How To Be An Effective Interviewer

Read The Candidate’s Resume Before The Interview

Before interviewing the candidate, read their resume carefully. Reading a candidate’s resume helps you understand the applicant and what they could add to the company and position. It can help you feel more prepared and guide your interview questions. Take notes of any experience or skills you want to ask questions about during the interview. Aim to read the candidate’s resume half an hour before your interview to give you time to process what you’ve read and keep it in your mind.

Engage With The Candidate’s Answers

Having a list of questions can help you ask candidates everything you want to know. However, your list should serve as an interviewer’s guide rather than a script. Listen to your candidate’s responses and engage with them. Ask them follow-up questions to encourage them to expand on their answers. This approach can help you learn more about your candidate and increase their confidence.

Guide: How To Be A Good Interviewer

Learning how to be a good interviewer is extremely important if you want to hire the best candidates. A good interviewer knows how to select the best candidates, but a great interviewer will also provide an exceptional candidate experience for all interviewees.

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Dont Be Afraid To Interrupt

Malcolm Gladwell is the author of five New York Times bestsellers and the co-founder of the audio-content company Pushkin Industries. In Malcolms Masterclass he discusses how people tend to be afraid to interrupt. As an interviewer, one tactic Malcolm uses is to slow the interview with polite interruptions in an effort to get as much context and definition from his subject as possible. Asking clarifying questions is better than making assumptions about what your subject is saying.

See Candidates In Action

Inaddition to direct questioning, its crucial to create ways to see candidates in action during your hiring process so that youre not relying on candidates telling you what they can do but are actually seeing them do it. You cant effectively assess candidates through interview questions alone you also need to employ exercises and simulations so you can see candidates real work.

For example, you might have applicants for communications positions write a press release for a fake event, or have analyst candidates research and summarize their findings about a piece of legislation, or ask prospective assistants to role-play a tricky situation.

Often in doing this, youll find that a person with an impressive résumé and polished interviewing skills isnt as strong as they had appeared. You also might find the reverse that a candidate is stronger than you had assumed from their résumé.

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Use The Same Structure For Each Interview

Before you start interviewing, outline the structure you want to follow and list the questions you want to ask. Refer to the outline during the meeting to make sure you cover everything, and consider organizing the interview based on the time you want to devote to major topics.

Having a defined structure can help you stay focused and keep you from forgetting questions. It also makes comparing the interviews of different candidates and making a hiring decision easier. For example, you could start by introducing yourself, offering the candidate a glass of water, and inviting them to have a seat. Then, you could ask the same list of questions and take notes about people’s responses.

Take Notes And Be A Good Listener

Pay close attention to what the interviewee says and ask follow-up questions as they arise. Eye contact and maintaining an active listening posture can show the candidate that you hear what they say.

Be sure to take notes as well, but avoid spending more time writing than showing interest in what they have to say. Make brief notes of anything that stands out, and take time immediately after the interview to write more lengthy observations while theyre still fresh in your memory. If you are concerned about the time you spend writing, create a scorecard or similar worksheet that you can quickly fill in with relevant information.

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Commit To Truth In Advertising

Its natural to want to present your organization and the job youre hiring for in the best light, but its crucial that candidates have a thorough and realistic understanding of what theyd be signing up for: the job, the organization, the culture, the manager, and the people. Resist any temptation to downplay less appealing aspects of the job . In fact, on the contrary, be proactive about disclosing those things. Otherwise youll end up with a hire who feels misled and who might not stick around.

Communicate With Other Interviewers

If you’re interviewing with a panel, send an email or request a meeting with the group before interviews start to get organized. You should discuss:

• Which questions you want to ask

• Who plans to ask the questions

• How long the interview should last

• What qualities to look for

• How to discuss the open role and company

Preparing these details in advance makes your panel more cohesive, making your interview seamless.

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Characteristic #: A Good Interviewer Researches The Candidate

A second most important characteristic of a good interviewer is that he or she is knowledgeable not only about the role and the company, but also about candidates.

A good interviewer always conducts thorough research on candidates before the interview.

In order to prepare for the interview, a good interviewer carefully studies candidates resumes and cover letters and examines their portfolio, work sample and assignments. A good interviewer is familiar with candidates previous working experience, education and positions held and refers to this information during the interview.

