As an interviewer, your role is to identify the best-fit candidates who will contribute to your organization's success. This means conducting effective job interviews that allow you to assess candidates' skills, experience, and fit for the role.
Effective job interviews are not just about asking questions and getting answers. They are also about creating a positive and engaging experience for the candidate. By following these best practices, you can conduct effective job interviews that help you select the best candidates for your open positions.
Do Your Research
The first step to conducting an effective job interview is to do your research. This means learning about the position you're hiring for, the company culture, and the candidate's background.
- Learn about the position. What are the specific skills and experience required for the role? What are the day-to-day responsibilities? What are the challenges and opportunities of the role?
- Learn about the company culture. What are the company's values? What kind of work environment do they have? What are the expectations for employees?
- Learn about the candidate. Review the candidate's resume, cover letter, and any other submitted materials. This will give you a good understanding of their background and qualifications.
Ask Open-Ended Questions
When you're asking questions during the interview, it's important to ask open-ended questions. Open-ended questions are those that require the candidate to provide more than a one-word or one-sentence answer. They give you a better understanding of the candidate's skills, experience, and thought process.
Here are some examples of open-ended questions:
- Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult customer.
- How would you go about solving this problem?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- What are your career goals?
- Why are you interested in this position?
Listen Actively
It's not enough to just ask questions during an interview. You also need to listen actively to the candidate's answers. This means paying attention to what they are saying, not just thinking about your next question.
Active listening involves:
- Making eye contact
- Nodding your head
- Asking clarifying questions
- Paraphrasing the candidate's answers
Be Objective
It's important to be objective during an interview and avoid letting your personal biases influence your decision. This means not making assumptions about the candidate based on their appearance, age, gender, or other factors.
To be objective, it's helpful to have a set of criteria that you use to evaluate all candidates. This criteria should be based on the requirements of the position and the company culture.
Take Notes
Taking notes during interviews helps you and the rest of the hiring team remember the key points and compare candidates later on. But taking notes can be distracting and make you less present in the interview which can be a negative candidate experience.
New AI tools can help! With Supernormal you can get detailed notes for all your interviews and, when you apply Supernormal’s Job Interview Q&A template to your meeting notes, they are instantly formatted based on the questions you asked and the candidates responses. And they can be instantly transferred to the tools you and your team use to track candidates and hiring decisions like Workable and Zoho Recruit. Get started with Supernormal for FREE today - that’s right FREE AI interview notes - and let us handle the notes!
End the Interview on a Positive Note
The interview should end on a positive note. Thank the candidate for their time and let them know when they can expect to hear back from you. You can also offer to answer any questions the candidate may have.
By following these best practices, you can conduct effective job interviews that help you select the best candidates for your open positions. However, it's important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to interviewing. The best way to conduct an interview is to tailor your approach to the specific position and your company’s culture.
Here are some additional things to keep in mind when conducting job interviews:
- Be flexible. Don't be afraid to deviate from your prepared questions if the candidate is taking the conversation in a different direction.
- Be patient. The interview process can be stressful for both the candidate and the interviewer. Be patient and understanding, and give the candidate the time they need to answer your questions.
- Be professional. Even if you're not interested in hiring the candidate, it's important to be professional and respectful throughout the interview process.