How to Start an Interview as the Interviewer: 5 Tips

Hiring managers, human resource representatives, department heads, and team members will conduct interviews throughout their careers. You might interview candidates for a job opening as part of a hiring process or interview employees as part of performance evaluations. To be a good interviewer, you must have various soft skills, such as active listening and clear communication skills.

Before you begin an interview, prepare for the interview to ease the process. Consider the following preparations:

• Create a structure. A structure can help ease the interviewee into the conversation. For example, in a job interview, start by asking the candidate about their most recent job and what they liked about it before going deeper into the specifics of the projects they led and their impact.
• Do your research. Read the candidate’s resume, cover letter, and application to help you craft interview questions. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the job description and the necessary skills and responsibilities for the role.
• Formulate questions ahead of time. Prepare a list of questions for the interview. For job interview questions, ask the interviewee about their skills, experience, and any details in their résumé that stand out. Ask the candidate a mix of situational and behavioral questions and fun questions so you can ascertain their personality. In general, open-ended questions instead of yes-or-no questions yield answers with more detail.
• Go in with an objective. You must have a goal with the interview, so think about the ideal job candidate you want for the position. A clear plan of what you want the discussion to achieve and what you are looking for will help you know what answers you need for a successful interview.

As an interviewer, you must make a positive first impression and set the tone of an interview before asking questions. Follow these steps for starting an interview as the interviewer:

1. 1. Welcome the candidate. If the interview takes place in person, shake the job candidate’s hand, make eye contact, and say how happy you are that they came. Over the phone or virtually, you can tell the interviewee how excited you are to get to know them better. Also, make sure you thank them for taking the time to interview for the position.
2. 2. Make small talk. Be friendly, make small talk, and ask the candidate about their day. If the interview is in person, you can offer them a beverage.
3. 3. Introduce yourself. Kick off the interview by introducing yourself and talking about the company and company culture. Describe the interview process, if there will be a following interview after the current one, and when the company can expect to make a hiring decision.
4. 4. Ask general questions. Avoid detailed questions at the start. Instead, ask general questions, such as “Why do you want to work here?” and about their career aspirations.

Consider the following interview tips and techniques for starting an interview as the interviewer:

1. 1. Be aware of your biases. Everyone has biases and assumptions. You must know what your personal biases are, so you are not unfairly judging the job candidate.
2. 2. Engage in active listening. An interviewer must actively listen throughout an interview to help steer the conversation. Ensure your body language reflects your attentiveness. Lean forward, nod your head, and verbally affirm the interviewee. This will put the candidate at ease and ensure they are comfortable talking to you.
3. 3. Follow the flow. Build a template for the interview, but leave time for follow-up questions and allow the discussion to flow in a different direction.
4. 4. Practice makes perfect. Being nervous during an interview can make the person you are interviewing nervous. To build your interviewing skills, practice giving interviews so you can get used to the format. The more you practice interviewing, the better you will become at conducting interviews.
5. 5. Take notes. As the interviewee is talking, take notes and note any follow-up questions you may have. Also, note the interviewee’s behavior and your first impressions: Are they excited, engaged, personable, or disengaged and distant? Do they answer the questions clearly, or do they have issues communicating their thought processes? Notes will help you remember the interviewee later, especially if you are interviewing multiple candidates.

MasterClass at Work is the learning platform to help unlock the full potential of your employees and inspire a learning lifestyle in everyone. From negotiation to mindfulness to baking—these are just a few things your teams can explore.