Interviewing candidates is a crucial part of the hiring process. In order to hire the most qualified candidates hiring managers, recruiters, and HRs should be trained on how to effectively conduct an interview process, which is efficient and, more importantly, candidate-friendly.
Conducting an efficient interview process is very important for the organisation as it helps to find and hire the top talent for future growth. Also, an organised interviewing process makes recruiting smoother and gives a positive impression on potential applicants.
Therefore, employers and hiring managers are seeking proven interview tips for the interview process. Are you one of those who are looking for ways to an effective interview workflow?
If so, then this blog is a goldmine for you. It provides an overview of the best interview tips interviewers can implement to assess candidates efficiently, boost the hiring process, and provide a positive interview experience to the candidates.
How to be a Good Interviewer?
Well, this question may cross your mind what the qualities of a good interviewer are?
Good interviewers are the ones who make deliberate hiring efforts to get the maximum out of the process of interviewing candidates.
Indeed, interviewing talent is a difficult and complex task. However, it will give you great talent that will bring growth and success to your organisation. To be a good interviewer, one must have the following qualities.
Qualities of a Good Interviewer
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Friendly behaviour
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Ability to recognise talent
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Must have knowledge of the open position
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Body language expert
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Experienced in people management
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Effective conversational skills
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Unbiased
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Able to control emotions
Other than the above-mentioned quality interviewer must prepare well, be methodical, and practice note-taking for the interview process.
Over time, interviewers must improve their judgement and learn from past mistakes.
11 Best Interview Tips for Interviewers
1. Learn about the open role
Prior to creating a perfect job description interviewer must learn about the open position.
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What kind of skills does it demand in the candidates?
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How much experience is required for candidates to have?
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What qualification is needed?
If the role is technical, then the interviewer must know briefly about the technical recruitment terms and have knowledge about certain software and tools.
To understand the role thoroughly, one can ask the team that belongs to that role, search on Google to know more about it, and ask people online on platforms like LinkedIn or Indeed.
2. Create an accurate job description
It is true that creating a clear job description is incredibly important to avoid confusion, effective job postings and draw relevant candidates to apply for the open position.
Hence, thorough research is required before writing a job description. The interviewer or hiring managers can implement the following tips to create an effective description of the open role.
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Use a precise job title. Make it specific.
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Ensure clarity and accuracy.
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Explain daily tasks & responsibilities.
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Mention qualifications, skills, and required experience.
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Mention benefits and perks along with salary.
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Keep it short and clear.
3. Prepare a list of the questions to ask
Interviewers must avoid the generic line of questions like “What is your biggest weakness?” or “Where do you see yourself from five years?”
Such questions are overly used, ineffective, and not relevant to the current time. Asking the right questions is vital to assess candidates properly.
So, prepare a short list of the screening interview questions which are highly relevant to the open role and make sure that they are open-ended questions.
Bonus tip: Don’t forget to add behavioural and situational questions as they help the interviewer to understand soft skills like communication, problem-solving ability, and critical thinking.
4. Review resume prior to the interview
The interviewer needs to check resumes to know the basic information skills and experience of the applicants. This practice will save time for the interviewer because now he/she does not have to waste their time asking questions which are already mentioned in the resume.
This will show candidates that you have taken time to make sure of a productive interview. Also, it will help the interviewer to ask questions that are tailored toward the applicant.
5. Show you care
Candidate-friendly hiring process is essential as it helps to provide a positive candidate experience which eventually enhances employer branding. So, even if the candidate is not suitable for the open still ensures they feel good about the company.
The interviewer must start the interview on a positive note. Before starting to communicate with the candidates, greet them and make them feel comfortable and welcome. Offer them water and make eye contact as much as possible.
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The interviewer needs to introduce themselves and their fellow interviewers and explain briefly about the role they are hiring for. Ease candidates in the process and humanise the recruitment process for the candidates.
Bonus tip: Concentrate on the conversation and answer the questions/doubts candidates have.
6. Speak less, listen more
The one quality which will make you an effective interviewer is active listening skills. It will enable the interviewer to focus intently on the candidate’s answers without any distractions.
Also, candidates might be nervous. Hence it is easy to take over the conversation and speak too much about yourself and the company. However, one should keep in mind that it is not about them; it is about the interviewee. So wait until the candidate completes replying before you ask the next question.
Bonus tip: Keep the interview focused on the candidate.
7. Practice taking notes
You can not remember all the information that you and the candidate discussed during the interview.
