Stepping into the job interviewer’s seat for the first time? Don’t stress—conducting great interviews is a skill you can refine quickly with preparation and practice. Here’s a six-step roadmap to get you started.

Understand the context. Familiarize yourself with the role’s key responsibilities and required skills. Review the candidate’s resume to identify areas you’d like to explore more deeply.

Craft thoughtful questions. Mix behavioral and technical questions to uncover both hard and soft skills. To get the most thorough information, ask for specific examples, such as, “Tell me about a time when you had a difficult conversation with a coworker.”

Practice with a mock interview. Role-play with a colleague to hone your approach, learn to navigate vague or overly detailed responses, and prepare answers to common candidate questions.

Create a comfortable environment. Start with small talk and explain the structure of the interview. When you dive into the harder questions, show genuine interest, and take notes to stay engaged and capture key details.

Don’t rely on memory. Document candidates’ examples and results. Use a structured interview guide to stay organized and consistent as you interview multiple candidates.

Evaluate fairly. No candidate will be perfect. Focus on critical skills and consider their potential for growth. And lastly, reflect on your own performance, including how you could improve the next time around.
This tip is adapted from “How to Conduct Job Interviews When You’ve Never Done It Before,” by Irina Cozma.
Spread the love