How To Be a Good Interviewer

A good conversation with a candidate can help you understand who they are, their skill set, and what they would bring to your team.

Being a good interviewer can help you hire successful talent that can help you meet your goals.

To become an effective interviewer, you need to read this.

Why is it important to be a good interviewer?

It's important to be a good interviewer because it helps you find the right person for the job. The skill is important for any employer that wants to hire the right candidates who are motivated, can do the job, and are a good cultural fit for the company.

A good interviewer shows respect for the person they are interviewing. It shows that you care about their time and insights and are willing to invest in getting to know them better.

How to Be an Effective Interviewer

The best interviewers help candidates feel comfortable opening up and sharing information about themselves by making the interview feel like a conversation rather than an interrogation.

How to do this is something we need to discuss.

1. Start the conversation on a lighter note.

Candidates may be nervous at the beginning of the interview, so it can be helpful to make small talk and start the conversation on a lighter note before the interview starts. You need to cut the interview short if you spend too much time talking.

2. Do your research.

Before the interview, review the candidate's application, resume, and cover letter to make sure you know why they're interested in the job.

This will help you generate focused questions about what they've already shared that will help you dig deeper into their relationship to the role.

3. Ask open-ended questions.

Candidates are encouraged to elaborate on their answers in open-ended questions. Make sure you give the interviewer enough time to answer the question.

When not absolutely necessary, avoiding yes or no questions is another thing. If you ask a yes or no question about their role at the company, you won't get the information you're looking for.

3. Listen more than you talk.

You want to do more listening so that you can get more information. The next tip is to practice active listening.

4. Practice active listening.

Active listening is a style of communication in which you focus on the person who is speaking so you can participate in the conversation in a meaningful way.

It helps you learn more about the candidates and ask relevant follow up questions when you want to learn more about them.

It shows respect for the candidate when active listening is done. If you don't fully immerse yourself in what they're saying, and if they feel you're not interested, they might feel less confident in sharing information about themselves. Active listening shows them that you are interested in learning more about them.

5. Take notes.

Taking notes shows you are paying attention to what the candidate is saying. It's a way for you to remember what a candidate says in order to ask them later.

Taking notes helps you remember your conversations with candidates in the future.

6. Be aware of your body language.

Body language that shows respect for the candidate can make them feel more comfortable opening up. It's important to know your body language during an interview to be a good or bad interviewer.

Aim to make eye contact, smile and not cross your arms. A lack of these things can make an interviewer feel like they don't want to be there and that you care about what they have to say.

8. Eliminate distractions.

It's helpful for you and the candidate to eliminate distraction because it can affect how well the interview goes. A valuable piece of information can be lost if an alarm goes off.

9. Be prepared to answer questions.

Candidates will ask you questions such as what a day-to-day looks like for the role they've applied for, what company culture is like, and what your team is like.

Answering candidates' questions and giving them the information they need helps ensure they are a good fit.

If a candidate comes to the realization that they might not be a good fit for your company, they will save you the stress of someone accepting an offer and leaving the company immediately.

Being a good interviewer helps your team meet your goals.

Someone who can put candidates at ease and help them feel comfortable talking about their experience and sharing their skills is a great interviewer because the more you learn about the candidate, the easier it is to make an informed decision.

If you use the tips mentioned above, you will find yourself having valuable conversations and hiring candidates that can help you meet your goals.

The story was originally published on Sep 20.