Interviewing candidates for membership

Being interviewed for a club can feel intimidating. But it is often forgotten that the interviewer can be almost as intimidated as the interviewee.

Below, as a “thank you” to my paying subscribers, I offer my own personal advice for those members and staff who face the prospect of interviewing applicants. It is written with a British context in mind, but some of the points may apply more broadly in other jurisdictions.

I have already written about how clubs can conduct vetting processes, and the below assumes that a club has already done this before any interview stage, and is acting in an informed manner: You do not want to do the vetting after interview, and then only belatedly find that there was some glaringly important thing you should have asked the candidate about - bringing them back in for a second interview, particularly to answer just one unwelcome question, is not to be recommended.