The interview process is a crucial task for employment, as any wrong decision made can leave you with the wrong candidate who may not be fit for the job. What should you say at the end of an interview? You often have an idea of how to start an interview, but little information can be found on how to end an interview as an employer.
Setting Clear Objectives
How to close an interview as an interviewer seems easy, but it shouldn’t be done right away if you don’t have the answers you need. Having the best employees working for you is like having Internet in your garage — both are great investments in the long run.
Knowing if an employee is a good fit takes time as you use different strategies to glean responses you’d like to hear before making a decision. Thinking of what to say at the end of an interview can be tricky, but what are the things you need to do first?
As an employer, you need to know each candidate better before you learn how to close an interview. Any candidate for a job needs to have a clear grasp of what they are applying for, and this is done by knowing the company’s goals and understanding the job description. You can share these details by increasing your online presence since it will be helpful for any company to share information about the work it does and connect people to a community. An online presence will also make the candidate aware of the booming industry, such as Phoenix being a technological hub.
Before you learn how to close an interview as an interviewer, focus on the things you need to do at the onset of the interview. Set clear expectations so interviewees will know what is expected from them, leaving them at ease. The duration of the interview needs to be stated as well as the fact that you’ll jot down notes throughout the process.
Assessing candidates using notes is like using an online tool such as Facebook Ad to measure social media marketing effectiveness. Let the candidate know that you are assessing them without letting them show what exactly you are writing about them. Taking down notes allows you to know each candidate well and gives you time to organize your thoughts and feedback before closing an interview.
Preparing to Close an Interview
Build Rapport
Express interest in the candidate by showing familiarity in the details shared in their resume and in the interview. Make the atmosphere light so candidates can freely express themselves without hesitation and nervousness. Interviewees volunteer information if rapport is built well, and this can be strengthened by giving cues that are both verbal and non-verbal.
Be a Good Listener
Exhibit good listening by paying attention to the details the candidate is sharing. The information they share can be used for your follow-up questions so you can further check for inconsistencies and even ask them to expound on their answers. Pay attention not just to what the information is but also on how it is being relayed. By reflecting back and making links, you can gauge if the interviewee is being honest and sincere in the details they state.
Before you focus on how to close an interview, make the candidate talk about 80% of the time. After all, the interview is conducted to know them better. Employ different techniques by using open, closed, leading, double-headed, hypothetical, self-assessment, and probing questions. After these steps, you can be guided on how to end an interview as an employer.
Closing an Interview
Encourage Questions from Applicants
After all questions were answered, close the interview by asking the candidate if there are any questions that they have or if there are any concerns they’d like to raise that haven’t been covered earlier. Knowing what should you say at the end of an interview wraps up the session nicely.
Final Actions
How to end an interview effectively? Here’s what to say at the end of an interview. Make sure to inform them how you’ll reach out to them once a decision is made before thanking them for the time and interest they took for the position and the company. Showing candidates out of the room is the final gesture to take. Be sure to include final notes right after the interview while the details are still fresh.
Knowing how to end an interview seems easy, but it takes time to gather the details effectively and in an organized manner before you end the conversation. Now that you know how to end an interview as an employer, see to it that you have all the key details first before you bring an interview to a close.
