How to conduct an interview
Discover techniques and resources for how to interview a candidate effectively.
Simply hearing the words “job interview,” let alone preparing for one, can be stressful. Whether you’re a candidate or an interviewer, the process can come with a good deal of pressure.
While applicants work to put their best foot forward, hiring managers and recruiters are responsible for planning and conducting successful interviews and following up with candidates afterward. It’s no small task to screen applicants, interview top candidates, and choose the best person for the job — all while showcasing your organization as a great place to work. It’s important to know and practice effective interviewer techniques before digging into rounds of interviews to determine the ideal candidate for each position.
Enhance your interview skills and confidently choose new members for your team with this comprehensive guide that includes steps, tips, and resources for interviewing candidates.
Before the interview
Hiring managers and recruiters can take steps in advance that ensure a smooth interview process. It’s necessary to prepare beforehand because you want to find the best person for the job and show candidates that your organization is a desirable place to work. Plus, you build trust and rapport when candidates see that you know how to interview someone.
Once you’ve screened applicants and narrowed your list, follow these steps to lay the foundation for a successful interview process.
Plan ahead based on the type of interview you’ll be conducting.
Not all interviews come with a table, chairs, and two cozy mugs of coffee. They can vary significantly depending on the goal, structure, medium, and location.
In-person or virtual interviews
Are you holding a traditional, in-person interview? If so, you’ll want to prep your materials ahead of time, create a welcoming space, and present yourself professionally (avoiding sweatpants, for instance).
On the other hand, if you’re conducting an interview via phone or video conference, feel free to wear your comfiest pajama bottoms. More importantly, ensure your internet service is strong and all technology is working.
For in-person and virtual interviews, build in buffer time between meetings to take stretch breaks, review candidate materials, and help you stay on schedule in case anyone runs late.
Other types of interviews
Other types of interviews ask candidates to solve job-related challenges or puzzles or require them to submit a similar work product to one they’ll produce on the job. If you’re conducting one of these interviews, check with your team members who know the work product best. You can also get tips from coworkers on how to create clear, relevant interview questions that obtain useful information from candidates.
If you and other hiring managers are interviewing candidates in a panel format, it can help to divide up the questions ahead of time. Decide if every interviewer will ask a question or if one person will be the main speaker and the others will take notes. You can even hold a mock interview to practice and work out any potential hiccups
Interview location and timing
Sometimes, interviews are held over lunch. If that’s your preferred time, choose a place that’s not too loud, has options that account for dietary restrictions, and is easy for the interviewee to get to. And according to standard etiquette, the interviewer — not the interviewee — picks up the tab.
Prepare yourself and the interview space in advance.
The purpose of an interview is to have a professional and helpful conversation to learn whether a candidate is a great addition to your team. To achieve this goal, create a relaxed and open environment that helps to calm nerves and inspire authentic discussion.
Remember these to-dos when prepping yourself and the interview room:
• Refresh your memory before each interview with a quick review of the candidate’s resume and LinkedIn profile.
• Cross-reference your list of questions with the candidate’s resume to determine priority questions and see if there are any you’d rather not ask.
• Be sure the space is clean, calm, and inviting. If possible, have water, tea, or coffee on hand.
• Pay attention to the room lighting. Is it bright enough? Too bright? If the candidate’s chair is right in the middle of the sun’s glare, lower the blinds.
• Bring a notepad and pen or a tablet to take down important notes from each interview.
• Have a clock or timer somewhere in view to help you stay on schedule, but try to avoid looking at it too often during the interview.
• Write down any reminders you want to tell the candidate, such as when you’ll be following up with them.
Have a list of questions you want to ask the candidate
Creating a list of questions is one of the most helpful things you can do to prepare for an interview. That’s not to say you shouldn’t ask new questions that come up in the interview discussion, but starting with ones you’ve considered ahead of time will streamline the process and show candidates you take the interview and their potential role in your organization seriously. And, maybe most importantly, planned questions help ensure you assess key aspects of each candidate’s experience, workplace behavior tendencies, and hard and soft skills.
