How to Conduct an Interview Like a Pro? Useful Tips & Tricks

Hiring a talented workforce increases productivity, helps you achieve your goals efficiently, and brings unique yet effective solutions to your organization. This makes hiring the right talent a crucial aspect of your business growth.  When it comes to taking an interview, however easy it might look, it can get challenging at times. Under any circumstances, conducting an interview the right way is extremely crucial for hiring the best talent for your organization. In this blog, you will learn some useful tips on how to conduct an interview and take your interview journey to the next level. 

How to Conduct a Job Interview Effectively?

Conducting a job interview as an employer, takes preparation, analysis, and critical thinking. Let’s look at some tips on how to conduct an interview as an interviewer to make this complex process easier for you!

1. Go Through the Resume Thoroughly

Before beginning the interview, analyze the candidate’s resume thoroughly and jot down any doubts you may have. This ensures that you are aware of the candidate’s professional details, allowing you to have a deeper conversation about the candidate’s skills, experience, educational background, and achievements. 

2. Prepare a Set of Questions 

While having a conversation, it is easier to get de-railed from the topic or domain. This might prevent you from asking the right questions. Therefore, it is best to have some questions in hand related to the role you’re hiring for as this will help you analyze the candidate’s potential better.

3. Give a Brief About the Company and the Job Role

Before delving into the technical questions, you should provide a brief description of the company and the job profile being offered. It removes any chances of misunderstanding and gives a clear idea of what you expect from the candidate. 

4. Make Use of the STAR Method

The STAR method stands for:

• Situation: You give a situation to the candidate, helping you asses their capabilities.
• Task: Highlight the task in the given situation.
• Action: Ask them about the course of action they will take.
• Result: Discuss the outcome of the chosen course of action.

This method enables you to understand a candidate’s ability to handle situations well. It also helps you know their thought process and determine if they are a right fit for your organization.

5. Listen Actively 

A good interviewer must have excellent listening skills. You should pay attention to every single detail you might come across during the interview. For instance, the tone of the candidate, body language, way of handling the questions, etc. This enables you to make better decisions while hiring them.

6. Ask the Right Questions

Questions are the backbone of any interview. To prepare the right questions, you first need to determine your objective, what kind of employee you require for the role, and what skills the role demands. Once you’re clear with these requirements, frame your questions around them. 

The right questions will help you decide whether the candidate possesses the right skills and knowledge, has the potential to help you reach your objectives, and ticks all the checkboxes set by you. It is best to ask questions related to different aspects;  for instance, questions assessing technical skills, career potential, career objectives, and ability to fit in your company. Also, check out this guide on culture-fit interview questions.

7. Ask Follow-up Questions 

Make sure to ask follow-up questions. It is a great way to get into details and test the knowledge of the candidate. It also helps you judge whether the candidate knows what they are talking about. 

8. Follow 80-20 Rule 

Make sure you let the candidate speak as much as possible. Follow the 80-20 rule, where 80% of the time, the candidate is speaking and the rest 20% of the time, you are speaking. This allows the candidate to keep their opinions freely and helps you gauge their skills properly.

9. Make Sure to Ask for Reference 

During the interview, it is best to ask for a reference. The reference can be a candidate’s manager of the company they are currently working at or someone from the management position who might have worked with the candidate directly. This will help you understand the candidate better. Remember, if the candidate hesitates while giving a reference, it can be marked as a red flag. 

10. Allow Them to Ask Questions 

Toward the end of the interview, you should allow the candidate to ask questions if they have any. It allows the candidate to express their expectations and clear any doubts regarding the role or the company. It also minimizes the chances of miscommunication. 

11. End With Information About the Next Steps

Leaving the candidate in the dark after the interview can come off as unprofessional. It is best to inform the candidate about the next steps of the process and provide them with a certain date by which they could expect a response. 

How to Conduct a Successful Interview? The Common Dos

To learn how to conduct a job interview efficiently, it is best to take a few measures while interviewing a candidate. 

• Ensure You Take Notes: Noting down important details will let you rewind and analyze better before coming to a final decision while hiring the candidate.
• Avoid Leading Questions: Leading questions provide a hint to the candidate of what kind of answer you would like to hear or is acceptable to you. For instance, do you believe working in a team is efficient? This would lead the candidate to answer in favor of teamwork, no matter what their opinion is. Instead, ask, are you a team player or do you prefer to work separately/alone?
• Avoid Close-ended Questions: Close-ended questions are questions that have a “yes” or a “no” answer. They prevent the conversation from continuing and do not allow the candidate to share their opinions properly. Therefore, avoid asking such questions.
• Avoid Coming Off as Biased: While conducting an interview, you should avoid biases of any kind; for example, gender bias, ethnicity, etc. Be extra cautious of making any remarks that might come off as biased. It is also vital to not let the strengths overpower the weaknesses. 
• Focus On Your Communication Skills: Another tip for how to conduct a successful interview is to make sure your communication skills are on point. Good communication skills avoid the chances of miscommunication. You can also consider exploring courses on business communication to enhance your communication skills. 

Conclusion 

Interviews are a crucial part of the hiring process. They help you assess a candidate’s skillset and hire good talent for your organization. While they might seem a bit challenging at times, you can follow these tips on how to conduct an interview and avoid common mistakes on how to conduct an interview as an interviewer to have a seamless interview experience. 

Do you have any useful tips for conducting interviews that are worth mentioning? Share them in the comments section below! Also, check out how to improve the recruitment process.