The purpose of interview skills training for hiring managers
A good interviewer creates a positive candidate experience by guiding the conversation, making candidates feel comfortable and providing fair evaluations.
Interview skills training teaches objective strategies for creating a consistent interview process and encouraging authentic candidate responses. These training programs can help your hiring team prepare for interviews.
How to conduct interview training for hiring managers
The following steps explain how to create a successful interview training program.
1. Evaluate your current interviewing practices
You might evaluate the effectiveness of current interviewing practices by attending an interview or assessing the company’s overall goals and direction.
If you’re trying to change the culture in your organization, consider how hiring managers can align their questions with company expectations. This can help ensure potential hires are a culture add.
2. Review existing manager training
Identify any current manager training or professional development opportunities that touch on interviewing skills. Look for areas of overlap to integrate or build upon.
3. Develop interview training goals
The main goal of the training is to improve your organization’s interview process. You might choose measurable goals to help evaluate your training. For example, if you want to improve diversity through interviewing, training might cover inclusive language in the recruiting process.
4. Write your curriculum
Turn your areas of improvement and training goals into actionable training classes. Your human resources (HR) team members who specialize in training may help develop the program. Consider involving multiple employees to include different perspectives and areas of expertise.
5. Choose teaching methods
Use a range of interactive training techniques to enhance learning:
- Role-playing scenarios
- Mock interviews
- Interview checklists
- Templates and examples
- Demonstrations of proper techniques
- Quizzes and other learning checkpoints
Topics to include in interview training
The following topics are typically included in interview training.
Interviewing biases
To become better interviewers, hiring managers must learn to recognize their personal biases toward candidates. Unconscious bias refers to the unintentional tendency to favor certain candidates over others based on factors unrelated to their qualifications. This can lead to unfair hiring decisions and limit diversity within your organization.
Your training may include strategies to help reduce those biases, such as masked resume screening, diverse interview panels and skills tests. To further reduce bias, encourage interviewers to focus on objective, job-related criteria rather than subjective feelings about a candidate.
Interview types and questions to ask
It may be helpful for hiring managers to understand the types of interviews and how to conduct them. You might use mock interviews to demonstrate how each differs.
Your training can also include recommended or required interview questions applicable to various open positions. If hiring managers create their own interview questions, ensure they receive training on how to create questions that are relevant and insightful.
Standard interview processes
Establishing set interview processes helps create consistency in the hiring process. Review your organization’s standard procedures and emphasize the importance of following them. You might require all hiring managers to use structured interviews.
Managing the candidate experience
Creating a positive candidate experience is crucial. When interviewees feel comfortable and at ease, they can often more effectively showcase their qualifications. Train your interviewers to foster a welcoming environment, maintain respect and communicate clearly.
In remote interviews, this includes ensuring good video and audio quality and being mindful of the virtual setting.
Evaluating and selecting candidates
Help your hiring managers make better hiring decisions by training them on objective evaluation practices. Using tools like an interview scoring sheet can give them a helpful framework for noting and later reviewing candidate information.
Benefits of teaching interviewing skills for hiring managers
Consider the following benefits of interviewing training for hiring managers:
- Consistency in the hiring process: Being consistent across departments and positions can increase the quality of your hires. It can also help reduce interview bias by establishing set practices that focus on qualifications and skills.
- Inclusive hiring practices: Implementing standardized interview protocols for all hiring managers can foster an inclusive hiring process.
- Better experiences for candidates: Job seekers may begin developing an opinion of your company from their first interactions with you. A well-trained hiring manager can create a positive candidate experience.
FAQs about interviewing training for hiring managers
What do you do if a hiring manager doesn’t want to complete interview skills training?
If a hiring manager is hesitant to complete interview skills training, first highlight the benefits, linking them to company goals and improved hiring quality. Address any specific concerns they may have and offer flexible training options if possible.
How do you know if your interview training is effective?
Asking for participant feedback can give you a better idea of how hiring managers perceive the training’s value. Employee surveys may provide ideas for new topics to include or changes to the teaching methods.
You can also assess hiring and recruitment metrics to gauge improvements in the interviewing process. Asking for feedback from interview participants can help you evaluate your hiring managers’ skills.
