When Should Interviews Be Scheduled

This is a short three part series on job interviews. It has been inspired by a few different people and from my own personal experience.

It’s a new world for jobs.

Candidates are different.

Jobs are different.

But, Interviews STILL need a modicum of sanity. This is not a detailed study. Rather it is a perspective. I would hope People Operations (nee HR) professionals would consider these points as they go about their busy days of finding and scheduling candidates for interviews.

There are a few common options for interviews:

Phone Interviews

Video Interviews

In-Person Interviews

Not to mention some of the more esoteric elements of the interview process.

The Informational Interview (this is probably a blog in and of itself)

The Team Interview (Gang Up)

The All Day Interview (Bring a Juice Box)

The Dining Interview (Your Etiquette will be Evaluated)

Non-Scientific Recommendations for Timing

These times are focused on what the interviewer expects to get out of the interviewee. There are a myriad of factors that can change these times. Some of the more obvious examples include coordinating around everyone’s work schedules, avoiding traffic,

Interview Type	Start Time	End Time
Phone Interviews	No earlier than 6am	No later than 6pm
Video Interviews	same	These could go to say 10 pm
In-Person Interviews	Depending upon the business model – never before 8am	Ideally, start the last one by 5pm. However, this may stretch thru dinner (see The Dining Interview)

Should You Dress to Impress?

The simple answer is … Yes! You should put your best foot and face forward.

Of course, some people will dress for what the interviewee can see. I personally don’t have a problem with that, but it’s something to keep in mind when planning for an interview. For both the interviewer and the interviewee.

Connected Posts (Links will be added)

Part 1 - When Should Interviews Be Scheduled (This post)

Part 2 – How early should you show up for an interview?

Part 3 – The Follow Up Note – email, snail mail or skywriting?

Potential Follow On Posts --- Based on YOUR VOTE and Feedback

Should you bring your phone into an interview?

What about Bots? How to use them to your advantage

How to make the most of an Informational Interview?

• Vote Here! in this Excel Survey

--- Bottom Line ---

For HR Professionals … schedule interviews when they make sense for your business. But, keep in mind the interviewee and their challenges too. Yes, the interviewee wants to impress. They will agree to a lot of odd things that don’t always make for a great first impression.

For the Interviewees … consider the HR persons request and be confident in yourself to push back. If you know you’ll have to rush or do things that may not allow you to show off your best skills … push back.

For Both … The reason I use Laszlo Bock’s term of "People Operations" is because the term Human Resources (HR) is outdated and not indicative of the work they are doing. Or, should be doing.

People hire people. That will be changing more over the coming decade, but today people are hiring people. Scheduling interview times that work best for people is the right thing to do.

What do you think?

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I am also a contributing author to Entrepreneur, Elite Daily, Yahoo, US News and to the #1 Career blog for Millennials, the Personal Branding Blog

Jeff is business advisor, mentor and community engagement expert. He has spent most of his career in the Enterprise Content Management industry. He brings over 20 years of Channel Sales, Partner Marketing and Alliance expertise to audiences around the world in speaking engagements and via his writing. He has worked for Microsoft, Kodak, and K2.

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