Tips on How to Successfully Interview Job Candidates

Hire the right people by knowing how to uncover a candidates abilities, talents, strengths, and weaknesses.

An interview is your opportunity to find out if the applicant is qualified for the job, if they're truly interested in the available position, and if they fit your company's culture. A successful interview is a matter of asking the right questions, listening to the answers, and getting candidates to talk honestly about their abilities and attitudes.

Once you've received the bulk of your responses, narrow your stack of resumes to the top 10 candidates or so, and start by preparing a basic list of interview questions. You may want to consider briefly talking to candidates over the phone before you bring them in, as the candidate may look good on paper, but will make a terrible phone impression. When you call an applicant in for an interview, qualities to look for include good communication skills, a neat and professional appearance, and a friendly and enthusiastic manner. Remember to take objective notes and record responses during the interview to help you compare candidates when it's time to make a decision. Following are some tips to help you screen candidates and improve your job interviewing skills.

Set the framework of the interview

Tell the applicant about the interview format, introduce yourself and put the candidate at ease by outlining the basic structure of the interview. Have the applicant feel comfortable so as to speak freely and provide detailed answers to your questions. Be prepared to discuss your business' core functions, history, future plans, and culture. You may want to prepare a fact sheet that lists relevant company information.

Avoid questions with an obvious response

Try to avoid general questions that won't tell you much about the candidate. Avoid any question that can be answered with a simple yes or no. The idea is to find out how the person will perform in a specific role. Formulate your questions based on your list of desired skills.

Encourage candidates to talk about themselves

To avoid pre-planned responses construct open-ended questions that invite candidates to share information and talk about their experiences in detail. Have a good mix of experienced-based, work style-based, and behavior-based questions that will provide a complete view of the candidate's background and personality. These questions will help you gather some real information about a person's judgement, willingness to take risks, and decision-making capabilities. Following are some examples:

Experienced-based

1. What were your three biggest accomplishments in your last job? In your career?


2. Tell me about a recent project you've completed.


3. When working on a group project, what role do you typically play? Why?


4. Tell me about a time you had to make a critical decision, and what went into that process.


5. What are three things you really do well?


6. What are three areas where you need help? Work style-based

Describe a typical day on your current job.

1. What do you like?


2. What don't you like?


3. How would you react in a scenario that would require you to work independently?


4. In what situations have you disagreed with your boss?


5. What was the outcome?


6. What risks did you take in your last job and what were the results?


7. What methods do you use to make decisions?

Behavior-based

1. Describe three situations where your work was criticized.


2. Tell me about the last time that you missed a project deadline. What happened and how did you manage the problem.


3. What is the best environment for you to function?


4. What would your best reference or people you work with say about you?


5. What wouldn't they say?


6. Questions not to ask during an interview

The law is very strict about what you can't ask during an interview, and asking them can lead to a discrimination lawsuit. Questions on non-job related information such as age, race, marital status or disability are legally forbidden. When conducting an interview it is advisable to focus on the professional topics.
Sample questions of what not to ask include:

1. How old are you?


2. Are you married?


3. Are you a citizen?


4. Are you planning on having children soon?


5. Are you disabled?


6. Do you have any medical problems?


7. Have you ever filed for worker's compensation?

Bringing the interview to a close

1. Leave time at the end of the interview for the applicant to ask questions and pay attention to what he/she asks.


2. Based on the kind of questions asked you'll be able to judge if the applicant researched your company, or if they are only interested in what they can get out of the job.


3. End the interview by letting the candidate know what to expect next and when they can expect to hear from you.


4. Take 5 or 10 minutes to write down the applicant's outstanding qualities and evaluate his/her personality and skills against your job description and specifications.