Must-Dos in an Interview For an Interviewer

Conducting an interview can be a complex process and statistically speaking, you’re
going to find yourself in this position at some point in your career. Whether you’re a business
owner, a manager, or finding your replacement after you’ve been promoted, you’ll most likely
need to hone your interviewing skills at some point.

The role of interviewer is to both convey and obtain information. The interviewee will
come prepared with their own questions and answers and while it is your job to talk about the
position that is being filled and relay the information, it is also up to you to remain observant and
decipher what the candidate’s questions and answers say about them

The first step is to do your due diligence and gather information from the candidate’s
resume and other application materials. Doing your homework on the candidate will allow you to
go into the interview confident that you have a good idea of the person’s credentials,
experience, and capabilities. Once the interview starts, you can ask pointed questions tailored
to their experience and the overall position that you are trying to fill.

You want to begin the interview in a relaxed and candid manner but to quickly move into
professional territory. Candidates are human too and they will likely be nervous. Overt
intimidation will only increase their nerves and you could potentially miss getting an accurate
picture of who the candidate is and whether or not they will be a good fit for your company.

Be an active listener. Show that you are really paying attention to your candidate’s
answer and compare their answers to the position’s responsibilities and your must-haves for the
position. Follow up questions are crucial to showing them that you are listening and that you are
not following a rigid script for their interview.

It is your responsibility to go over the position’s responsibilities, salary, requirements,
benefits, and working conditions. However, the interview will naturally unfold as questions are
asked and answered so you have to make sure you stay on track and go over all of the position
details. As the applicant asks their questions, it is also important that you remain truthful but
professional, adhering to your company’s policies and guidelines. For instance, some
companies prefer to not start talking about salary and specific benefits until an offer has been
made and negotiations have started. Therefore, if a candidate asks a specific question about
salary, you must give an answer that both maintains their interest but is aligned with company
policy.

Ultimately, you want to be as truthful as possible during the interview to portray your
company, the working environment, and the position’s responsibilities as truthfully as possible.
The goal is to find someone who is truly going to benefit the organization and you want the
organization to benefit them so that they will potentially be a committed and long-term
employee.

https://www.thecut.com/article/how-to-be-a-good-interviewer.html
https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/expert-insights/the-dos-and-donts-of-conducting-a-job-interview