Effective Interview Techniques for a Successful Hire

Recruiters must evaluate candidates by asking the right questions, testing their skills, and pitching the employer brand to hire the best candidates
Recruiters must evaluate candidates by asking the right questions, testing their skills, and pitching the employer brand to hire the best candidates

Evaluating candidates in the middle of their hiring process is not easy. You can use several techniques of an interview to assess their suitability for the job. Some of these interview techniques are as follows:

  • Asking the right questions
  • Using different formats to test their skills
  • Have an effective pitch
  • Check your biases
  • Ask other recruiters for help or advice
Recruiters must evaluate candidates by asking the right questions, testing their skills, and pitching the employer brand to hire the best candidates
Asking the right questions during an interview is essential to ace the interview process

Crafting Compelling Interview Questions

Interview questions are one of the best means to assess a candidate. If a recruiter has the right set of queries, they can use them to check an applicant’s suitability. You can use these types of interview techniques to find out if a candidate has both skills and aptitude for this job:

  • Ask behavioral questions and give them hypothetical situations to understand their thinking process.  
  • Avoid repetitive or standard questions while interviewing them. Your questions should be unique enough to expose their shortcomings. 
  • Look for people with a refreshing perspective toward this job role.
  • Frame interview questions to understand their skills align with the job requirements.

Experimenting with Different Interview Formats

There is no fixed method to take an interview. You can use both unstructured and structured interview methods to assess a candidate.

Unstructured interviews can create a more relaxed atmosphere for both interviewer and candidate. But they aren’t efficient for testing them. There are no probing questions or simulated environments to assess your candidates’ responses. 

Structured interviews allow more freedom for recruiters to check applicants on fixed parameters. The interview processes follow specific patterns and the rating methods are also standard. They are a better indicator of how a candidate will perform in an actual job environment.

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Preparing the Pitch

Candidates are not the only ones evaluated in an interview. Interviewers have to sell their company and the job role to attract the right sort of applicants. They must prepare a well-drafted pitch for job seekers, which includes the following:

  • The vision and mission of their organization.
  • Plans for expansion and diversification 
  • Initiatives to support their employees through personal or professional challenges.
  • This job profile plays a vital role in achieving organizational goals and objectives.
  • Scope for a candidate to express their capabilities within the job role.
  • Contribution of this job profile to the organization’s success story.
  • Wellness initiatives to boost employee morale.
An effective company pitch during an interview provides valuable insights about the company that helps recruiters attract the best talents
Having a company pitch ready during an interview is essential to attract top talents

Keeping the Biases Aside

Every individual has their own set of biases. But it is important to challenge them, especially while conducting interviews. These steps will help you counter predetermined prejudices while interacting with candidates:

  • You are identifying your biases through self-reflection and consulting trained specialists.
  • Learn more about specific events or triggers that activate your biases. This will help you address and nullify them over some time. 
  • Prevent irrelevant information from clouding your judgment during interviews. If something doesn’t affect a candidate’s performance, it shouldn’t prevent their selection.
  • Never make snap judgments about candidates. You must make a hiring decision only after a comprehensive evaluation process.

Knowing When to Seek Advice

It is essential to seek help from experienced recruiters who know how to take an interview. You can also read several interview types-related pdf books for more clarity. It can help you in the following situations:  

  • You are reviewing possible interview techniques and questions to gauge their effectiveness. It will help you refine your skills.
  • Conduct mock interviews to perfect the art of probing your candidates. It will give you more confidence during the actual process.
  • Attend training courses to learn more about how to interview job seekers. Learning new skills is always a good thing.
Different interview techniques are conducted to assess and refine candidates based on their best skills
Recruiters need to have an effective interview technique to assess employees

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)

What are the effective interview techniques?

Here are a few tips on interviewing techniques:
Put the applicant at ease. Make eye contact and establish rapport by finding a shared topic to talk about before you get down to the hard questions. 
Ask open-ended questions. 
Listen more, talk less. 
Take notes. 
Understand what you can’t ask.

What are the interview techniques for the interviewer?

When interviewing candidates, open on a positive note. Greet interviewees on time and make them feel welcome. Smile, offer them something to drink and maintain eye contact. Ease them in the process.

What are the 3 main stages of an interview?

Most job interviews can be broken down into three phases: Introduction, Getting to Know You, and Closing.

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