Interviewing Techniques

Interviewing techniques are important for both the organizations and the HR professionals working there. That is because, contrary to popular belief, conducting job interviews is full of challenges for interviewers, like for candidates.

Although, at first glance, these challenges seem daunting, it is possible to overcome them with some interviewing techniques for interviewers. Overcoming these challenges with the help of effective interview techniques not only helps to find the most suitable candidate but also can provide many benefits for the company in the long run.

What Are the Best Interview Techniques?

The successful interviewing that organizations can integrate into their interview processes is significant for HR management. It also has the power to affect many areas of work. Here are 10 good interviewing techniques:

1. Examine the Candidate's Resume and Cover Letter Carefully

Carefully reviewing the resumes and cover letters of the candidates is extremely important for conducting successful interviews. That is because it makes it easier to formulate the proper questions and get an idea of ​​whether the candidates’ skills match the job description with the help of these resumes and cover letters.

Interviewers should also encourage candidates to elaborate on what is written on their resumes. That is a good way to conduct the interview efficiently and to get a more detailed idea about the candidates.

2. Active Listening

Active listening to candidates is one of the best interviewing techniques since it shows that interviewers care about applicants. Interviewers can do this by asking candidates appropriate questions, using the right body language, and making eye contact.

Active listening is essential for a job interview because it builds trust and engagement between candidates and interviewers. When candidates feel more comfortable, interviewers are more likely to get good answers from them. It also makes it easier for them to interpret what the candidates are saying more accurately.

3. Asking Proper Open-Ended Questions

Asking open-ended questions to candidates is significant for effective interviewing. This one technique alone has the power to change the way interviewers conduct interviews. The reason is that the purpose of asking open-ended questions is to encourage candidates to give more detailed and meaningful answers, rather than just answering with a one-word answer or just "yes" or "no".

These types of questions are suitable for many types of interviews. For instance, during a behavioral interview, instead of asking candidates whether they are successful at handling stress at work, they can ask them to give an example of how they coped with stressful situations in the workplace.

4. Encouraging Candidates to Give Examples

​​The idea that past performance will provide important data about future performance in the interviews is true. An effective way to predict how candidates will behave in various situations on the job is to ask them to describe relevant examples. The behavioral questions are used since asking interviewees to give examples can be an effective way for any kind of interview.

5. Adhering to the 70/30 Rule

One of the biggest mistakes interviewers make is talking more than necessary during interviews. The probability of making this mistake is generally higher in interviews where candidates do not give much information or do not make much effort to talk. On the other hand, according to this rule, the best thing to do is for candidates to talk for 70% of the interview and for interviewers to speak for just 30%.

Adopt the 70/30 rule by giving interviewees time or quiet to consider their answers and by paying attention so interviewers may take in all the information without feeling compelled to interject or go straight to the next question.

6. Using Time Efficiently

Interviewers should pay attention to time management in the interview. If they do not do this, they may not ask essential questions or may ask the wrong questions. It is a good idea to take care not to exceed the interview time and to set aside some time for the candidate questions at the end of the interview. It is the interviewers’ responsibility to politely redirect the interviewees if they take too long to answer the question or if the answer goes off-topic. It is also critical to stick to the content of the script.

For this purpose, interviewers can ask candidates to give examples through the STAR Method. The answers obtained in this way will help determine what kind of employee the candidates are while using the time efficiently.

7. Establishing Good Relationships

Getting the best results from candidates in the interviews is the responsibility of the interviewers. For this, interviewers should pay attention to building rapport with the candidates and etiquette during the interviews. For example, relaxing the candidates with small talk, briefly explaining how the interview will go, or informing them if there is a delay are good options.

It is significant for interviewers to treat candidates in accordance with the organizational culture. Candidates with whom good relationships have been established will be more likely to give the best answers to interviewers because they will be relaxed. This situation will also contribute positively to the hiring process.

8. Maintaining Consistency

Each HR professional might encounter many different candidates during the recruitment process. Nevertheless, it is crucial that all interviewees have the same candidate experience as much as possible. That includes treating all the same and also asking them the same questions.

What interviewers need to do is write an interview script before the interviews and follow this script for all interviewees. That helps prevent bias and unfairness in the interview process. In this regard, it is a good idea to schedule interviews at the same time of day so interviewers can be at similar energy levels and ensure that candidates are provided with the same amount of time to ask their questions.

9. Having a Basic Knowledge of Human Psychology

Although interviewers do not have to be psychologists, they need to have basic knowledge of human psychology for better interviews. In this sense, it is valuable for interviewers to know principles related to concepts, such as emotional intelligence, cognitive ability, motivation, stress, and anxiety. Interviewers can use these to analyze interviewees’ answers more accurately and to have better relationships with them.

10. Closing the Interview Effectively

Concluding the interview correctly is as important as conducting it successfully. Firstly, interviewers should thank the candidates for attending the interview and express that they are pleased to meet them. It is also critical to allow the candidates to ask questions and add any extra points they would like to make about the job.

“What should an interviewer do after an interview?” is also an essential question for companies. Interviewers should make sure that they answer any unanswered questions about the applicants. In addition, informing candidates about the next steps and when they can expect to hear back from the company is especially valuable because of its positive impact on employer branding.

Conclusion

In this content, you have discovered various important subjects, such as interview techniques meaning, and interview techniques for employers. As an HR professional or employer aiming to learn job interview techniques or anyone interested in human resources issues, you can consider this content a practical guide.

All interviewers should learn effective interviewing techniques because it is one of the crucial HR topics. Nevertheless, there are many subjects you should learn to improve your career. You can visit Hirex if you want the best for your career and company!