The last thing you want is for a job candidate to be so turned off by your interviewing technique and process that they tell other prospective applicants about their bad experience with your company or post a negative review online. With this in mind, here are some tips for conducting a successful job interview.
Before the interview
Gather all relevant information about the open position.
It’s often the case that the person conducting the job interview is not the same person who will manage the new hire. In this circumstance, it’s especially critical that you speak with the hiring manager and team members to understand all aspects of the open position and its requirements.
Know who you’re looking for.
It’s important to define the type of job candidate you’re looking for upfront because these are objective, consistent standards to measure all candidates. You don’t want to rely on gut feelings, which are subjective, tend to be based on personally liking someone, and often turn out to be wrong.
Once you have a good idea of who’s needed for a particular job, you can structure your questions around these requirements to determine whether a candidate is a good fit.
During the interview
You should bring with you the candidate’s resume plus follow-up questions unique to their work history. Leave behind anything that could distract you. At the very least, put your cell phone in silent mode and store it away for the interview duration.
Your behavior, body language, and tone
Be engaged. Give your full attention to the job candidate for the duration of the interview. Maintain eye contact and focus on the candidate – don’t look around the room or stare downward at your notes, making you appear distracted and rude. Don’t cross your arms or lean back. It can unintentionally look defensive and closed off. Demonstrate warmth and enthusiasm in your tone – especially if it’s a phone interview and the candidate can’t see your face expressions or gestures.
Questions to ask
Lead the interview by asking why they’re interested in the position and your company. This will indicate their level of motivation, passion, and commitment, in addition to your other planned questions, including those specific to a candidate’s resume. Allow the candidate also to ask questions.
If you do all these things, you’ll have a higher probability of delivering an outstanding experience for job candidates and can better identify the right people for any role.
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