Why interviewer skills matter
When interviewing a candidate, you have several responsibilities, including:
- Determining if the candidate has the necessary skills and qualifications for the job
- Assessing the candidate’s culture add
- Explaining to the candidate how the company functions
- Discussing the details of the position with the candidate
- Making a good first impression on candidates
- Creating a positive candidate experience that makes quality candidates eager to work for you
Simultaneously balancing these various tasks, gleaning important information from the candidate and representing the company well can be challenging. Strong interviewing skills will prepare you to manage all of this effectively and leave the interview with the information you need to make a hiring decision.
Tips for an interviewer looking to improve
Some people naturally have strong interviewing skills, but for many, learning to be a good interviewer requires training and practice. The following tips for an interviewer can help you improve your skills and your overall hiring process.
1. Prepare for every interview
One key to leading a successful interview is preparing for the interaction. Most candidates will prepare to answer questions, but as the interviewer, you must prepare the structure of the interview, the environment and the questions. Preparation makes the interview more efficient so you can maximize your time with the candidate and focus on their answers.
2. Select applicable questions
Before the interview, construct a list of questions to ask the candidate. Ensure you use a mix of open-ended, close-ended and hypothetical questions to get as much information as possible. Asking different types of questions will keep the candidate interested and help you get to know them.
3. Structure the interview
Establish a structure for the interview to help you and the candidate get all your questions answered. Consider an interview format that flows naturally, like this:
- Interviewer and candidate introductions
- Explanation of the interview process
- Description of job and company
- Interviewer questions
- Candidate questions
Having a structure will also help you keep track of time and ensure you touch on everything you need to discuss during the allotted time.
4. Take notes
Write down your thoughts and the gist of the candidate’s responses during the interview. If you’re interviewing more than one person for the position, notes will help you remember exactly what a candidate said, days or weeks later when it’s time to select the new hire. Taking notes directly on the candidate’s resume is an easy way to remember who is who and highlight job-related skills and qualifications.
If you’re using Indeed to interview candidates virtually, you can take notes on the candidate’s responses and refer to them later when making a hiring decision. This helps ensure all the important information is captured and you and your team can make an informed decision. Additionally, you can share your notes with team members, making it easier to collaborate and make a final decision.
5. Listen actively
While you’ll likely spend more time talking than the candidate at the beginning and end of the interview, you should be actively listening during the bulk of the meeting. Take the time to hear the candidate’s responses and ask clarifying questions. Nod your head, smile and make sounds of acknowledgment during the candidate’s responses to show you’re listening and help make the candidate feel at ease.
6. Be flexible
No matter how detailed you make the interview, you’ll likely have to deviate from your original plan to field additional questions or ask follow-up questions. Be prepared to make changes to your questions or the general structure of the interview to get all the information you need to make a hiring decision.
7. Understand your biases
Everyone has unconscious biases based on a multitude of personal factors. Understanding your biases and working to combat them can vastly improve the fairness of your hiring decisions. Consider taking an anti-bias training course to help identify your biases and give your candidates the fairest possible interview.
8. Review the job description
Look over the position’s job description before the interview so that the qualifications and job duties are fresh in your mind. Make your questions relevant to the position so you can accurately determine if the candidate has the required skills and qualifications to perform the job well.
9. Know the candidate’s history
Directly before the interview, review the application materials you received from the candidate. Familiarize yourself with the candidate’s job history so you can ask questions about their experience and qualifications. Bring the candidate’s resume to the interview for reference.
10. Allow enough time
When scheduling interviews, allow more time than you think you need for the conversation so you can focus on the conversation without worrying about how much time you have left. If you end up with extra minutes, seize the opportunity to reflect on the candidate and organize your notes, or ask if the candidate has any questions of their own.
11. Review the results
Follow up after you hire someone to see how well your interviewing skills worked. If your company measures candidate or employee experience, you can refer to that data to gauge how the interviewee felt. You can also monitor the new hire’s performance, how well they fit with the team and how long they stay at the company as an indicator of how well you performed your interviewing duties.
How to be a good interviewer
Following the actionable tips for an interviewer outlined above can help make your interviews more effective and productive. Here are some more steps you can take to strengthen your interviewing skills.
1. Prioritize candidate experience
Fostering a positive candidate experience can help your organization recruit quality candidates. Take a step back and examine your interview process. Measuring candidate experience will enable you to improve the way you interview and help you develop skills that will positively impact job seekers.
2. Learn about interview types and formats
There are many types of interviews, and some may be a better fit for your job openings than others. In addition, experts have developed specific interview formats, such as the STAR interview format, that work well in specific situations.
Become familiar with interview types and formats by reading articles and books or taking classes.Knowing about various methods will allow you to choose the right format and type for each interview.
3. Make time to practice
If you’re new to interviewing or want to improve your skills, consider conducting practice interviews with your colleagues. You can practice designing an interview structure, asking questions and taking notes, which will help you feel comfortable leading discussions and listening to candidates’ responses. Ask for feedback from your interviewee to see if you can do anything to make candidates feel more comfortable.
Another way to gain practice is to conduct stay interviews with your team. Not only will interviewing your current employees provide opportunities for you to build interviewer skills, but it can also strengthen your relationship with your team to benefit employee morale and retention.
4. Seek feedback
Solicit feedback to see where you’re excelling and where you could improve in your interviewing practices. You can do this with coworkers in mock interviews or provide candidates with a survey following the interview to get feedback.
If you have permission to record interviews, ask your supervisor to review them. Schedule a time to discuss your performance and be open to any constructive criticism they provide.
5. Evaluate yourself
Soon after an interview, perform a self-assessment. Develop a scoring sheet similar to the ones you use for evaluating candidates. When you fill it out, be honest about your performance. Identify your strengths and areas for improvement, and brainstorm how you can do better next time.
FAQs about interviewer skills
How do you close an interview?
It’s important to clearly and confidently end the interview. This helps the candidate understand whenit’s finished and know what to expect after they leave. Follow these steps to effectively close an interview:
- Ask the candidate if they have questions for you.
- Share when they can expect to hear from you about a hiring decision or next steps.
- Thank the candidate for attending the interview and answering questions.
- Escort the candidate out. This is often the moment when people provide final thoughts or stories they forgot to mention earlier, so continue to use your listening skills as you walk them out.
How can you make candidates feel at ease?
It’s common for interviewees to feel nervous during an interview. Part of your job as a good interviewer is to help them feel at ease so they can share their qualifications with you.
Be welcoming and kind from the time you meet the candidate. Make early introductions, and explain the interview process so they know what to expect. Focus on conversation and connections. For example, you might tell a little story to put the candidate at ease before jumping into the questions or start off with an icebreaker to help them relax.
How can you get support for interviews?
Ask experienced hiring managers and HR professionals for their best tips for interviewers. If possible, sit in on an interview with the best interviewer in your organization so you can see them in action and learn how to be a good interviewer by example. Conducting a panel interview with more experienced interviewers on the team can also help.
