6 ways to level up your interview process

Interviews are one of the most critical steps in the hiring process. When done right, they’re a highly effective way to assess and compare candidates to find the best fit for a role.

However, a poor interview experience may not only fail to achieve this but even damage the candidate experience – and your employer brand overall.

Small changes can greatly improve interviews so candidates leave with a good impression, whether or not they’re the perfect fit for the role. 

Here’s how you can improve your interview process.

The interview process starts well before a candidate walks in the room. Tracey Montgomery, general manager of Pure Source Recruitment, says it’s all about making it simple. “Give the candidate all the details they need, whether you’re sending them a meeting invite or instructions for how to get into the building.”

“This is really simple stuff, but you don’t want a situation where a candidate is told they can park in visitor parking but they get there and there’s none. These little things do add up,” she advises. 

Share all relevant information ahead of time, such as timing, location, video call links, parking information, and – most importantly – follow through with what you’ve said by being on time yourself. 

The more transparent you can be in the interview process, the better. One-third (35%) of people say the most important thing employers can do to get the best out of them in an interview is be clear about expectations and what the interview will involve.

This includes mapping out the entire interview process and stages, as well as starting each interview with an overview of how the time will be used. 

“Interviewers need to give people clear expectations from the beginning by letting them know what to expect, for instance, ‘This is going to be a 30 minute interview’. This way they won’t think they've bombed out when it ends after half an hour,” says Montgomery.

Asking candidates different questions is a bit like comparing apples to oranges. “How do you measure each person’s capability if there’s no commonality in the questions?” says Emily Wilson, managing director of recruitment consultancy Future You. “Make sure to include some standard questions to measure each candidate so the interview is fair and equitable, rather than completely relaxed and conversational.”

Competency-based questions measure a candidate’s ability to perform in the workplace by asking about successful outcomes they’ve had in the past. These should be worded to encourage detailed responses about how they’ve previously demonstrated certain skills and behaviours. 

Some examples include:

• Tell me about a situation where you had to collaborate with colleagues from different departments to complete a project. 

• Describe a challenging problem you faced at work. How did you go about solving it? 

Designing an inclusive interview process creates a welcoming experience for all candidates. Consider how you can be accommodating of different people’s needs, whether it’s being flexible on interview times or choosing a convenient location for them.

This can also include accommodations for neurodivergent applicants. “We’re seeing a lot more candidates being open about neurodivergency,” says Montgomery. “So we’ve started putting ‘If you need extra support during the interview process, let us know’ at the bottom of our job ads.”

“This might be that a neurodivergent candidate rings us and asks to be in a quieter room or have other needs in terms of that interview process,” she says. Small changes can create a more inclusive experience so candidates feel comfortable and supported throughout the process. 

It’s helpful to be transparent about what comes after the interview. At the end, make sure to clearly spell out the next steps so candidates know what to expect and when.

This includes details on:

• Subsequent interview stages

• Assessments and testing

• Reference checks

• How you’ll contact them and when

If there’s any other information you need from them, like past work examples, now is the time to mention it. Don’t forget to make sure they have the right contact details if they need to reach out after the interview.

Be sure to follow up with candidates regardless of the outcome. SEEK research shows not hearing back from a potential employer is a top frustration for 68% of people.

“Don’t leave candidates waiting, and give feedback,” advises Montgomery. “I see so many employers and recruiters who are afraid to tell someone they’ve been unsuccessful and too scared to give feedback.”

She says the best approach is to be upfront with candidates as to why they didn’t get the position. They might be unsuccessful in the role but still walk out of the interview process with a positive experience. 

Source: Independent research conducted by Nature of behalf of SEEK, interviewing 4000 Kiwis annually. Published February 2025.