Conducting better job interviews: 5 Tips

Conducting job interviews is a crucial part of the recruitment process. For HR managers and recruiters, it is essential to use the right techniques to identify the best candidates. This article offers practical tips and strategies to improve your interviewing process to get the best out of your candidates.

Preparing for the job interview: A structured plan

Conducting good job interviews starts with thorough preparation. Make sure you have a structured plan, including a list of questions you want to ask and criteria by which you will judge the answers. This will help keep the job interview focused and consistent. Focus on the following:

1. Analysing job requirements: Understand the specific requirements of the job you are recruiting for. This includes both hard skills (technical knowledge, experience) and soft skills (teamwork, communication). Discuss this with both management and prospective team members.
2. Development of a Questionnaire: Draft a set of questions tailored to the job requirements. Make sure you include behavioural questions as well as technical ones.
3. Plan the Interview Structure: Decide the order of the questions and the time you want to spend on each part of the interview.

The art of asking the right questions: the basis of a good job interview

Conducting good ollicitation interviews hinges on the questions you ask. These are crucial for getting the necessary information about a candidate. Focus on questions that give insight into the candidate's skills, experience and personality.

Type of interview questions

1. Open Questions: Ask open-ended questions that encourage the candidate to give comprehensive answers. For example, "Can you tell me about a time you managed a challenging project?"
2. STAR Method: Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to ask behavioural questions. This helps to get structured and detailed answers.
3. Situational Questions: Ask hypothetical questions that force the candidate to think about how they would tackle specific problems. For example, "How would you handle a conflict within your team?"

Active listening and probing during job interviews

Active listening is essential to understand the full meaning of a candidate's answers. This means listening not only to what is said, but also to how it is said. More than that, you will more quickly understand what the candidate actually wants to say and ultimately achieve. (A good book on this: Never split the difference)

Techniques to get more info from your job interview

1. Non-verbal Signals: Pay attention to the candidate's body language and facial expressions. These are things that give much more info than what the candidate effectively says.
2. Summarise and Repeat: Repeat or summarise the candidate's answer to confirm that you have understood correctly. This also gives the candidate a chance to correct any misunderstandings.
3. Error repeating: Repeating mistakes is also a way of checking whether what the candidate is saying effectively makes sense
4. Continuing: Ask follow-up questions to elaborate on certain answers. For example, "Can you tell more about your role in that project?". Another great example is "What do you mean?". The candidate sitting in front of you will automatically explain more, which will benefit you.

Creating a comfortable atmosphere for candidates during the interview process

A relaxed candidate is likely to be more open and honest in his or her answers. It is important to create an atmosphere where the candidate feels comfortable during the interview.

1. Greeting: Start the interview with a friendly greeting and a brief introduction to put the candidate at ease.
2. Structure of the Conversation: Start with general questions to get the candidate used to the interview before moving on to more in-depth questions.
3. Positive Feedback: Give positive feedback from time to time to encourage and reassure the candidate.

Examples of good and bad interview practices

Learning from examples can help improve your own techniques. Here are some examples of good and bad interview practices for conducting a job interview:

Good Practices:

• Preparation: Make sure you have thoroughly reviewed the candidate's CV and are prepared with specific questions.
• Consistency: Use the same set of questions for all candidates to enable a fair comparison.
• Objectivity: Base your assessment on facts and specific answers, not on impressions or prejudices.

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Bad Practices:

• Unstructured Interviews: The lack of a clear structure can lead to a chaotic conversation and inconsistent assessments.
• Bias: Don't let personal biases influence your assessment. Focus on the candidate's answers and qualifications.
• Distraction: Make sure you are fully focused on the job interview and avoid distractions such as phones or e-mails.

Conclusion: conducting good job interviews

Conducting solicitation interviews requires preparation, the right questioning techniques and a focus on creating a comfortable atmosphere for the candidate. By using these techniques, you can gain deeper insights and identify the best candidates for your organisation. Investing in a structured and thoughtful job interview will ultimately contribute to the success of your recruitment efforts and the overall performance of your team.

Conducting the job interview is an art that can be refined through experience and constant improvement. Use these tips to make your next job interview even more effective and efficient, and you will see your recruitment process improve significantly.