Conducting Interviews: How To Do It Well

Thousands of job interviews are conducted every day, and thousands of them are not handled well.  Interviewers often talk too much—and about the wrong things.  They may not “read” candidates accurately.  They may not ask enough of the right questions.  The truth is that many interviews are mediocre at best.  As a result, companies hire people who shouldn’t be there to do jobs they shouldn’t be doing.

If you are a hiring manager, incorporate all of the following into your interview experiences to get the best results:

1.  Create a welcoming environment for the interview.

Welcoming includes a pleasant physical space free of clutter, comfortable chairs, reasonable light, and appropriate materials such as the job description and corresponding standards, information about your organization, and an application if that has not already been completed.  However, welcoming also includes your attitude and approach from the moment you shake the candidate’s hand.  A smile and an invitation for the person to sit down are a good start, simple as it sounds.

2.  Don’t start the interview by asking the candidate to tell you a little about herself.

The request is too vague and too broad.  People rarely know where to begin to respond to it.  A better way to start would be to ask the candidate to give you a brief summary of her professional experience over the last ten years and how that experience can serve her and the organization in the position she is applying for.  You could also ask her to tell you about her personal interests and hobbies.  Just be clear about what you want her to talk about.

3.  Ask the right questions.

Make sure you structure the interview around the following categories:  career goals and objectives, educational background, work experiences, skills related to the established job criteria, and attitudes and personality characteristics.  Explore the candidate’s focus, level of determination, her previous job performance and related challenges, degree of confidence, and behaviors.

4.  Avoid overwhelm.

Don’t give the candidate too much information too quickly.  Provide necessary information in organized segments.  When discussing office culture, for example, talk only about the culture.  Don’t start interjecting information about equipment function during that portion of the conversation.  Switching topics in this situation confuses the brain and makes it difficult for the candidate to remember what you say.

5.  Determine a reasonable length of time for the interview.

Consider an hour or ninety minutes as reasonable.  Longer interviews are exhausting to everyone involved.  It’s better to invite a serious candidate back for a second interview a week later than to try to cover too much during one meeting.  Second interviews are valuable too because they allow you the opportunity to observe the candidate on yet another occasion.  You can look for consistency in behavior and responses to questions.

6.  Consider asking the candidate to do something during the interview.

Doing something may mean reading aloud, solving a problem, completing a small project, and/or writing a passage on a particular topic.  These types of assignments check for confidence, writing ability, intelligence, creativity, and proactivity.

7.  Take notes during the interview.

While taking notes is critical so as not to confuse candidates at a later time, be sure to do it discreetly.  If you focus too much on your notes, you may miss important information from the candidate.  Avoid trying to write down everything the person says.  Instead, record the highlights and key points.

8.  Pace the interview.

Pace in this case refers both to your personal speaking speed and the amount of information you choose to cram into the interview.  It’s best to speak at a moderate speed so the individual can absorb what you’re saying.  And it’s wise to communicate the essential points at regular intervals.  In order to do this well, you have to be clear about what those essential points are well in advance of the interview.

9.  Listen carefully.

You have to focus on the candidate rather than yourself to listen effectively.  You can’t just hear what she is telling you.  You have to pay attention to her choice of words, her body language and facial expression, her emotions and gestures while she talks.  You have to read between the lines and figure out what she may not be saying directly.  A lot is wrapped up in the package called listening.

10. Follow up with each candidate you interview.

Keep people informed about the selection process and where you are in it.  It’s rude to interview someone and then never communicate with her again.  Either call her for a second interview, or call her to let her know you chose someone else for the job.  It’s really inconsiderate to keep folks hanging.  Tell them what’s happening so they can move on with their lives and careers.