Guidelines for Conducting Effective Employment Interviews

"successfully recruited and retained 35 volunteers", vs. "was responsible forrecruiting volunteers".)• Are there any unexplained gaps in the applicant's employment history? (This maynot be reason to exclude the applicant from consideration, but may be something toexplore further via a phone interview.)• Is the applicant currently employed? (Being unemployed is not a reason to excludea candidate from consideration, but something to be explored further during aninterview.)• Has the applicant changed jobs frequently?• Has the applicant indicated he/she left previous employment due to "difficultieswith supervisors" or similar reasons?• Has the applicant worked for companies / institutions similar to Franklin &Marshall, meaning he/she may have a smoother transition if hired (highereducation or non-profit institutions, similar in size and complexity, etc.)? Or, hasthe applicant worked for companies very different from the College, perhapsmeaning he/she may bring a different, valuable perspective?• Does the applicant's employment history show a record of upward movement /steady promotion?• Has the applicant requested a salary that cannot be met?Comments about applicants should not be written directly on resumes or applications.Make notes, on a separate sheet of paper, of items listed on the resume that you wouldlike to explore further with each applicant. As practical, a few members of the searchcommittee should review each resume to help ensure fairness and effectiveness, ratherthan having only one person evaluate a resume.Check references-- Thoroughly checking references before an offer of employment ismade is extremely important. Through reference checking, you may obtain a morecomplete, accurate picture of each candidate.Reference checks may be conducted before or after employment interviews. Checkingreferences before scheduling interviews may help eliminate unsuitable candidates. Areference check must be conducted before any offer of employment is made. Themanager / search committee chair is responsible for conducting reference checks forthose candidates who are being considered for employment. The manager / searchcommittee chair should attempt to obtain relevant work history information from thecandidates' previous, as well as current, managers. Questions asked of previousemployers are to focus on each candidate's job-related skills, abilities, accomplishments,and experiences. A Reference Check Form, available from the Human Resources webpages and in eDisk, may be used as a guide.Please note: The candidate is to be notified, in advance, that his/her current employerand others will be contacted for a professional reference. Please be sure to obtain thecandidate's permission before contacting his/her current employer.