Have you recently been promoted to a position that requires you to conduct interviews as part of the hiring process? It can be as intimidating for interviewers as it is for the candidates being interviewed. Even seasoned hiring managers can benefit from brushing up on their interviewer skills. Here are five tips we suggest for conducting a great interview.

Pull out the job description

Being prepared is the number one interviewer skill to master. Reviewing the job description allows you to ask questions based on the expected tasks and responsibilities. Provide a copy to the candidate as well to remind them of the position they are interviewing for (many applicants have applied to several jobs), as well as to confirm they are able to perform the duties of the position.

Ask open ended questions

Ask the candidate if there is anything the job requires that they feel they need additional training on, where they excel or if they have questions. 

Ask questions that demonstrate the skill level, such as stories about a time they performed a specific task. New manager interviewer skills tend to be limited to asking yes and no questions about tasks rather than creating open ended scenarios for the interviewing party to answer.

Be consistent

The questions you ask candidates should be consistent so that you limit bias and follow laws that protect against asking about protected information. Having your questions written out is critical for this reason. Don’t open yourself up to claims of discrimination with inconsistent interview scenarios.

Be professional

Getting too chatty or personal in the interview can cause problems. Keep the conversation focused on job related topics. If it makes sense, have the interviewer tour the job location while you answer the questions they have for you. Remember they are interviewing you as well and they may decide to withdraw their application after experiencing the job site if it doesn’t meet their needs or expectations. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as a good cultural fit is as important as a good skill set.

Come up with a strategy for the next step

Clearly communicate to the candidate what the next steps in the hiring process are. If you are interviewing as a team, know how to communicate with each other about the candidate so that you can clarify anything while the candidate is still in the interview. For example, if the candidate is a clear “no”, you may place their resume into a different file than those to discuss further. This would be something used by you and your team, but not be known by the candidate to help you with decision making later.

AimHire is a Denver employment agency looking to pair enthusiastic and knowledgeable candidates with quality employers. Contact AimHire today to learn more about how a staffing company can support your goals by pairing you with top talent.