Conducting Job Interviews – 5 Essential Interviewing Skills

By: Insperity Staff
August 26th, 2011

Conducting job interviews is easy; conducting successful job interviews takes planning and strategizing. In the same way, hiring employees is basic, but hiring the right employees requires keen interviewing skills and strategies.

In order to conduct truly successful interviews that enable you to hire the best employees for your company, consider these 5 crucial skills for conducting successful job interviews:

1. Know what you need by starting with the end in mind.

Before interviewing your next job applicant, make sure you have a good understanding of the job skills required in order for a new employee to be successful in the position day after day. Understanding the skills required enables you to ask the right questions during the job interview.

2. Create a list of relevant interview questions.

Now that you know what the skill requirements are for the open position, create a list of questions to ask every job applicant you will be interviewing. Asking the right questions (in the right way) will help you determine which applicant is the best fit for the position and your company.

Open-ended questions, which require more than a simple “yes” or “no” response, are best in an interview situation because they require the applicant to not only demonstrate their communication skills, but also provide more valuable information regarding their background, experiences, values and character.

3. Carefully review each applicant’s resume before you meet the candidate and begin conducting the job interview.

Many job-seekers litter their resumes with catch phrases or buzzwords in hopes that it will catch your attention. If you’re reading the applicant’s resume for the first time during the job interview, it makes it difficult to translate this jargon into actual skills and accurately evaluate the candidate’s true capabilities. It’s important to be familiar with the candidate’s background prior to beginning the job interviewing phase of the selection process.

4.  Create a friendly and comfortable environment.

Candidates will be more willing to open up if they don’t feel intimidated by you. Don’t bring them in and start interrogating them right off the bat. Engage the interviewee in some small talk. Acknowledge that you realize their time is valuable and make every effort to begin the job interview on time without making the applicant feel rushed. Keep your tone warm and conversational throughout the entire job interview.

5.   Offer information about your company and give the applicant an opportunity to ask questions.

The job interview is beneficial to both you and the applicant because it gives you a chance to get to know the interviewee while giving him or her a chance to learn more about you and your business. One goal of the job interview is to help candidates determine whether your company is aligned with their values and career goals.

Give the person a chance to ask questions. Be as transparent as possible about your company’s objectives and culture. If it turns out that a candidate is a poor fit for your organization, this information may allow him or her to realize it before you do. Most likely, when that happens, the person will no longer pursue the position and you will avoid a bad hire. On the other hand, sharing this information with the more sought-after candidates can add appeal to your business, increasing the odds that they will decide to choose your company over other job offers.

Conducting job interviews can be simple — and successful — by learning and using these 5 vital interviewing skills.

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