What makes a good interviewer? Are you one of them? By regular reflection of one’s own behavior, it is possible to constantly improve oneself. Some insights into what in general is considered to make recruiters successful at interviewing might help to give some food for thought.
It might seem easy to interview someone for a job—asking a few questions, listening, taking notes, etc. But good recruiters will know that interviewing is, in fact, much more complex than this.
Asking Questions
Obviously, asking questions is crucial for interviews. However, they fall under a wide range, from poor questions to extremely valuable ones. Good interviewers will know beforehand what is important to find out during the interview. Based on that, they can phrase the questions, and collect the necessary information throughout the conversation.
In order to receive as much information as possible, open questions (how, where, why, when, what, who) are important and are, therefore, used by good recruiters as much as possible.
Listening
To collect the right information after asking a question, interviewers must listen carefully to what their interviewee says. It easily happens that recruiters already have something in mind that they would like to hear from the candidate, and therewith interpret the answers in the respective way. Good recruiters would try not to be influenced by their hopes for the "right" answer; instead they can dig deeper when they get an ambiguous answer.
Guidance
In good interviews, the recruiter holds the lead throughout the whole process. He/she makes sure the interview is structured in a logical and sense-making way, and it is clear to the candidates where in the interview process they are throughout the conversation. In case the conversation shifts into undesired directions, a good recruiter will pull the candidate back on track, keeping the interview efficient. Useful for a good interview is to also introduce yourself at the start and to make sure the job is clear to the candidate; and at the end, to inform the candidate about the next steps.
Interview as an Experience
Furthermore, good interviewers know that an interview is much more than only the conversation with the candidate when sitting in the interview room. Already when entering the office, the tone for the next hour or more will be set. For example, how is the candidate being welcomed and is there any small talk? A job interview is usually the first time a candidate gets closer in touch with a company, so the first impression counts.
It would be a shame to lose a great potential employee to another company, just because the first contact left a poor impression. Good recruiters make sure to be professional throughout the whole interview and give the meeting a positive ending.
By: Dorothea Schweinefuss