Determine what questions to ask
The exact questions you ask will likely be different based on the role. When hiring for management positions, you’ll want to include questions that dig into a candidate’s leadership experience and interpersonal skills. Entry-level positions might call for learning more about an applicant’s interests and goals.
Check out our “How to hire” guides for interview question ideas for hundreds of different roles.
When interviewing several people for the same position, it’s a good idea to ask them at least some of the same questions so you have an easier time comparing answers and candidates later.
Help candidates prepare for your questions
Depending on the role and type of interview, it can be helpful to send some or all of the questions to candidates in advance.
Although this approach is not as spontaneous, interviewing is a skill of its own — and sometimes nerves can contribute to candidates not presenting themselves in the best light. You can ease that pressure by sending certain questions to them ahead of time.
Encourage candidates to use the STAR method
Many interviewers find it helpful when candidates use the STAR method to answer behavioral interview questions about their past work experience. The acronym STAR stands for “situation,” “task,” “action,” and “result” — describing the four main components of a succinct and effective response.
If you want candidates to use the STAR method in their interviews, share details on your website about the types of questions you’ll be asking and how this method can help candidates answer them.
Ask these questions to assess candidates for specific skills
If you want to hire team members who match the job description and are likely to help your organization succeed in the long term, ask questions that assess transferable and soft skills like grit, flexibility, creativity, an innovative mindset, and a collaborative spirit.
As you prepare interview questions, discuss with other members of your hiring team which soft skills are most important for the open position. This will help you achieve alignment throughout the hiring process and ensure your questions are aimed at finding the best person for the job.
Assess what candidates will contribute to your team
Be sure to consider your company culture when hiring, but do so in an unbiased and open-minded way that prioritizes diverse and fresh perspectives. It’s less important how a person will “fit in” and more important how they will strengthen your existing team.
During the interview
While essential work happens before the interview, there’s nothing quite like the main event. For a smooth and productive discussion, pay attention to the following tips when you’re face-to-face with a candidate.
Think about how you want to start the interview.
The first impression matters, no matter what side of the table you’re on. And, for most of us, first-time meetings can be slightly awkward.
Start the interview smoothly by making eye contact and introducing yourself. Thank the candidate for meeting you and show them where they can sit. If water, tea, or coffee is readily available, offer them a cup. And if they’re wearing your favorite color, why not mention it?
Once initial pleasantries are behind you, remind them of your role in the organization and let them know you’re excited to speak with them today about the position they’re applying for — from English teacher or electrical engineer to data analyst. You can structure your interview to ask less challenging questions first, such as:
• Tell me about some of your interests and passions
• How did you hear about this job opening?
• What piqued your interest in our organization?
To help lower their stress, let them know the kinds of questions you’ll be asking, and remind them they’re free to ask for clarification if anything doesn’t make sense. Remember that the more comfortable you help a candidate feel at the beginning of an interview, the more authentic — and ultimately helpful — your discussion will be.
Listen closely to the candidate’s answers.
Throughout the interview, listen carefully to what the candidate is saying and how they're saying it. Are they curious to learn and embrace new challenges? Do they accept responsibility and view their past mistakes as opportunities to grow? Are they aligned with your organization’s core values, and do they seem to genuinely care about your mission?
Like anyone, candidates can fumble, misspeak, or overstate, but if you hear several red flags, they might not be the best person for your organization. Some things to watch for include:
• Blaming others for mistakes or speaking ill of past coworkers (especially by name)
• A rude, complaining, or disrespectful tone or manner
• Apathy toward your organization or feigned interest in it
• Lack of attention to the interview and poor listening skills
If you feel like a candidate is giving a partial answer and you’re interested in learning more, don’t be afraid to ask them to elaborate. People often feel pressured to give relatively short answers and just need encouragement to open up more.
Know how to smoothly end an interview.
When ending the interview, it can help to let the candidate know when you’re asking your last question. Then, once you’re finished, give them space to ask any questions they might have about the role or your organization.
