How to Conduct an Interview with a Job Candidate - ApplicantStack
The article from ApplicantStack emphasizes the importance of thorough preparation and structured interviewing techniques for hiring managers to improve hiring decisions, reduce bias, ensure legal compliance, and effectively evaluate candidates by understanding the job description, creating consistent interview scripts, and fostering a positive interview experience.
Every hiring manager needs to know how to conduct an interview with a job candidate. Elevating your interviewing skills will help you:
- 1.Make faster and better hiring decisions
- 2.Differentiate candidates with similar qualifications
- 3.Highlight your culture
- 4.Reduce unconscious bias
- 5.Avoid costly hiring mistakes
Like anything, good interviewing requires preparation. Many steps take place before the candidate arrives. If you follow the steps and prepare well, the actual interview will go smoothly.
The Benefits of a Good Interview
The job interview sets the tone for everything that comes after. It is also a compliance minefield. Benefits of a good interview include:
- Allowing the hiring manager to thoroughly vet the interviewee
- Helping verify qualifications and skills on the applicant’s resume
- Revealing the candidate’s expectations and understanding of the role, allowing you to validate or clarify
- Allowing you to answer any of the candidate’s questions
Good interviews improve hiring outcomes.
The Challenges of Interviewing
Interviewing is an important skill for recruiters, in-house hiring teams, and hiring managers to master. Without proper training, there are many pitfalls:
- Allowing bias to influence your decision
- Ineffective questions
- Asking illegal questions, which increases the risk of a discrimination case
- Inconsistencies that affect the process
- Failure to put the candidate at ease
How to Prepare for an Interview
Preparation is just as important as what you do during the interview.
Understand the Job Description
If you wrote the job description, you have a good idea what the position entails. Take it a step further by talking to managers and employees in similar roles to understand soft skills required. Update the job description as needed.
Write an Interview Script
Always prepare your questions ahead of time. Structured interview scripts help ensure consistency and fairness.
Questions to Ask During an Interview
Organize good interview questions into three categories:
- Job role-specific (hard skills): What experience and certifications do you have in the [INDUSTRY] field?
- Soft skills or behavioral: What if you had to solve a difficult problem and your manager was away?
- Situational questions: How would you respond to an angry customer?
Questions You Can’t Ask in an Interview
The Equal Employment Opportunity Act (EEOA) prohibits interview questions on the following topics:
- Age
- Race
- Ethnicity
- Gender
- Color
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
- Gender identity
- Country of birth
- Birthplace
- Disability
- Religion
- Marital or family status
- Pregnancy
- Salary history (in some states)
To avoid illegal questions, create a script with legal questions and don’t deviate. Have legal counsel review your questions if possible.
The Importance of Standardized Scoring
To improve interviewing, standardize candidate scoring. An interview scorecard based on job qualifications helps compare candidates and removes “gut feelings” from the process.
Share Your Mission and Values
Job seekers care about what your company stands for. Write an Employment Value Proposition and practice sharing it. Showcase your culture and values during the interview.
Interview Formats
Common types of interview formats include:
- Phone screen: Short, preliminary screening
- Individual interview: One interviewer and one candidate
- Group interview: One or more interviewers and two or more applicants
- Panel interview: One applicant and two or more interviewers
- Technical interview: For technical positions; may include technical questions or skill demonstrations
- Multiple-Round: Several interviews, often in a mix of formats, used for higher-level roles
The interview format depends on the position and hiring needs. Group interviews are effective for roles requiring people skills or teamwork.
Review the Candidate’s Application
Familiarize yourself with the candidate’s resume for important context and to help put the candidate at ease.
Schedule the Interview Location in Advance
Use a private room with comfortable seating. For virtual interviews, ensure the technology is ready.
Don’t Crowd Your Interview Calendar
Schedule enough time for each interview and add a buffer between interviews to avoid rushing.
Managing the Interview
How to Start an Interview
Tips for starting an interview:
- 1.Turn off your phone or have your assistant hold your calls
- 2.Offer the applicant a beverage
- 3.Speak slowly
- 4.Listen intently
- 5.Ask the candidate if they have any questions and answer them
- 6.Before ending, explain the timeline and next steps
- 7.Thank the candidate for their time
What to Watch For
- Don’t overpromise—be honest if you can’t guarantee something
- Let the candidate do most of the talking
- Resist the temptation to stray from the script
Post-Interview Steps
Create a post-interview process for documentation and follow-up. If advancing the candidate, send an email right away. If not, notify them politely. Collect scorecards from all interviewers and move the candidate to the next stage in your hiring workflow.
Recruiting Software Helps You Conduct Better Interviews
Hiring software can help manage job descriptions, post to job boards, create structured interviews, and track applicants, resulting in faster and higher-quality hires.
This post is part of a hiring series which includes:
- Create a Job Description
- Define Your Hiring Criteria
- Post Job to Job Boards
- Candidate Screening
- Schedule Interviews
- How to Conduct Interviews
- Collecting Team Feedback
- Making Your Selection
- Extending The Job Offer
- Hiring Your Next Employee
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