Over the years, we have interviewed thousands of candidates and one of the things we consistently hear about is how unprepared companies are for the interview. And guess what…it costs them A Players. Below are a few things that you can do to tighten up your interview process.

Have a plan. Identify the interview team, schedule their time slots (allow 5 minutes between interviewers), distribute resumes and other candidate materials, and assign specific interview questions. Have it in writing and ask people to acknowledge and confirm their role.

Start on time. Candidates always show up early for the interview. Don’t make them wait. Impress them by getting started on time. Have the receptionist get them something to drink and escort them to the office or conference room where the interview will take place. Make sure everyone shows up on time…no running late, no stuck in a meeting or call. Respect the candidates time.

Ask good questions. You would be surprised how many stupid questions people ask that have nothing to do with how the candidate will perform on the job. Think through the questions that are relevant to the job. If you need to chat with HR about what’s off limits, then do so. And if you don’t know what that last sentence means, ask HR.

Stop talking. The candidate should do the talking at least 66% of the time. This is like sales…ask good questions then sit back and listen. And take notes. Good notes. Allow at least 10 minutes for the candidate to ask questions about the job, the company, the team, etc.

Tell them what’s next. Give specifics on what the next step will be in the hiring process. Tell them what to expect with a good amount of detail. Don’t leave them hanging. Then…make sure you do exactly what you said you would do.

Pretty basic, right? Review your process with your team and make sure you aren’t losing A Players because you aren’t tight with your interview process.