Be sure to thank them for meeting with you and let them know a general timeline of when they can expect to hear back about a decision. If you heard them mention anything in passing about an event they have coming up, or if they recently received an accolade or award, you can wish them well or offer your congratulations as a way of showing that you value them as a person, not just an interviewee.
Interviewer techniques
The next time you’re wondering how to be a good interviewer, remember that it all comes down to preparation and communication. Consider these tips to leave a great impression on candidates:
• Make eye contact and greet applicants by name. These are two of the simplest ways to show someone you take them seriously and want to hear what they have to say.
• Listen attentively. People can tell when you are distracted, half listening, or thinking less about what they’re saying and more about what you’re going to say next. If something comes up mid-conversation that you want to ask or add, jot down a quick note instead of trying to hold the thought in your head.
• Repeat what you hear. Summarize a candidate’s response to ensure you’ve heard them correctly. This gives them a chance to elaborate or clarify if necessary and can help them feel more comfortable opening up to share more.
• Take your time. Don’t rush your questions or candidates’ responses. Allow them the time to answer completely. And try not to hurry past silence. Sometimes, the most meaningful thoughts come from moments of contemplation.
• Ask situational questions. Learn more about how candidates would respond to challenging situations that might happen on the job by asking them to consider hypothetical, real-life scenarios. To encourage fresh, thoughtful responses, pair situational questions with behavioral ones that focus on a candidate’s past experiences.
• Know what’s off-limits. Make sure only to ask questions related to the job, work, and professional life. Avoid anything too personal or topics that could risk a discrimination lawsuit, including anything related to race, gender, age, religion, country or national origin, disability, and marital or family status.
• Take notes. Write down your major thoughts, ideas, and impressions about each candidate. When deciding between candidates after the interviews, you’ll want to have all the key information you need.
• Be open to different forms of technology. You can widen your candidate pool significantly if you’re willing to conduct phone and video interviews in addition to in-person ones.
• Be gracious. Every candidate can teach us more about what we do or don’t want to see in a given role. Thank people for their time, participation, and insights — and really mean it. They put themselves out there, took risks, and showed up, and that’s a big deal.
As with any skill, the best way to hone your interview technique is to keep practicing. Set up mock interviews with colleagues to build confidence as you prepare to interview candidates.
Consider using an interview script.
To stay on track and focused during the interview, try having a script on hand that includes the main questions and points you want to cover. For example, you can start with these Common Questions to Ask During An Interview.
While you can follow your script as loosely or closely as you wish, try not to only focus on it and instead maintain eye contact and connection with the candidate. It’s okay to veer off course in an interview — the script is meant to be a helpful guide when needed.
After the interview
The interview process isn’t over once the candidate walks out the door. Follow these steps to make the most of your time with each candidate and ensure you have the information you need to choose the best person for the job.
Immediately write down your feedback after the interview.
Whether or not you use an interview script, be sure you have something on hand to jot down anything significant the candidate says during the interview. Additionally, take some time post interview to gather your thoughts and write down your impressions of the candidate — where they shined, any concerns you might have, and anything you want to follow up on.
If you’re holding multiple interviews back-to-back, try to end each one a few minutes before the next begins — that way, you have time to write your final thoughts about the candidate while they’re fresh in your mind.
For a seamless interview process from start to finish, check out LinkedIn Recruiter, where you can leave notes and information in candidate profiles, making it easier for your hiring team to access everything in one place.
Follow up with the candidate.
It’s important to follow up in a timely manner with every candidate you interview. Send a prompt email thanking them for their time and letting them know when they can expect to hear back with a decision.
If a candidate passes the initial interview and is moving to a second round, let them know what you’ll be assessing next. It can also be helpful and courteous to provide a timeline for when they can expect a final decision — so they don’t feel strung along.
Rejecting candidates after interviews.
While turning down candidates can be a challenging and uncomfortable part of the interview process, it’s important to close the loop and let them move on to other opportunities.
That being said, writing a quality rejection letter takes thoughtfulness and skill. Check out our comprehensive rejection letter guide for tips that will make it a little easier.
Interviewer training guides
Want to brush up more on your interviewer skills? Check out these resources:
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