How to Conduct Intake Meetings as a Recruiter

Introduction

As a recruiter, you need to conduct intake meetings with your candidates. This will help ensure that you only talk about the most relevant topics and avoid wasting time on things like discussing irrelevant skills or previous jobs! Every company and every role has different requirements, so it's crucial that you have a structured process for conducting intake meetings. Here are some tips for conducting effective intake meetings:

Understand the requirements.

While conducting your intake meeting, it is important to understand the requirements and expectations of all parties involved. This means that you need to understand the requirements of the role itself. You also need to understand what your company expects for this candidate to succeed at their job. 

You can use these points as a guide when asking questions about the job seeker's strengths and weaknesses:

• What qualities does this person possess that make them an ideal fit for this position?
• What skills does this person bring with them from previous jobs?
• How do they perform under pressure?

Schedule a call with the candidate.

Once you've found a good candidate, it's time to schedule a call. To maximise the efficiency of this meeting, have your assistant help with scheduling. Tell them you need help finding a time that works for both parties, and make sure they do not overbook your schedule.

Once you've scheduled the call, make sure that you keep it short; 15 minutes is long enough but no shorter than 5 minutes (but not much longer than 30). It is crucial that this first meeting go well, so to keep it smooth and efficient, ask someone else to take notes or record what is being said during the interview.

Have a set of questions ready.

When preparing for an interview, it's important to have a list of questions. You'll want to have some questions specific to the candidate and some broader questions about the role. For example, if they're coming in for an interview on their own but they're not really selling themselves in person and don't seem confident on the phone or over email - what would you ask them?

For example: "How do you think your personality is best described?" These are great because they allow people to talk about themselves without even being explicitly asked how great or terrible they are at something (which can be kind of awkward). They also tend to be pretty open-ended, so candidates won't feel like there's only one correct answer.

Be an active listener.

• Ask questions.
• Don't interrupt.
• Be open and honest about what you don't know or understand.

If your candidate says something that doesn't make sense, ask for clarification: "Let me make sure I'm following correctly: You're saying..." If your candidate disagrees with something you've said, say so! It's essential to have a conversation. Don't just drop ideas on each other without any dialogue or back-and-forth sharing of information (or else it'll feel like they're talking to themselves). And lastly, if there is ever a moment when you don't know an answer --- and this will happen from time to time --- say so! Your job is to help people find their jobs; getting answers wrong can lead them in the wrong direction for finding their dream career... or worse yet... not get hired at all!

Be empathetic.

When I interview candidates, I always remember to be empathetic. This may seem like a strange word to use in the context of a job search, but it's more important than you might think. There are several reasons why empathy is the key to recruiting:

You're not alone in your stress levels! The candidate may be nervous about the interview process, and that's okay! It's part of life as a human being. If they have questions, they should feel comfortable asking them.

You can't know everything about every role or company out there --- sometimes, even you don't know the answers! When someone asks whether they're interviewing at an agency or consultancy firm, for example, tell them what type of company it is and ask if that helps clarify things for them! They might not even care about this distinction, preferring to discuss salary ranges instead. This brings me back around full circle because now we're back on point regarding how vital empathy is for recruiters specifically. Some people do want answers from us rather than just sitting there silently waiting and wondering.

Avoid jargon.

It's best to avoid words that may not be universally understood, like FTE or due diligence or backfill. Best to keep terms simple so you're always clear.

Also, use the active voice, not the passive voice (e.g., "I will" vs "it will be done by me"). The active voice keeps things moving and is more direct than the passive voice, which often sounds wishy-washy and weak. 

For example:

"We need a new employee." vs "Employee needs must be fulfilled."

"You should apply for this job," vs "Job application should be filled out by you."

Explain the next steps in detail.

One of the most important things to do in this meeting is to explain the next steps in detail. 

This includes:

• The interview process and how many interviews it could take, depending on the role.
• The hiring manager's role and what they expect from you as a candidate.
• The timeline for hiring decisions can vary based on different factors (for example, if you're interviewing in a large company versus a smaller company). Indicate how much time you expect the process to take from start to finish (i.e., applying through getting hired) for each stage of interviewing. This helps set realistic expectations for yourself and your candidates when discussing deadlines with them later down the road! 
• If other steps along the way need to be completed before a hiring decision is made (like reference checks), ensure these are outlined.

With these tips, you'll be conducting intake meetings like a pro in no time!

As a recruiter, you're tasked with interviewing candidates and assessing their skills to see if they fit the job. But how can you be sure that you're asking relevant questions? How can you be sure that each interview is going as smoothly as possible?

There are a few critical tips for conducting intake meetings effectively:

• Be clear on the requirements of the position.
• Schedule time to talk with potential candidates (either over the phone or in person).
• Come prepared by having a set list of questions ready to go based on your role within the organisation and any other specific needs your company might have related to this role or candidate type (e.g., part-time work experience).

Conclusion

Now that you've learned how to conduct intake meetings, what are you waiting for? Start today!