How to conduct a successful interview

Learning what to ask is vital to success — and it makes a manager’s decision easier

The hiring manager [should] only talk for 30% of the interview time, focus on asking open-ended questions that will allow for the candidate to speak freely and provide you with the opportunity to listen

Contrary to popular belief, a job interview is not only nerve-wrecking for an interviewee but the hiring person too. As an interviewer, leading the conversation, asking the right questions and listening are essential and can be a lot of pressure.

One of the reasons for conducting an interview is to allow the aspirant to expand on their CV and provide further intel into their personality and whether they would be a good fit for the company culture. According to a survey conducted by Small Business Economic trends, 47 per cent of small businesses felt they could not find qualified applicants for open positions.

With this in mind, learning what to ask during an interview is vital to business success and having this knowledge will make a hiring manager’s job far easier in the future, not to mention being able to identify those who would be a great addition to the business.

Do your research

Before starting the interview process, it is important to analyse the candidates’ social media profiles and CV carefully. Take the time to pull out crucial information that is relevant to the job description and highlight where it may be required to have the candidate explain further. By taking the time to “get to know” the interviewee before they arrive, you will be far more prepared to ask the right questions, discuss previous job positions in detail and learn what the candidate is looking for when it comes to a job.

Start slow

Being empathetic is important when interviewing for a job. Start by making small talk, such as asking the candidate questions about their life, where they grew up or perhaps what they got up to on the weekend. As the candidate is most likely and understandably nervous, by taking the time to have them relax it will ensure the interview is positive and will allow the interviewee to feel comfortable while speaking with you.

Listen

As the interviewer, it is your role to lead and ask questions, but this does not mean that you need to dominate the whole conversation. It is recommended that the hiring manager only talk for 30 per cent of the interview time, focus on asking open-ended questions that will allow for the candidate to speak freely and provide you with the opportunity to listen. Pay attention to the way they phrase their answers and try not to interrupt them, as this may break their train of thought. By taking the time to process what the interviewee is saying, it will allow you to have a better understanding of the person and whether they will be a good fit for the company.

Ask real questions

There are countless articles with tricky and complicated questions to ask when recruiting, but they’re not always as helpful as they seem. Ask questions you actually want the answers for and are relevant to the position you are hiring. For example, why not ask how the candidate would solve an issue that the company is currently facing or perhaps describe a strategy the business uses and ask them to provide their thoughts on what they believe may be a better-suited procedure. This will allow you to learn far more about the person in terms of their abilities, as well as their thinking processes.

Cultural fit

A lot of the time, companies try to hire those they believe would be a perfect cultural fit. Of course it is important that the person you’re hiring is interested in the company goals and growth as well as likely to get on with their colleagues, however sometimes hiring someone who is different will be able to provide the business with diversity which in turn can create balance. When hiring, focus on experience, knowledge and good judgement and remember to never judge a book by its cover.