The key to closing an interview successfully after you have received all the answers to your questions is to set out clearly what happens next.

Understandably the candidate will want to know if they have been successful, and how soon they can expect to hear from you.

Inform them if they will quickly receive a straightforward answer, or if the interview process continues with a number of other hopefuls. Either way, be upfront with the timeframes in place and when they can expect to have a reasonable answer.

If the first round of interviews is a formality, indicate if a second interview is likely to take place and when that would happen as well as any other processes that are in place, such as vetting, that are required before a new employee is chosen.

Once you have come to a decision with the management, make sure to contact your successful applicant straight away. There is a chance they may be the favourite candidate for another company as well, and delays with offering could see you lose your star candidate.

If you have used one of our recruiters, contact them with your decision and they will be happy to let the candidate know and cover the formalities on your behalf. If you would prefer to let them know directly, give them a call at your earliest availability, and follow up the offer in writing shortly after.

The more difficult part of recruiting is informing the unsuccessful candidates. Try to give some constructive feedback by diplomatically telling the candidate why they were unsuitable and what skills they might need to look at acquiring or improving. This gives them the best opportunity to better themselves, and one day they may come back to you as the ideal candidate.

Again, if you wish, your Rayner Personnel recruiter is happy to handle this process for you.