Universal Alerts

1. Do not chew gum, chomp on food or slurp a drink during the interview
2. Be professional with the candidate, never too friendly or too cold and never
demeaning
3. Avoid asking any personal questions or passing any causal remarks in an
attempt to rapport build
4. Never bring up or comment on politics, religion or any other controversial topic
5. Keep the interview interactive, actively listening & appropriately responding
through the interview
6. Take care to not sound as if you are conducting an interrogation
7. Never speak ill of EXL or any other organization
8. Consciously include pauses in the discussion to allow information to sink in
9. Invite questions from the candidate, asking them if they need any additional
clarity
10. Respond to any questions asked patiently, respectfully and clearly.
11. Never ridicule a candidate’s question
12. Only ask questions that are relevant to the job profile
13. Ask questions in a logical sequence without jumping from one subject to
another
14. Periodically rephrase the answers you receive to clarify understanding
15. Never mock or belittle a candidate’s response
16. If the candidate takes the discussion off track, pause and steer them back on
course
17. Interrupt the candidate mid-way through the response only if you weren’t able
to hear them clearly, never otherwise
18. Keep the interview legal by avoiding any questions that will reveal information
that could lead to a bias in hiring
19. Don’t make a hiring decision based on your gut feel
20. Use your notes to either support or disprove your intuition

Milepost Alerts
The Prep Milepost Alert
1. Ensure you have a clear understanding of the role & the job specifications
2. Check the environment to make sure it is conducive to conduct the interview-
check the phone lines /bridge work fine or the discussion room is comfortable
for the candidate and for you
3. Always begin the interview on time
4. Carry all relevant resources to the interview- including a copy of the resume &
the scoring card
5. Begin the interview only after reviewing the candidate’s profile

The Settling In Milepost Alert

1. Always begin the interview with a smile. (When in person, look the individual
in the eyes and give a firm handshake)
2. Greet the candidate warmly and introduce yourself clearly
3. Do not chew gum, chomp on food or slurp a drink during the interview
4. Be professional with the candidate, never too friendly or too cold and never
demeaning
5. Avoid asking any personal questions or passing any causal remarks in an
attempt to rapport build
6. Never bring up or comment on politics, religion or any other controversial topic

The Kick Off Milepost Alert

1. Keep the interview interactive, actively listening & appropriately responding
through the interview
2. Take care to not sound as if you are conducting an interrogation
3. Never speak ill of EXL or any other organization
4. Consciously include pauses in the discussion to allow information to sink in
5. Invite questions from the candidate, asking them if they need any additional
clarity
6. Respond to any questions asked patiently, respectfully and clearly.
7. Never ridicule a candidate’s question
8. Let the candidate know that you will be making notes of the discussion

The General Interview Milepost Alert

1. Only ask questions that are relevant to the job profile
2. Ask questions in a logical sequence without jumping from one subject to
another
3. Always explain the intent of asking a question
4. Periodically rephrase the answers you receive to clarify understanding
5. Never mock or belittle a candidate’s response
6. If the candidate takes the discussion off track, pause and steer them back on
course
7. Interrupt the candidate mid-way through the response only if you weren’t able
to hear them clearly, never otherwise

Digging Deeper Milepost Alert

1. Use open-ended questions when embarking into the probing section
2. Keep the interview legal by avoiding any questions that will reveal information
that could lead to a bias in hiring
3. Don’t make a hiring decision based on your gut feel
4. Use your notes to either support or disprove your intuition

Winding Up Milepost Alert

1. Do not end an interview abruptly
2. Keep the candidate informed of the next steps in the interview process
3. Always sign off by thanking the candidate and with a smile

The Wrap Milepost Alert

1. Rate the candidate’s performance immediately after the interview
2. Always using the rating card provided to score the candidate’s performance
3. Submit the completed feedback form with the score card after every interview
4. Always write down pointers in the interview form that will help the recruiter
share feedback with the candidate