Achi Biz GuidesFEP: Shortlisting & Interviews

Shortlisting & Interviews In Singapore

You’re already getting responses to your job advertisement. It’s now time to meet and interview your applicants to find the best person for the role. How do you observe fair and progressive employment practices when shortlisting and conducting interviews?

The selection interview is one of the most important steps in the recruitment process. Your Recruitment Team should be trained to recognise and avoid discriminatory practices and conduct interviews in a fair and unbiased manner.

Your interviewers should guard against stereotypes, and select candidates based on criteria that are relevant to the job. To find out if someone is suitable, ask questions relevant to the job. Your interviewers should refrain from asking sensitive questions or making non-job related comments. If questions asked could be seen as discriminatory, the interviewer should explain clearly to the interviewee the reasons for these questions. This will help avoid any misunderstanding that discriminatory criteria will be used in the employment decision.

If there are requirements which the candidates should adhere to if employed, for example dress code or uniform policy, these should be explained clearly and sensitively. If you have considered but are not able to accommodate any candidate’s religious practices that candidates may surface in the interview, due to operational requirements, the reasons should be explained clearly and sensitively.

Shortlisting and conducting interviews are crucial steps towards successfully making a hiring decision. To help your interviewers make an objective assessment of the applicant, your interviewers should be prepared with:

A list of selection criteria to be applied consistently to all candidates;
A proper record of the assessment process;
More than one interviewer for one job vacancy where possible,
A good grasp of fair employment principles;
Transparency on the job requirements. For example, your interviewer should advise the candidate if the job has irregular working hours or requires frequent overseas travel. Your interviewers need to ask candidates if they can meet these job requirements instead of making assumptions about the candidate’s ability to do so;
A discussion with the candidates on their career aspirations and wage expectations. Remember, older or more experienced job seekers who show interest in your job are usually realistic and open to matching their salary expectations with the job applied for; and
An interview evaluation form to record the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate and assess them objectively and consistently instead of using photographs as visual aids to remember candidates.

Source For Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices is from TAFEP.

ACHI BIZ is one of the licensed Employment Agencies in Singapore.

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