Need More Tips For Interviewing Someone

The hiring process is hardly a walk in the park, and the job interview may very well be the trickiest part. But the good news is that you have an expert whos willing and ready to help. With Monster, you can get free access to cutting-edge hiring resources from interview insights to job market trends, and more to ensure that your business is attracting and hiring top-level talent.

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Implement A Standard Rating System

Having a standard rating system that you use for all interviewees can ensure you and other team members objectively judge each candidate using the same criteria. When you have interviewed all candidates for a position, you can go back and compare their ratings to help you decide which one is the best fit for the job.

Build A Trust Relationship

Over 9 in 10 professionals are nervous about job interviews. Therefore, the interviewer needs to make the unnatural format work and put their interlocutor at ease. Creating a positive connection with the interlocutor is a priority.

Your communication and interviewing skills are detrimental:

• Make the interlocutor feel welcome: Offer them a glass of water, polite chit-chat before the interview.
• Always explain clearly how the interview is going to run and what to expect afterward.
• Schedule your time accordingly so that the conversation doesnt feel rushed.

Uncertainty and the feeling you are not interested in can influence the interviewees performance.

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Prepare Materials And Equipment

Make sure you have the proper number of chairs and a big enough table for the interview, especially if you’re part of an interview panel. You should also have a copy of the candidate’s resume, extra paper and a pen to take notes. If there’s a technical portion, make sure you have a computer or whiteboard ready. For example, if you’re interviewing candidates for a programming position, you may need to asking them specific coding questions that require writing out lines of code.

Consider The Candidates Cultural Fit

Even if your candidate is the right behavioral fit, that doesnt guarantee theyll share your organizations values. Thats why its worth interviewing not just for behavioral fit, but also culture fit.

Prepare culture fit questions that assess how a candidate likes to get things done in the context of your organizational culture. Understand what you are listening for in the interviewers response, and see where theres fit or gaps.

If you have an Exploring Culture, for instance, your organization likely puts a premium on innovative thinking and an ability to adjust to fast-changing timelines. Here are some questions you may ask to assess culture fit:

• One of our core values is innovation: What does that mean to you?
• Are you someone who prefers to follow the rules, or to break them? Why?
• Tell me a time when you had to problem-solve on a tight timeline. What was the problem? Who was involved? What solutions did you consider? What was the outcome?

Beyond culture fit, theres also value in culture add. That means considering talent that doesnt necessarily fit your company culture, but rather enhances it. Doing so allows you to avoid groupthink and combat biases, while advocating for workplace diversity and inclusion.

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How To Be A Good Interview: Simple Tips That Work

Successful hiring starts with your interview approach. Conducting an interview shouldn’t be tiring with a bit of preparation, you can simplify this process.

Whether in the recruitment process for a new position in the team or organizing client interviews for success stories, your interviewing skills play a critical role in the process.

Indeed, structured interviews have a unique communication format that can be tricky to master. This post explains how to improve your interviewing skills and set the standard for your business interviews.

Important disclosure: we are proud affiliates of some tools mentioned in this guide. If you click an affiliate link and subsequently make a purchase, we will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you .

Read The Candidate’s Resume

This should go without saying, but reading your intervieweeâs resume beforehand is very helpful at the preparation stage. This way youâll be able to ask situational questions that are relevant to specific candidates.

Youâll be able to dig a bit deeper once you have a general understanding of their experience. If you donât take the time to go over the resume, itâs just a wasted resource. Make sure you print a copyâor download it to your smart device if you work in a paperless officeâand bring it with you for reference during the interview.

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Good Interviewers Study About Interviewees

The interviewer job largely revolves around figuring out what every interviewee brings to the table and how that correlates with what you are looking for. Hence, it is important that you know enough about the candidate to make that assessment. Do your research before the date of the interview and make notes of potential questions based on your findings.

Your research would typically be based on the portfolios, cover letters, assignments, resumes, and work samples of an interviewee. Get familiar with their previous work history, positions held by them and their educational qualifications. These areas are especially critical to know the potential of the candidates.

After your research, you can create scorecards before the date of the interview. Use these scorecards to take notes and rate your candidates throughout the interview process. Using this method, you can make more insightful and wise decisions on who to hire.

