What benefit would the employer gain in hiring you?
Lastly, don’t be afraid to sell yourself, but at the same time avoid the appearance of over confidence. Project an air of confidence without sounding like a know-it-all.
Interview Techniques #5 — Ask the Right Questions
Show the interviewer that you know the right questions to ask. Express an interest in knowing exactly what your responsibilities will be. If you come across an interviewer who does all of the talking, don’t be intimidated. Politely try to ask questions which will give you the chance to discuss your qualifications for the job.
Interview Techniques #6 — The Wrap Up
As the interview comes to a close, make sure that you’ve covered all the important points. This is not the time to ask about salary and benefits. Save those questions for the job offer or follow up interview.
Summarize you strengths and skills and re-emphasize your positive traits. Find out what the next steps are in the interview and job decision process. Thank the interviewer for taking the time to meet with you and make sure to leave a final good impression.
Interview Techniques #7 — The Follow Up
After the interview, another of the important interview techniques is to follow up with a thank you note to each person who interviewed you. Thank him or her for their time and for giving you the opportunity to apply for a job.
For details on these and other winning techniques, refer to the Interview Techniques section of InstantCareerAdvice.com
Preparing for Your Job Interview
Have you recently landed a job interview, from one of the job listings that you applied to? If you have, when is your interview scheduled? If your interview is scheduled to take place in a few days or even in a few hours, are you prepared for it? What you may not know is that most job applicants aren’t. To make sure that you are prepared for your interview, you will want to continue reading on.
When it comes to hiring an applicant, there are many interviewers who do place a large focus on personal appearance. This focus on personal appearance doesn’t just focus on beauty, but hygiene as well. Employers want to hire workers who will give their business a good public perception. That is why it is important that you give that good perception, especially in an interview. When attending a job interview, you will want to make sure that you are professionally dressed, either in a pant suit or a dress. Make sure that your hair is well kept as well. In fact, you may want to think about buying a new outfit or getting your hair done before your interview is scheduled to take place.
Before your interview, you may also want to make a trip to the store to purchase some needed supplies, if you don’t already own them. These supplies may include a notebook, writing utensils, and a thank you note. As for the notebook and a writing utensil, you may want to take notes during your interview. If you applied to more than one job listing, you may have multiple interviews scheduled. Taking notes during your interviews will help you keep all of them straight. Also, taking notes during a job interview makes you look as if you are more interested in the job. It is also shows a side of you that says “I am professional and always prepared.”
As for the thank you note, which was mentioned above, you will want to send a thank you note to your interviewer. A thank you note may also help to create a good, positive impression of yourself. With thank you notes, many have intentions of sending them, but not everyone ends up doing so. Having a standard thank you note already filled out and ready to go is ideal. In fact, you may also want to drop it off at the post off right after your interview has been completed. Of course, make sure that you don’t drop it off beforehand. Should the mail be delivered early or your interview needs to be rescheduled, you may be embarrassed with the early delivery of a thank you note, for an interview that never even occurred yet.
As you likely already know, job interviews are where hiring employers are able to learn as much as they can about you. This is often done by asking a series of questions. The questions that you are asked during a job interview will tend to vary, but most are likely focused around your goals and your work ethics. For instance, you may be asked to describe you strengths and your weaknesses, your goals in life, your desire to move up the corporate ladder and such. Even if these questions are expected to be asked, it can be nerve-wracking when they are actually asked. That is why you may want to do a number of practice interviews. These practice interviews work best with another person, like a family member or a friend, but you can also do them by yourself, like in front of a mirror. Practicing your responses before a job interview is one of the best ways to make sure that your answers come out exactly the way that you wanted them to.
The above mentioned preparation tips are just a few of the many that you may find useful, when it comes to preparing for a job interview. If you are hoping to schedule multiple interviews, you may want to invest in resource guides that focus on successfully mastering the interview process, as that interview process is often the deciding factor in whether or not you get hired.