Interview Invitation best practices

I had a call today from a friend, he was invited to an interview in a BIG and WELL KNOWN company in Tunis and he was asking me how to be prepared for the interview.?

I asked him a few questions and there was my surprise!

• What type of interview are you having?
• Are you having a test?
• Who's interviewing you?
• How much time will it take?
• How's the process?
• Did you receive an invitation email with details?
• Do you have any idea about the interview?

He had no answer to any of my interrogations!

He sure?could?and?should?have asked about the needed details but he's not the one to blame in the process!

So as a professional HR/Recruiter when inviting candidates to an interview, several points need to be respected and mentioned to the candidate:?

• The company name and the job title " because candidates may apply to different job offers "
• The Interview Format: whether it is a one-to-one or a group interview?
• The type of interview, whether it is a technical or HR interview, and if it includes any tests ( written, oral, application...)
• The approximate interview duration: It is especially important to candidates that are already employed elsewhere.
• The interviewer's job title and relation to the role (hiring manager/ team member...)

Those are basically the requirements that may help a candidate be prepared for an interview. If they're discussed over the phone, a confirmation email with all the details remains mandatory.

Ideally, an HR professional may add those points :

• Mention what to wear to the interview, especially if the company has a specific dress code
• Mention any necessary items to bring, if they’ll need any identification to get into the building or samples of their work...
• Explain what happens upon arrival: how to access the building, how to find you or get to your office... don't let them feel lost.
• Mention the points that the candidate should be prepared to discuss. Simply revealing what the goal of the interview is may help the applicant feel confident.
• Follow up: Try to be approachable and make sure that the candidate has all of your contact information and encourage him to speak with you if they need any further information.?

=> In competitive industries like the IT sector, where vacancies outnumber candidates, the interview invitation call/email can differentiate between filling a vacancy and not.?

Also, let's not forget that our main goal in this phase is to make the candidate feel comfortable, confident, and willing to move forward with the process.

<=> It is important to know that we're reflecting the image of the company in all our actions and communications and that's something that should not be taken for granted.