5+ Tips for Better Interviewing: Being Successful at Interviewing.

Interviewing is important in every field and industry. Managers and entrepreneurs know this, but many have trouble nailing down keys points to being successful at it. 

What are a few key tips for making you better at interviewing? What have we learned working with CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business leaders who have a knack for being great interviewers? What have we learned from those who struggle?

5+ Tips for Interviewing:

1.   Prepare.

Every business leader we asked said, "Prepare." We dug deeper, and we asked them how they prepare. Here are some of their top bullet points:

Review the resume. To achieve a connection in the interview or to even know what questions to ask, you need to look at the resume first. A quick one to two minutes will give you insight and direction. 

Know what you need. Know what you are looking for, both in the position and in the candidate. What would you like the position to achieve, and what is the time frame? What is your ideal person for that job and/or your company? 

Set the criteria. Think about the fit, personality, education, and experience that will affect your decision. Set some base questions and think about what answers you want. Interviewing can be affected by simple human bias, try to control that by setting criteria first. 

Prepare your questions. Knowing what you are going to ask can make an interview much more comfortable.  It will help you keep the flow going. Interviews already have a dose of tension in them, keep it as smooth as possible by prepping the questions.

2.   Ask the Right Questions.

Successful interviewers don't ask the same standard questions you think of when you think of interviews. They ask the right questions. Here are the tips they gave us for developing your own ‘the right questions.'

Ask open-ended questions. Avoid the yes/no questions like the plague and ask questions that need longer explanations. You want the candidates to talk.

Ask them behavioral questions. Ask them to describe the situation around an event in their resume and how they were involved. Describe a task or problem in the position and have them explain how they would approach it. Ask them to explain how they have handled situations or issues in their past jobs. Get them to talk about how they will or have achieved something. This will give you the most insight into what type of employee they can or will be.

Follow up questions. Always ask at least one follow up question. It can be something as easy as repeating the last few words of a statement they made with a different inflection; or something like asking them to expand on a point they missed or made. Use follow up questions to get a candidate to expand short answers. 

Stop talking. If you are asking the right questions, you won't be the one talking. A common mistake is monologuing. Yes, it isn't just evil villains that do it. A lot of us can get talking about our business or ideas and talk, and talk. Try to be self-aware of this behavior. While an interview is a two-way street, time is limited, and your goal is to get information to evaluate the candidate.

Use Active Listening. Fully concentrate, understand and remember the candidate's answer. Don't get caught up thinking about the next question you are going to ask.

3.   Consider the Fit.

Look at the team, the department, or the job and consider how the candidates will fit. Top CEOs and business leaders say that the fit is the most critical attribute. Shy away from requiring education or experience. Those can be used to determine the compensation for the position. Look for qualities that align; attributes like goals, direction, motivation, and energy. Take one cautionary advisory though, don't get too caught up on finding the exact fit. People can and do adapt. The best advice is the look for a candidate who is the best fit and coach them to a perfect fit. Placing the perfect fit candidate into a team will always produce better results than the perfect paper candidate.

4.   Watch for the Red Flags.

Throughout the interview be observant for tell-tale flags that signal an issue. Some of the best interviewers we have worked with gave us these examples. 

Bad communication. As you are asking questions and follow up questions, if the candidate cannot clearly communicate answers, this can be a telling flag. 

Answers for everything. Almost the opposite to bad communication, having an answer for everything can also raise a flag. You should be asking behavioral questions, and sometimes the answers should be an ‘I don't know," or "I need to think about that." Someone who has an answer for every little thing might not be willing to work with other's ideas. 

Boosting. Bragging and boosting are red flags. While an interview is all about showing off your achievements and experience, it is not a forum to boost. Extra bright red if the boosting is about other offers or compensation.

Nonverbal Cues. Body language speaks louder than words. Nervousness, respect, humility, and excitement can be easily perceived through body language and are all great signs. Lack of them can be warning signs. Likewise, pay attention to see if the nonverbal matches what the candidate is saying. A disconnect here should at least warrant a further follow up question.

The ‘what's in it for me' mentality. Keep an eye out for questions and comments that express this frame of mind. Candidates who focus excessively or solely on compensation and benefits with all their questions may be indicating their only interest. Most of us need our paychecks, but there should be more interest there.

5.   Respect and Relax.

The second most commonly cited key for successful interviewing by nearly all the CEOs and business leaders we asked was tied between Respect and Relax. I put them together because both are short, and to the point. However, don't let that detract from the importance of either. Also, you have to admit; it made for a snappy title! 

Respect the candidates. If you schedule an interview time, be prepared to start the interview at that time. Shake their hand, before and after the interview. Make eye contact and give them your attention. Remember interviews work two ways, and good candidates may get multiple offers. Bad manners on your part could be the deciding factor.

Relax. Again, interviews already have a dose of tension in them. The best way to see the real person is getting the candidate to relax. Try to engage them on a personal level by asking about hobbies or interest. Try to find a connection and slip into a bit of a casual conversation. Alternatively, use a curve-ball question to break up the tension. "How many golf balls would fit into a 747?"

For more help with interviewing, check out this blog post: Unique Interview Questions

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