Doing an interview

When it comes to an industry like commercial cleaning, turnover is an inevitability. With high turnover comes a high frequency of interviews. Whether it’s for a frontline cleaning team member, supervisor or salesperson, learning some applicable interview tactics can make the entire process simpler and more effective for everyone involved. To help interviewers hone their craft, Reed shared some valuable pointers that can be taken for the next opportunity. 

1. Revisit the job description. This may seem obvious, but especially for positions with higher turnover or in industries where protocols have changed, the description of the job may be outdated or simply needs more details. By giving the description a good read-through, managers can pinpoint aspects of the job that may have not been mentioned initially, or emphasize the responsibilities that are preferred more. With a more accurate job posting comes a higher likelihood of better fits applying. 

2. Mixing up questions. While many questions in a job interview will need to be position or industry-specific, they should also have competency/personality questions sprinkled in. A perfect resume and matching certifications doesn’t magically make a candidate a great fit for a company. If a potential custodial manager doesn’t like dealing with interpersonal conflicts of other employees, they may not succeed as a supervisor — even if they’re the most competent at the day-to-day operations. Additionally, it’s crucial to avoid yes-or-no questions as it can shut the door on revealing, elaborative discussions. 

3. Prioritize listening. The interview is expected to prompt most of the questions or discussion, but once a topic has been initiated, they should prioritize listening over speaking themselves. Reed notes that the 80/20 rule is a good benchmark for interviews: speak 20 percent of the time and listen for the other 80. A common pitfall is interviewers feeling uncomfortable about the prospect of extended silence in an interview, so they’ll jump to another question just to fill the void. In reality, a candidate may have just been taking a moment to formulate a valuable thought, but if the next topic is initiated that thought can be lost and the interview as a whole is hampered. 

Check out the entire list from Reed here. For related content, check out these four tips for speeding up the hiring process.