4 Interview Tips for Hiring Managers

There are countless tips out there for job seekers looking to ace an interview, but what’s talked about less is how to be a great interviewer.

Interviewing a candidate may be intuitive, but it also takes some preparation to make sure you're asking the right questions for the role at hand. Here are a few tips you can use to conduct better job interviews. These should help you get a sense of whether or not the candidate is a good fit!

1) Approach the interview as a conversation, not an interrogation

We know that a job interview is likely not the only thing you're doing in a single day, so it makes sense why you'd want to dive into the really "important" stuff first. But starting out this way not only puts the candidate on the spot—it also prevents you from getting to know the person behind the application.

A job interview is a conversation. Putting yourself in this mindset will reduce the stress on you as an interviewer, which can go a long way in helping your interviewee feel more at ease. The more comfortable they are, the more likely they’ll open up, allowing you to get a better sense of their personality.

So how can we frame a job interview as a conversation? Here's a basic structure to start using at the beginning of a job interview:

• Ask the candidate how they're doing, what they got up to over the weekend, or any other question that can ease them into the interview.
• Introduce yourself, providing a brief background of your role at the organization, and ask the candidate to do the same.
• Share what you hope to accomplish with the interview, such as sharing more details about the role, hearing about the candidate's relevant experience and motivation, and any other topics you'll cover

2) Be clear with the structure of the interview before it starts

When's the last time you went to a meeting that didn't have a clear agenda?

While it’s not necessary to give candidates a list of questions beforehand, it’s important to communicate what they can expect will take place during the interview so they’re at their best. Planning to do a group interview instead of an individual one? Will they be meeting with multiple people at your organization? Let them know when they accept the interview offer.

This interview is likely their first time truly engaging with your organization, so make sure they're prepared so the experience is a good one.

3) Use the “critical incident" interviewing method

The critical incident interviewing method allows an interviewer to gain a better understanding of how a candidate managed certain tasks or situations, as opposed to determining whether they have or haven't done certain tasks. This method is great for showcasing how candidates handled past challenges, revealing their problem-solving skills and decision-making abilities.

Need an example? Here are some questions to help you apply this method to your future job interviews:

• Describe a situation where you successfully led a team through a challenging incident. What was your approach, and what was the outcome?
• How do you handle disagreements or conflicts within your team?
• This role requires someone to have experience using email marketing software. Can you tell me about your experience using technology in previous roles, and what methods you use to learn something new?

4) Ask for context, not hypotheticals

Asking a candidate about specific experiences instead of theoretical possibilities will give you a clearer snapshot of what they think is important, in a real life context. For example, rather than asking what skills they think a leader should have, an even better question would be to have the candidate describe a time when they took on a leadership role and what made them successful. This shows that they understand what it takes to be a leader not only in theory, but in practice.

And there you have it! Using these tips can help you gather the information you need to better assess whether a candidate is a great fit for your team.

For more hiring tips, check out Idealist's Hire Impact series, which covers the process from attracting applicants to onboarding new employees.