Step 4. Interview

The fourth step in the safer recruitment process is to interview the applicants you have shortlisted for the role.  

An interview is an additional opportunity, after an expression of interest, to gather information to make a good decision. An interview is not about trying to catch people out, but should be helping the candidate give their best to the process.  

How formal should an interview be? 

The format, length and tone of the interview should be suited to the role and the nature of your organisation. The approach could be either one, or a blend of a:  

• Formal Interview 
• Informal Interview

You will need to decide the level of formality required for each role.

A three-person panel interview would unlikely to be suitable for a weekly volunteer in a church or community group. A more appropriate approach would be for a team leader to meet the person for an informal conversation about the role, asking questions related to the role profile, and sharing their notes afterwards with others from the organisation involved in the recruitment process such as the Lead Recruiter or Safeguarding Lead.

Whatever level of formality you decide is appropriate, make sure you use that same format for everyone, so the process is fair. 

Questions to ask 

There are no set questions that you must ask in an interview, however your questions should be designed to assess an applicant’s suitability for the role based on the role profile.

You should make sure your questions are: 

• Relevant - related to the role profile and person specification.
• Open – allowing the person to express themselves and demonstrate their values, for example how the person thinks and feels about working with children or adults at risk of harm.
• Fair - any question must be asked of all candidates.
• Appropriate - questions about values and personal conduct are acceptable as long as they are relevant to the job. (This is important within the context of the culture or value system of the organisation). 

You can ask job-relevant safeguarding questions to assess the person’s suitability to work with vulnerable groups e.g. What is their motivation for and experience of working with children or adults at risk? How would they respond if they were concerned about someone’s safety and wellbeing? 

Information to give 

As well as asking questions, the interview is an opportunity to give candidates: 

• More information about the role.
• An explanation of safeguarding within the context of the role.
• An outline of your organisation's safeguarding policy and code of conduct.
• An opportunity to ask any questions they may have about the role or the organisation.
• Information about what will happen next in the process and when they can expect to hear a decision.  

Things to consider 

There are some questions which it is unlawful to ask at interview. These generally relate to health or disability and age, unless they are needed to assess someone’s ability to perform key functions of the role. In that case you must ensure you ask the same questions of each applicant.