How to Conduct a Job Interview

6 of 11 in Series: The Essentials of Hiring Employees

When meeting a job interview candidate face-to-face for the first time, put the applicant at ease. View the first minutes of the interview as an opportunity to build rapport with the candidate before you start asking the tough questions. Give the candidate a very basic overview of what you’re expecting to get from the interview and how long you estimate it to last.

The Q&A is the main part of the interview. Here are some tips:

Have a focus. Have a reasonably specific idea of what information or insights you’re expecting to gain from the interview based on your research and the hiring criteria you develop in your job description.
Make every question count. Every question you ask during a job interview must have a specific purpose. The general rule: If the question has no strategic significance, think twice before asking it.
Pay attention. Listening attentively is a difficult challenge under the best of circumstances, but it’s often an even tougher challenge during a job interview. Pour the full measure of your concentration on the candidate and what he or she is saying.
Don’t hesitate to probe. Whenever a candidate offers an answer that doesn’t address the specific information you’re seeking, nothing’s wrong with asking additional questions to draw out more specific answers.
Give candidates ample time to respond. Give the candidate time to come up with a thoughtful answer. If the silence persists for more than, say, ten seconds, ask the candidate if he wants you to clarify the question. Otherwise, don’t rush things.
Suspend judgments. Try to keep your attention on the answers you’re getting instead of making interpretations or judgments. You’re going to have plenty of time after the interview to evaluate what you see and hear.
Take notes. Memories can do tricky things, leading people to ignore what actually happens during an interview and to rely instead on general impressions. Taking notes helps you avoid this common pitfall.