How To Be A Good Interviewer

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Interviewing for an open position might seem straightforward, but you’d be surprised how in-depth a good interview may need to go. Interviewing goes beyond asking a potential employee general questions — good interviewers can get a feel for the individual behind their rehearsed answers and dig into the true nature of who they really are.

Being a good interviewer is important to ensure you’re vetting candidates that are not just a good fit for their role but a good fit for their broader team and the company as a whole. Sometimes candidates have all the necessary skills and experience, but they lack the personality to fit in with a broader team.

There are a variety of different things that enhance interviewing skills, including preparation, good listening skills, and consistency. Good interviewers work to make a conscious effort to get the most out of interviewing and leave the candidate, whether you’re hiring them or not, with a good experience with the company.

Key Takeaways:

Being a good interviewer allows you to determine who you think has the best experience and skills for the job at hand.
Interviewing also ensures you’re vetting the candidate for how they’ll fit in with the broader team. This is important for team morale and overall cohesiveness.
Whether we’re conscious of it or not, many of us bring personal bias into the workplace with us. Unconscious bias can cloud our judgment and point us towards incorrect decisions.

Why Is It Important to be a Good Interviewer?

Interviewing is the single most important thing you do during the hiring process. Interviewers should be trained to be effective to ensure they find the right person for the job who is also eager to join the broader company. Being a good interviewer allows you to determine who you think has the best experience and skills for the job at hand.

Interviewing also ensures you’re vetting the candidate for how they’ll fit in with the broader team. This is important for team morale and overall cohesiveness. There’s nothing worse than introducing a new member of your team who doesn’t fit. This can lead to a decline in productivity and overall morale.

You may also interview for more entry-level positions, which means you’re interviewing candidates who may not have experience or skills yet. You’ll want to be sure you can interview them in a way where you understand their level of eagerness and excitement and if they’re worth the investment to train and develop.

Being a good interviewer also helps your job acceptance rate. If the potential employee has a bad experience during the interview with you, they’ll be less likely to accept the job when offered. It also helps to be efficient, meaning you won’t have to spend the entire day interviewing a candidate when an hour or two will suffice.

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Being a good interviewer may vary based on the situation and company requirements. However, there are a few best practice rules to live by when interviewing potential candidates.

Prepare, prepare, prepare. There is nothing worse than entering an interview and finding it glaringly obvious that the interviewer did not prepare. Don’t skim over your candidate’s resume before conducting the interview — identify key points you want to go deeper on during your discussion.
Be clear on qualifications. Don’t be vague when it comes to experience or qualifications. The candidate should understand exactly what needs to be brought to the table in the first few minutes of the interview so as not to waste your time or theirs. It’s also important to think about what skills are ‘must-haves’ versus ‘nice-to-haves’.
Be thoughtful about your questions. If you have specific questions related to the job, be sure you ask them during the interview. If you’re looking for more of a culture fit, you can always research the best questions to ask and consider using situational or behavioral questions to get a better all-around idea of the candidate.
Be methodical. This means you’ll want to develop a structure around your interview, take notes, and consider rating candidates with a consistent scale so you can better compare and contrast when making a decision.
Ask follow-up questions. Don’t stop at the answers to your questions. Really listen and use the candidate’s responses to formulate follow-up questions that ask for specific examples.
Put the candidate at ease. Remember when conducting interviews that the candidate is likely anxious and under stress. If you can put the candidate at ease, you’ll be more likely to see their true selves shine through, and the candidate will have a better experience with your company.
Don’t ask for unnecessary things. Sometimes employers ask candidates to jump through hoops to apply for the job at hand, which sends a red-flag signal to many potential candidates. They may jump ship before even being offered a job. Be sure to keep the interview straightforward and relevant to the job at hand.

The Importance of Listening During Interviews

Your job as an interviewer is to prompt the candidate with questions; however, it’s important to remember that the biggest part of this responsibility is staying quiet to listen. To your best ability, be aware of any biases or habits you may have of trying to fill the silence or trying to guide someone down a specific path.

You must listen carefully to your candidate’s responses in order to get a good idea of who they are and what they can bring to the team. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to think about your next question while you’re listening to their answer. Be sure not to project your ideas into the interview process either, as this can skew candidate answers.

Additionally, your body language is an important element of listening. You’ll want to practice active listening during interviews, which means you listen closely, take notes, nod, and make eye contact while asking follow-up questions. This will not only help you derive more information from the candidate but show them you are engaged.

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The Issue of Judgment in Interviewing

Whether we’re conscious of it or not, many of us bring personal bias into the workplace with us. Unconscious bias can cloud our judgment and point us towards incorrect decisions. There are some ways to combat these biases, including:

Taking a test. The Implicit Association Test from Harvard can help you identify and be more away from any existing biases you may have.
Learn about cognitive biases. Learn more about different types of biases, which will help you recognize them when you see them in front of you.
Consider your unique experiences. You may have personal concerns, preferences, or experiences that interfere with your judgment. Be aware of these before you enter an interview.
Go slowly. Sometimes we want to move quickly to fill a spot, but it’s important to sit on your decision and wait until you’ve met all the candidates in the queue.
Team up. Even if you work with a small team or company, you should consider teaming up with someone to conduct the interview. Sometimes it helps to have a second opinion, especially if you can’t make up your mind.