- July 11, 2024
- Jessica Harling
Hiring the right candidate can significantly impact your team’s success and overall company performance.
As a manager, conducting effective interviews is crucial to identifying top talent. Here are four top interviewing tips to help you get the most out of your candidate interviews.
1. Avoid Close-Ended Questions: Encourage Elaborate Responses
Candidates generally aim to please and often want to give you the answers they think you want to hear. To gain deeper insights into their experiences and thought processes, avoid close-ended questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.”
Instead, ask open-ended questions starting with “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” “how,” or “which.” For instance, rather than asking, “Have you managed a team before?” try, “Can you describe a time when you managed a team and what challenges you faced?”
This approach encourages candidates to provide detailed answers, allowing you to better understand their capabilities and experiences.
2. Ask Before You Explain: Uncover Genuine Experience
Many interviewers make the mistake of explaining the job role in detail before asking questions. This often leads to candidates tailoring their responses based on the information you’ve provided, rather than sharing their genuine experiences and skills.
By asking questions first, you get a more accurate sense of the candidate’s true background and competencies. For example, instead of saying, “This job requires strong project management skills. Can you tell me about your project management experience?” start with, “What is your experience with managing projects?”
This method ensures that you learn about the candidate’s real experience without inadvertently leading them to the “correct” answer.
3. Maintain a Neutral Expression: Keep the Candidate Talking
Your reactions, both verbal and non-verbal, can significantly influence the flow of the interview. Displaying approval or disapproval can lead candidates to adjust their answers based on your perceived preferences.
To keep candidates sharing openly and honestly, practice maintaining a neutral expression—much like a poker face. If you remain neutral, candidates are more likely to continue elaborating on their responses, giving you a clearer picture of their suitability for the role.
Remember, your goal is to gather information, not to guide the candidate to what you want to hear.
4. Control the Interview: Balance Speaking Time
It’s essential to manage the interview time effectively to ensure you gather all the necessary information. Aim to control the interview for more than two-thirds of the time, allowing the candidate to ask questions for the remaining third. This balance prevents the candidate from dominating the conversation and ensures you cover all your prepared questions.
Additionally, this structure allows you to thoroughly evaluate the candidate’s fit for the role while still giving them the opportunity to clarify any doubts they might have.
The key to successful interviewing is to avoid “leading the witness.”
Much like in a courtroom drama where lawyers object to leading questions, you should refrain from guiding candidates toward specific answers. By asking open-ended questions, avoiding detailed explanations before inquiring about experiences, maintaining a neutral expression, and controlling the interview’s flow, you ensure a more honest and revealing dialogue.
These techniques will help you uncover the true potential of your candidates, leading to better hiring decisions and a stronger team.
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