Interviewing Basics

The Fundamentals of Conducting a Face-to-Face Interview

Seasoned interviewers sometimes make the mistake of adopting a cavalier approach towards the interviewing process. This “been there, done that” attitude may prompt a hiring manager to simply “wing it” when it’s time to conduct first interviews. This can have less than productive consequences. Think about all the work that has gone into the process thus far—analyzing and clarifying job expectations, fine-tuning the position description, exploring all recruitment options, sifting through the mounds of resumes, the telephone screening, etc. Now it’s time for all of that excellent work to pay off. You don’t want to stumble on the final leg of the race. Be prepared, observant, and thorough. It will pay big dividends in the end.

After the telephone screening, you should have arrived at a solid list of 4 to 6 candidates you’d like to bring in for a face-to-face interview. This interview typically lasts 30 minutes to an hour, and takes place in your office or a conference room allotted for interviews and meetings. Make sure when you call candidates in for an interview that you are able to provide them with clear directions to your office from a variety of different routes.

Before they Arrive

Be prepared. Keep a list of questions handy. You may want to break these questions out into specific subject areas you’d like to address with that specific candidate. These questions should closely conform to the position description you developed earlier. Make sure you have a copy of the person’s resume at your fingertips. Many interviewers will write comments and notes directly on a copy of the resume or cover letter. Review the resume briefly before the person arrives. Something on the resume may provide a nice icebreaker or remind you of an issue you wanted to address with that specific candidate. Remember, your preparation is a sign to candidates that you respect them and value their time. Misplacing the resume or failing to remember what was on it, sends an unpleasant message to a potential employee.

The Opening: Getting Off on the Right Foot

You should be just as eager to make a good first impression as the candidate is. You are probably the first and only person the candidate has met at the company. In this respect, you are its emissary. How you handle yourself will speak well or poorly of the company and your department. Be open and friendly. Smile, introduce yourself, and warmly shake the candidate’s hand. Be generous. The candidate is probably a little nervous. The more comfortable they feel, the more responsive and natural they will be during the interview. After you both are seated, spend a few moments telling the candidate a little bit about yourself. You might briefly outline the expectations of the job again. Some good-humored small talk at this juncture is fine. It will set both you and the candidate at ease and provide a comfortable forum in which to continue the interview.

The Middle Part: Your Core Objective

This is where most of the hard work takes place. You want to design a list of questions that get to the heart of the candidate’s background, experience, and qualifications. These questions should have a clear purpose, be related to the position description, encourage forthright communication, and be non-threatening. Always ask the candidate to give examples of things he or she has done that demonstrate a particular skill or level of experience. There are some basic types of information you want to glean from this first encounter with the candidate. These include:

• Background and work experience (in greater detail than what you learned from the resume)
• A gauge of the candidate’s general aptitude, enthusiasm, demeanor and attitude
• A general sense of the candidate’s personality and character
• An assessment of the candidate’s ability to acclimate himself or herself to your particular work culture

Basically, you want to fill in the gaps and flesh out the somewhat sketchy picture you have of the candidate at this point. If a particular resume credential has strong applicability to the job you are offering, you might ask the candidate to send you samples of their work or to provide a reference on a particular project to further substantiate that credential.

Tips—Traps to Avoid During the Interview

• Interviewing without a clear and consistent format. Haphazard questions will lead to a haphazard hiring decision. You want to work from a common list of questions because it gives you an objective standard on which to base your final assessment of the candidates.
• The “halo effect.” This happens whenever an interviewer becomes enraptured by one particular feature of the client such as “his beautiful green eyes,” or the fact that you both went parasailing in the Bahamas. Keep these tendencies in check. They are unreliable and have little to do with job qualifications.
• Leading or irrelevant questions. Questions such as “Do you think you have the leadership skills for this position?” do not invite thoughtful, elaborated responses. You should also never ask questions about a person’s marital status, sexual preference, age, citizenship, religious beliefs, etc.
• Personal or inappropriate comments or observations. It is best to avoid remarks about a person’s physical appearance. Off-color jokes or anecdotes are always inappropriate and, in some cases, may be perceived as threatening.

The Close: Ending on the Right Note

As the interview is drawing to a close, you will want to make sure all of the candidate’s questions have been answered and that they are not unclear about any aspect of the position. If this is a strong candidate, invite him or her to call you with any additional questions that might come to mind later. Let the candidate know what the next steps are, when you expect the interview process to be completed, and what will happen next. If people will be called in for second interviews, explain with whom they will be meeting and why the second interview is necessary. Thank the candidate for coming in and for taking the time to meet with you. Shake hands again and look the person in the eye. It is also a nice gesture to walk candidates to the door or lead them back to the elevator. You might also have a small packet of company literature and your business card to hand off to candidates before they leave. This is a nice way of affirming a good candidate and promoting your company at the same time. Once the candidate has left, jot down any final impressions you had. Be sure to note any standout weaknesses or strengths.

The Second Interview

If conducted properly, you should be able to obtain everything you need to know about the candidate during the first interview. For more demanding positions, or those involving other layers of accountability within the organization, you will want to schedule a second interview.

Those candidates that rate a second interview should be the crème de la crème. Be very selective. You may choose to interview only 2 or 3 people at this stage. In many cases, other people will be invited to meet with the second interview candidate—the person they might directly report to, peers, or other managers. This second layer of interviewing should allow you to get a much more in-depth and “real” picture of the candidate and how he or she relates to different people in different contexts. In small departments where it is essential that personalities “mesh,” a second interview can reveal if the candidate will "mesh” with your team.

Finally, remember that the interview is often your first interaction with a potential subordinate. You may end up managing this person in the future. It’s important that you set the tone and pace now for what could be a future relationship. For more information on interviewing, see Great Interviews: Insider Tips and Killer Questions.