Interviewing Guidelines for Effective Interviews

Interviewing takes preparation and organization. Once you are prepared the interview will go smoothly and you will get the information you need. However, it's easy to get off track. Once this happens the interviewing process can be biased or ineffective. There are a number of guidelines you should consider as you prepare and conduct your interview that will help you stay on track and let you have the best interview possible.

Stay away from instincts and intuition. Interviewing is more than a gut feeling. It's about facts and past behavior. Applicants are doing their best to project a positive image and this image might not always be a true indicator of their skills and abilities. Leave your preconceptions and biases at the door and ask questions that will determine if your applicant is qualified for the job.
 

Develop behavioral interviewing questions that will determine if your candidate has the knowledge, skills and abilities needed for the job description you are hiring for. These questions should focus on specific past behaviors. These past behaviors are the best way to predict future behavior. They leave out biases and allow for finding the best candidate. Allow the applicant plenty of time to answer these questions. They will need to remember the instances you are asking for. Don't be afraid of silence. Allow them the time to think.

Use open-ended questions during your interview. Close ended questions can be answered with one word or a yes or no and rarely provide enough information to determine if a candidate is qualified. Make sure you are prepared with a list of behavior-based open ended questions for your interview.

Stick to the script when interviewing. You have done an enormous amount of preparation. Don't blow it by suddenly improvising and changing the script. There is no easier way to get off track and mess up all your careful preparation.

Take notes! Taking notes is one of the most important parts of an effective interview. Note-taking will allow you to go back and see exactly what you were thinking when a candidate gave an answer and what they said. It's easy to forget an interview after it happens. If you rely on your memory it leads to decisions based on gut feelings. Candidates are trying to project an image and this image might be all you remember.

Following these guidelines when preparing for and conducting your interview and your chances for success improve exponentially. They will help you stay on track and conduct an interview that gets you the best possible employee for the job. Interviewing is never easy but with preparation and a well-organized plan the process can be a smooth one.

Charlie Bentson King is a writer and producer of training videos for TrainingABC. TrainingABC is a distributor of behavioral interviewing video and DVD programs such as More Than a Gut Feeling.