Whether you’re a hiring manager who has interviewed countless job applicants or are new to the process, it’s always a good time to brush up on your interview skills. Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that the candidate is interviewing you as much as you are interviewing them. You need to be on your “A-game” – get the information you need while also keeping them engaged. You need to make sure they understand why they’d want to join your company. While there are many approaches you might choose to take, we’ve highlighted the 5 important interview techniques to remember. 

Interviewing a candidate effectively will help you pick the right candidate for the role. These techniques are here to guide you as you evaluate each candidate who walks through your door (or onto your laptop screen). Make sure to understand the role and what is required thoroughly before you start vetting candidates.

5 Important Interview Techniques for Effective Interviewing 

These tips will help you learn the important techniques to remember as you start interviewing candidates for a new role. 

1. Prepare 

While preparing for an interview isn’t necessarily part of the interview, it’s still an important step of the interview process. Being prepared will ensure you have a plan for what you want to find out from the candidate and what you want the candidate to know about the job. As you narrow down your final candidates to review, you need to do your homework on them so that when you are in the same room, you will have an idea of their experience and background.

Each interview will be different so it’s a good idea to take notes and prepare how you want to get the conversation started. You want the candidate to feel like you are interested in them, so having specific points from the resume will definitely show them that. Additionally, gathering your thoughts and notes will help you keep the interview efficient and “on track.”. 

2. Inquire and listen 

You already have your candidates’ work experience and other information on their resumes. An interview is your chance to truly get to know the candidate and understand what will make them the right fit for the company. It’s important to ask them questions beyond their resume to get to know them better. Additionally, it’s a good idea to ask them open-ended questions that will give them a chance to tell you more detail. Let your candidate take reign on their answers and assess them based on the information they give you rather than trying to steer them in a certain direction. 

This is a great way to pick up information they might not want to share or certain areas of the question they might skip around. By asking the important questions and taking the time to listen, you can really get out a lot from the candidate and learn more about what makes them “tick.” 

3. Be clear about the process 

Nobody likes to be confused or left waiting without knowing the next steps – especially when it comes to their job search. Make sure you let your candidates know what to expect during the recruitment process. You should also let them know the timeline for filling the role and how you will be communicating with them in the future. 

4. Keep it conversational 

Every interviewee will likely be a little nervous. In fact, as the interviewer, you might be nervous too! To calm everyone’s nerves, keep the interview more conversational. Sometimes, questions can be answered in conversation, and this is also a great way to see how your candidate communicates.

By setting a more conversational tone for the interview, you will help the interviewee feel more relaxed where they might even start to be more enthusiastic and share more about their experiences.  

5. Follow up 

Again, no one likes being left in the dark. Even if you don’t think someone is a right fit, you should let them know. Following up with every candidate will help people to move forward with their job search. Additionally, candidates will appreciate you letting them know and will have left the process with a positive experience.  

When you do find a candidate who you like, call them, and send them an email with the good news! Candidates will like the personal touch of a phone call and will have the official letter with all the information they need in the email. 

While these are some key techniques, there are other aspects of the interview you should always keep in mind such as giving your candidate time to ask you questions. As you start getting into your interview routine, you will come to learn what works for you and where you can improve to better understand candidates.  

Need hiring help? Contact us today to see how we can help connect you with qualified candidates. 

Good luck!