How To Be A Good Interviewer With Tips And Examples

Interviewing is one of the most essential phases of the hiring process, and being a good interviewer helps you select the best candidate for your company’s next open position. Effective interviewing involves several skills, including planning, good listening skills, and consistency. Making a candidate more comfortable during an interview increases your chances of gaining valuable insights about them and ensuring that you hire the best person for the job. In this article, we discuss why being a good interviewer is important, some common types of interviews, and how to be a good interviewer.

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Successfully Handle Any Type Of Interview

Review tips on how to handle interviews that are different from a typical one-on-one meeting. These include tips for phone interviews, second interviews, lunch and dinner interviews, behavioral interviews, interviewing in public, and more advice for interview success.

Also review these signs that your job interview went well, so you can see what skills you may need to brush up for next time.

A Final Word Of Warning

At the end of the interview process, you will hopefully have selected a suitable candidate. That may turn out to have been a good decision, or not.

Give yourself more chance of success by always taking up references, and not just in writing. Phone the referee as well and have a personal chat. People may say things in person that they wouldnt put in writing and you may save yourself an expensive error.

Continue to:

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What Makes A Good Interview

Aside from the preparation that goes into interviewing potential employees, keep in mind that you should also make the interviewee feel as relaxed as possible to elicit the best response from them. A good interviewer is welcoming, conversational, and considerate. To break the ice, tell the candidate a little about yourself or talk about a light-hearted topic before you get down to business.

Prepare Your Interview Questions

Speaking from experience, if you dont prepare your interview questions ahead of time, youll have difficulties assessing the candidate properly. You might end up hiring the candidate only to find out that theyre not a great fit for the companys culture. Or, not hire the candidate and later find out that they possessed the ideal combination of skills.

So, if youre wondering how to be an effective interviewer, prepare your questions before you walk into that meeting. Simply determine which skills are most important for the job position and build your questions around those skills. The candidate needs to show why they are a fit for the job.

Several types of interviews can assess your candidate. They include:

• Behavioral interview questions: the candidate needs to tell you how they handled situations in the workplace.
• Case interview questions: you give a scenario and ask the candidate what they would do to handle the situation.
• Competency-based interview questions: the candidate needs to give specific examples of times in which they demonstrated particular skills.
• Communication skills interview: you ask the candidate how they handle issues and difficult situations, and how they communicate with their team and superiors.
• Interpersonal skills interview: these type of questions can let you know whether the candidate has the necessary skills to get along with colleagues, clients, and supervisors.

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Have An Effective Evaluation

Create a uniform evaluation that you can use for each candidate. Having this assessment can help you make an informed and unbiased hiring decision. You could try creating a rubric or grading scale to make it easy to rate each candidate. Though this evaluation is helpful, you should use it along with any notes you take to make the most informed decision. If there are multiple interviewers, build an easy-to-follow evaluation that works for everyone.

Why Is It Important To Be A Good Interviewer

Being a good interviewer is important because it allows you to attract and hire the best candidates for positions in your company. Since interviewing is so important to the overall hiring process, being as effective as possible during the interview process ensures that you not only find the right people for the job but that those people become eager to join your organization.

Here are additional reasons why being a successful interviewer is important:

• It allows you to determine which candidates have the best experience and skills for the job.

• You’re able to decide if a candidate can fit into your company’s culture.

• It ensures that the best candidates are as interested in your organization as you are in their professional qualifications.

• You can be confident that a candidate is worth the company’s time and resources to train and develop.

• It increases the likelihood that the candidate you offer the job to accepts the offer.

• It helps you use your hiring resources in the most effective way possible, including time spent interviewing candidates.

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How Should The Interviewer Prepare For The Interview

• Read through candidates’ CVs and make note of key points to elaborate on during the interview.
• Prepare your interview questions.
• Be prepared to answer questions that candidates’ may ask about the position and organization.
• Schedule enough time for the interview and try and stick to the time-limit .
• Know your company’s goals and culture and be prepared to “sell” it to the candidate.

Put Thought Into Your Questions

Asking the right questions can ensure you learn the most important information from an interviewee. Research the best questions to ask for the particular job you are interviewing for, and tailor your questions around the skills and other qualifications needed for the position. Consider using situational or behavioral questions as well to get a well-rounded idea of the candidate, including their personality and approaches to workplace situations.

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How To Interview Candidates

Effective interviews expose potential red flags, reveal strengths, ensure that expectations fit with salary, compensation, and personality, and verify qualifications, skills, and abilities. They’re an essential part of the hiring process.

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