Interviewers are key!

There are heaps of blog posts and articles aimed at helping candidates ace job interviews: hints and tips on getting through interviews and sample questions! Here I want to place the spotlight on the other side of the table: tips for the interviewer. 

Why? Because I think we generally understate the importance of interviewers in making successful hires and the impact they have on the overall candidate experience. This goes beyond the success of candidates when they become employees, they could ultimately become your clients!

It is often said that a bad hire starts with the interview; by extension, so does a good hire. You may be the hiring manager, a member of the team the candidate would join, a peer, or other stakeholder. Your behaviour and approach in that interview will impact the candidate’s decision to join and their success in their role. Lifting your game as an interviewer therefore lifts the game of your company.

We have all been the interviewee. Think about a time when you were the candidate, and remember how stressful the interview was. How you felt after walking out of the room. When you left feeling deflated and beaten, or felt energized and even more motivated to get the job. Despite these insights, most people being put into the role of interviewer fail to consider any other model. This is understandable: most people spend more time doing their day job than interviewing candidates. As good as line managers think they get with interviewing, I see a lot of room for improvement.

So here are my top tips for acing that interview – as the interviewer.

Know the Process – Your interview is a part of the bigger recruitment process, and that process needs to be coordinated and managed. You need to be clear where your interview sits in that process and ensure your time with the candidate fits into that bigger plan.   

Prepare, prepare, prepare - Just as candidates need to take time to prepare for interviews, you should too. Being prepared helps you make the most of your time with the candidate, and have as big an impact you can have in the limited time you have with the candidate. So, take time to read the candidate's resume and profile before going into the room. Get feedback from previous interviews and ask what the other interviewers feel you should focus on at your interview. Plan the session and plan your timing.

Script for Consistency – A key technique for successful interviewers is to prepare and even script your questions. This drives consistency across the candidate interviews – which is so often lacking – and the deliberate aforethought helps you ask the right questions. Winging it doesn’t work.

Set the Scene – you need a quiet, private space for an effective interview. As comfortable and friendly as a café may seem, it really isn’t a suitable venue to discuss sensitive company and personal information. And keep electronics out of the room. Go old school and print out the resume, bring in paper and a pen. This demonstrates your commitment to them and your time with them. One acceptable exception in my mind is to have a laptop if you prefer to take notes electronically and type faster than you write, but if you do, turn off wifi – and let the candidate know what you are doing upfront. 

Avoid the Use of Acronyms - Unless you are testing a candidate’s understanding of technical terms, don’t use acronyms or arcane industry jargon. 

Be Aware of Your Biases – We all have biases, most sit just below the surface where we don’t recognize or understand them. Unconscious biases play a strong part in influencing your behavior. We are coached in dealing with the most damaging of biases – prejudice – but there are many more biases most of us don’t recognize and can’t moderate. I have seen interviewers show preference for candidates who are similar to them – they went to the same college, come from the same hometown. I remember a time when I interviewed a candidate from my hometown of Singapore. She was really nervous, and I found myself taking time to chat a little more about home, food, likes and dislikes, all of which calmed her down, and made her feel more comfortable. At the end of the interview, I felt strongly that she had a better "fit" compared to the other candidates – with whom I had no affinity, even though I could not articulate why. 

Candidates will pick up on your biases and behavioural cues, even if you are unaware of them. They can be the reason a good candidate believes the interview did not go well, demotivating them in the process. Conversely, a candidate may even play on you biases to blind you to their weakness. Being self-aware of your own biases is the first step to countering them.

And finally, Review Immediately Afterwards - When planning the candidate interview, add in another 15 minutes to undertake a review. Whether you feel if the candidate was suitable or not, your input, thoughts, and notes are critical. This is best done immediately while the interview experience is still fresh in your mind. Be rigorous and objective.  Also take this review time to consider what you did well, and where you need to improve your interview technique. Which questions elicited the sorts of answers you were seeking? Were there any responses you would like to have rechecked in subsequent interviews or reference checks? This serves not only as a record for future reference (as candidates may apply again) but allows the Recruiter to provide constructive feedback to the candidate.

These are simple but important tips to help you assess candidates evenhandedly, a critical step in setting the candidate experience off to a good start.