Therefore, practice note-taking is crucial when you are interviewing a number of candidates. It goes hand in hand with listening actively to what the candidate is describing.
Ensure that you are focused on the candidate’s answers instead of your judgements. Implement efficient note-taking techniques to record the candidate's answers, which you can review later when you’re making final hiring decisions.
8. Don’t belittle the candidate
Many interviewers and hiring managers think that they need to have an impression on the applicant, so they act busy, making the applicant wait for several minutes. Sometimes, they are genuinely busy and forget to inform candidates to reschedule the interview.
Such acts will leave a negative impression in candidates’ eyes about the organisation and employers' reputation.
Thus, it is vital to respect candidates’ time and values. Be open-minded, and don’t belittle applicants even if they don’t match your requirement standard. Show them that you are genuinely interested in knowing them.
9. Rate applicants’ replies with a consistent scale
While assessing the candidates, a ‘low’ to ‘high’ or ‘poor’ to ‘excellent’ scale works well. Hiring managers or interviewers can refer to notes to rate candidates after conducting all the interviews.
This is where structured interviews become really handy, as they enable you to rate every candidate’s answers for the same set of standard questions.
10. Interviewer tips after the interview
Once you are done with the interview process, it is time to create a report of each applicant. Refer to notes you have created during the interview to prepare a comprehensive report.
Online recruitment software like Applicant Tracking System (ATS) can be really handy as it provides you with a candidate scorecard of every interviewed candidate.
Also, hiring managers or interviewers must follow up with the candidates even if they are rejected or selected. Providing a concluding answer is imperative. According to a survey by LinkedIn found that 52% of candidates who were given feedback were more likely to continue a relationship with the company.
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Following up with the candidates leaves a positive impression and shows you care whether they become your next hire or not.
Last but not least, be fair and try to eliminate unconscious biases in the hiring process.
11. Establish a Genuine Connection
Before you start a serious interview, start with a conversation where you can discuss things that are not work-related. Begin with something simple, like a hobby or a volunteer activity they've mentioned in their resume.
This not only helps the candidate feel more comfortable, but it also gives you insights into their personality and values, which are just as crucial as their professional skills. It’ll provide you with a holistic view of the candidate beyond just their professional qualifications.
So, establishing a genuine connection with candidates during an interview can make a significant difference.
Ways to Improve as an Interviewer
The interviewer may have unconscious biases, whether they are aware of it or not. As a result, it may affect their judgement to judge the ability of the candidates.
So, in order to reduce biases in the hiring process, hiring managers or interviewers can take the help of Harvard’s Implicit Association Test (IAT) to become more aware of their biases and eliminate them. Also, the interviewer can learn about how cognitive biases work.
In case the interviewer is not comfortable with applicants by themselves, then they can ask their co-workers to assist them in the process. It will divide the interview into parts and questions. It also improves your judgement to assess candidates in a better manner.
Even though you prepared a list of questions, try to be more conversational and willing to go off-script if it is enabling candidates to talk about their skills and work experience.
Bonus tips: Practice makes perfect for improving your judgement.
Finally, learn from your mistakes. Keep records and monitor results and seek advice to be an effective interviewer.
Group Interview Tips for Interviewers
A group interview is when hiring managers form a panel to interview single or multiple candidates concurrently. So, several candidates are interviewed simultaneously for similar positions.
In order to conduct successful group interviews must be well planned, methodical and executed.
First and foremost, ensure that every candidate knows that they will be in a meeting for a group interview and who will be conducting the interview process.
Secondly, the panel of interviewers need to sit down and figure out how they will conduct the interview, what kind of questions they will ask, and how to assess the performance of each candidate.
Before starting the group interview, every interviewer must introduce themselves, state their names and job title and explain why they are involved in the interview. Also, ask questions one by one, as it isn’t fair if the questions are coming all at once.
While wrapping up the interview, ask candidates if they have any questions or doubts regarding the open position or the organisation.
Debrief with your fellow interviewers and discuss your impression of the candidates when the interview is finished. It will lead you to make better and more joint decisions.
Final Thought on Tips for Interviewers
In conclusion, the market is fiercely competitive, so conducting a quality interview is incredibly important to attract top-notch talent for your company.
An effective interview also gives insight into applicants’ values, work ethic, and general attitude. It is basically a great indicator of how the hired candidate would fit with the company.
In this blog, we have mentioned everything that is required to be a good interviewer, from actionable tips to methods to improve as an interviewer.
Happy Interviewing!!
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