The HR's Guide to Setting Up a Terrific Interview Room (Guest blog)

When it comes to interviewing people for an open position in your company, having a healthy and conducive interview environment is a must. From the equipment that you will use to the furniture that you’ll use like office chairs from the Philippines, this will immensely give you the result that you want to have in the interview process.

With this being said, here are some of the guidelines that will help you in setting up a terrific interview room for your applicants.

Choose the right setting

A vital factor to keep in mind when preparing for an interview is the right setting or the place where you’ll interview the applicant. However, keep in mind that the interview room will depend on what your company’s branding is all about.

For instance, if your applicant is applying for a sales job, then the best place where you can hold the interview is in your office’s boardroom. This is because you will want to know and see how your applicant will carry themselves in a formal setting or situation as the position their applying tend to be structured.

On the other hand, if the applicant you will be interviewing is applying for a more casual and collaborative position like digital marketing consultant, you can always have your interview in an informal setting such as an open lounge place wherein there are no barriers. This way, you will be able to see how well he can adapt quickly to a collaborative working environment.

By doing this, you will be able to showcase the perks that your company offers, and at the same time, introduce the people that your applicant will work with. This will allow you to have a grasp on how well your candidate can adapt with his/her environment easily.

With this in mind, opting for the right and perfect interview setting does not only depend on your company. Hence, it also depends on the job role that your candidates are applying for.

Arrange the interview room

If you have already chosen the right interview setting for your applicant, the next thing you should do is to arrange and design it accordingly. By doing this, you will be able to establish and promote open and honest communication between you and the candidate easily.

With this being said, here are some of the things that you should place in the interview room to ensure that you’ll have a successful interview:

Omit distractions

The goal of every interview is for you to have an open, honest, and relaxed interview. To attain this, make sure that you remove any kind of possible distractions that will interfere with your communication. Make sure to cover the windows or any openings that have a view of the outside world that can possibly be a source of distraction.

Opt to add a wall clock

As much as possible, you want your applicant to be as comfortable as possible during the interview process. Checking your time in your wristwatch will just make your applicant extremely anxious. For this reason, make sure that you get a wall clock for that interview spot.

Remove any barriers

During an interview, you want to have an observation of your candidate’s body language. One thing that you can do to ensure that you’ll have this is to remove any physical barriers that can separate you from the applicant. Avoid positioning a table between you and him/her. Instead, place it on one side where it cannot separate you both. Not only will this allow you to have an observation of his/her body language, hence, you’ll also be able to maintain eye contact with the candidate.

Make sure you all have the essentials

Some interviews need some equipment or tools during the interview - may it be a computer or an AV for his/her presentation. With this in mind, make sure that you have the essentials in the interview room to avoid any disruptions during the interview period. This will make the interview process more seamless as you’ll be able to save more time.

Key Takeaway

All the things given will help you in having and maintaining a terrific interview room for your applicants. Aside from the fact that it’ll make the interview procedure swift and seamless, it will also aid your applicant to be calm and comfortable during the interview duration.

Author’s Bio:

Edwin Deponte is a motivational writer who is also passionate about Social Marketing. He believes in others’ abilities and tends to bring out people’s hidden potentials through his words of inspirations and motivational articles.