Once you have advertised the job and received applications you need to prepare a short list of candidates to interview.  To do this you can use a checklist based on the points listed in the previous post to measure how well each candidate matches up against the selection criteria.  Also, be mindful that in some cases there may be characteristics or some other factor detailed by the prospective candidate the sub committee has not considered or has overlooked but which may make them worth interviewing.

Prior to the interview make sure you have prepared a set of questions that reflect the selection criteria.  Also, with each question have a note detailing what type of response you are looking for so that all subcommittee members have a common understanding of what is being looked for.  Without this, you may not agree on what constitutes a “good answer”.

Once each interview has finished take the time to discuss with other sub committee members how the candidate went.  It might only be a brief chat but it should happen immediately after each interview while memory is still clear.  Once all interviews have been completed you will have the opportunity to talk in detail about each candidate.

At the completion of the interview process you may find that you have two or more possible candidates for the role so consider the need for a second interview.  If you do this then ask another committee of management member to participate in the second interview.  Alternatively, you could also decide to have the full committee of management participate but instead of a typical question and answer interview, it may be more of a general discussion.

Prior to making any offer make sure you do a referee check which should include their current employer.  Always confirm and check with the candidate that it is still alright for you to be contacting the referee.  Have a set of common questions prepared but also add in questions that relate to each candidate that you want more information or clarification on.

After these have been completed it is at this point the sub committee should make their recommendation to the full committee of management as well as confirm the offer to be made to the preferred candidate.  If for some reason you cannot come to an agreement with your preferred candidate then be prepared to consider the other candidates interviewed or start the process again.

Getting the appointment right is critical.  As stated in an earlier post it is the committee of management that is legally accountable and responsible for what the organisation does.  They must appoint the right CEO who will support them and follow their instructions.   Your committee of management should not put themselves at risk by making a poor recruitment decision.

This is the final in our series of posts regarding the role of the committee of management.  We hope they have been helpful for you and your committee.