If part of your job involves conducting job interviews, it's important to know how to do this well. Running a job interview successfully helps you to understand each candidate's skills and experience fully and ensures the company hires the right candidates. Knowing some tips for successfully running a job interview can help you in your career, whether you work in human resources or recruitment or you're a hiring manager in another department.
Why is running a strong interview important?
Running a strong job interview is important because it helps you to find the most suitable candidate for your vacancy. It entails you understanding the job's requirements and gaining a thorough insight into each candidate's skills, experience and personality. When you conduct an interview successfully, it helps you to assess how suitable each candidate is for the job accurately. The ability to conduct interviews efficiently and on time can make the whole recruitment process smoother. It helps you keep to your interview schedule, which gives potential employees a positive impression of the organisation. It also means you can provide timely feedback about the candidates, leading to a faster and more straightforward recruitment process.
There are various tips for interviews that can help you to conduct a thorough and professional interview. This has a positive impact on the recruitment process overall. The following tips can be helpful whether you're conducting job interviews for the first time or would like to develop your skills in this area:
1. Understand what the organisation is looking for
It's important that you understand what your company is looking for in a new employee whenever you're conducting interviews. Knowing the company's expectations helps you to plan the interview and ask questions that reveal how suitable each candidate is for the job. You might find it helpful to ask the manager of the vacant position if they're looking for anything specific outside of the job description. You can also write a list of all of the expectations for the new employee so you can compare how well candidates match these requirements.
2. Decide what questions to ask
Having a pre-prepared list of questions is helpful. You can decide what to ask based on the requirements of the business. It's often a good idea to ask a question that addresses each point in the person specification for the job. Another useful tip is to vary the type of questions you ask so that the conversation remains engaging and helps you gather more information from the candidate. You can also ask open-ended questions because these also encourage candidates to provide more information. An open-ended question is one that can’t be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
3. Develop a structure
Developing an interview structure and sticking to it during job interviews can help you to manage the time you have available effectively. In addition, it can make interviews with multiple candidates more consistent as it allows you to address all of the key points with each candidate. Once you develop an interview structure, you can plan how long each part is likely to take. This means you can allocate enough time for each interview. One common format is to start with introductions and an overview of the vacant position. You can then progress to basic questions about the candidate and follow this with more in-depth questions. It's also usual to allow some time at the end of the interview for the candidate to ask any questions they have. You might adjust this format depending on organisational requirements.
4. Learn more about each candidate
You can prepare well for conducting a strong job interview by learning about each individual candidate. It's worthwhile to review their CV and application to understand their experience and achievements. This allows you to ask them questions that are specific to them. It also helps you to anticipate the type of questions each candidate might ask about the job or employer. You can then prepare suitable answers that are truthful and present the business in a positive light.
5. Prepare the details
For your interview to run successfully, prepare the small details. This includes making sure you have booked a meeting room for the right time, making sure you have any equipment you require or notifying your receptionist that you're expecting interviewees to arrive. It's also worth planning who is meeting the candidates and taking them to the interview room. Organising these details beforehand makes the interview run smoothly and creates a professional impression of the business.
6. Practice the interview
Practising the interview can be a useful way to prepare in advance. This is especially true if you're new to conducting job interviews and would like to refine your interview technique. Practising with a colleague can also make you feel more confident about
interviewing real candidates. Colleagues who have more experience might also be able to give you some useful feedback and tips if you practice your interview with them.
7. Make the candidate feel comfortable
It's sensible to make the candidate feel comfortable to make your interview as insightful as possible. This can encourage them to talk more openly and share information with you. You can then understand the candidate better and make a well-informed recruitment decision. Encouraging the candidates to talk freely by asking simple questions at the beginning of the interview can help them to relax before you move on to more challenging questions. This also helps you to get to know them better at the start of the interview.
8. Listen more than you speak
Another way of encouraging interviewees to speak freely is to listen more than you speak. The aim of the interview is to learn as much about the candidate as possible, so allow them to speak openly. It's helpful to allow them time to think about their response to each question, even if that means there are periods of silence. These periods give the candidate the opportunity to reflect carefully on their answer or to elaborate further. Having patience helps when you're interviewing candidates.
9. Be fair to every interviewee
To be a successful interviewer, be fair to every interviewee and give them all an equal chance. Be aware of unconscious bias and aim to treat every candidate equally, regardless of the immediate impression they make on you. Using pre-prepared questions and checklists can help you to do this and run multiple interviews consistently. This also makes it more straightforward to compare candidates.
10. Ask follow-up questions
When a candidate mentions something noteworthy, you can ask follow-up questions to get more details. This might be about a situation they've experienced, a past achievement or a challenge they've overcome. You can also use follow-up questions if you want more clarity on the candidate's response. Asking these questions also shows the candidate that you're listening to their responses and encourages a more natural conversational flow. This can help to make the candidate feel more at ease.
11. Pay attention to body language
Another helpful tip for interviewers is to pay attention to each candidate's body language and non-verbal reactions. Listening to their verbal responses is important, but observing their body language can also help you to understand more about them. You might be able to assess how effective a communicator the candidate is or whether they have active listening skills. These skills can be beneficial in a vast range of jobs.
12. Take notes during the interview
Taking notes during each interview allows you to remember the details of the conversation, which can otherwise be challenging, especially when you're interviewing a number of candidates. If you struggle to multitask between running the interview and taking notes, you might ask a colleague to help you write the notes while you conduct the interview. Practising taking notes while maintaining a conversation can help you to develop this skill.
13. Let the candidate ask questions
Allow the candidate to ask questions. Being receptive to questions can make interviewees feel more comfortable about working for the organisation and more likely to accept a job offer. It also helps them to be fully informed about the nature of the job. You can allow time for candidates to ask questions once you've finished asking yours. You can also tell them at the start of the interview that you welcome them asking questions as the discussion progresses so the interview can have a more conversational flow.
14. Making a positive ‘lasting’ impression
We’re all aware of the importance of making “a good first impression”, but let’s not forget about the “lasting impression” that we leave candidates with at the end of the interview. The more positive they feel about your company, the more likely they are to accept any ensuing job offer. Thank each candidate for taking the time & trouble to attend, and personally committing to, the interview process – for example, some may have taken annual leave from their current employer to do so. Explain when and how you hope to get back to them with feedback and what the next steps are. Finally, show them to the exit, and with a big smile on your face, wish them luck with their application.
In Summary
A well-executed interview not only helps identify the best candidate but also strengthens your company’s reputation. With preparation, structure, and empathy, you can make each interview a meaningful and positive experience for all involved. Carl has over 30 years’ interviewing experience, don’t hesitate contacting him if you wanted to ‘pick his brains’ on anything.