5 Simple Rules to Rock Your Candidate Meet and Greets

Some questions you could ask are:
  • “Can you tell me a little more about why you reached out to me?”
  • “What changes do you see in the company over the next year?”
  • “What do you like about your job?”
  • “What do you like about working for the company?”
  • “What are some challenges the company is currently dealing with?”

Informal Job Interview | How To Prepare For The Informal Interview

How long should a meet and greet last?

There are no formally or informally agreed meet and greet rules regarding its duration, but spending too little time means you do not pick up on candidate skills. On the other hand, if you spend too long, you will experience a diminishing return on your time.

The duration of the meet and greet will depend on:

  • The seniority of the position.
  • The industry that your firm is in (some industries require an actual demonstration of skills by the candidate).
  • The effort you put in structuring the process and preparing a framework of relevant questions.
  • The time that the interview team has allotted.
  • As opposed to a formal one-on-one interview that typically lasts 45 minutes to an hour, considering the intrinsically relaxed setting of a meet and greet interview, it would make sense to dedicate some additional time to allow the conversation to develop.

    Prepare, prepare, prepare!

    After a meet and greet interview, a candidate’s suitability for the position depends a lot on the preparation you put in to pose smart meet and greet interview questions.

    For example, a candidate’s answer to the question “What would you have done differently in your current company to increase revenue or profit?” will give you a sense of whether the interviewee can comprehend the big picture.

    Or an answer to the question “Describe an instance when your reportee disagreed with your instructions, and how did you handle the situation?” will help you assess the candidate’s conflict resolution skills. After all, in addition to professional ability, in any job, emotional intelligence is also essential.

    Keep some additional professional meet and greet questions handy to assess the candidate’s ability to work in and with a team, handle deadlines and stress at work, leadership skills, motivations, and ambitions.

    Recommended Read: 20 Problem Solving Interview Questions to Find Your Next Rockstar

    How to Personalize Your Informational Interview QuestionsHere are some topics and ideas to consider, although you should of course think of the questions that are the most useful to you:

  • Ask about early internships or roles. (“I saw on LinkedIn that you interned at Google before graduating—did you find that internship helpful for finding jobs later?”)
  • Ask about volunteer work or professional organizations. (“I noticed you are a member of AIGA—have you found that helpful?”)
  • Somewhat personal questions are okay as long as you tread lightly. (“I hope you dont mind me asking, but I know youre a working mom. Id like to have children as well someday. How have you found that navigating a career in this field as a mom?”)
  • Meet and greet for onboarding?

    An alternative meet and greet idea is to use it as a component of the candidate onboarding process. It can be designed to be a value-rich addition to the new employee’s joining experience.

    The effectiveness of a meet and greet as a part of the onboarding process can be enhanced by:

  • identifying individuals who can bring value to the person’s initial days at the office
  • talking to and preparing the key individuals for meeting the new employee
  • communicating the agenda and the rationale for the various scheduled meetings to the new employee
  • As a final step, you should hold a debrief and summarising session to answer the candidate’s questions.

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