Well conducting the job interview is a stressful process, it’s a chance to connect dots and determine if the candidate is qualified for the job or not.
Also, it is not always simple to navigate the conversation, but adopting the practice and interview technique can help.
To find which type suits the best and how you can use it for conducting the job interview, here is what you need to know.
Why Do You Need A Good Interview Technique?
Well before you choose the interview technique, it’s important to know why it’s even needed.
Employee experience is not always the only reason that you need to improve the techniques.
The aim of using this is to identify the most suitable candidate for the position and the question.
In order to make this assessment, you need to know about the candidate and qualification in a given time and high-pressure environment.
Also, it has the ability to draw important information regarding the person that can help in interviewing. It’s a powerful skill that you should have.
What Are The Different Types You Should Know?
The manner in which you are conducting the interview will often help in determining which techniques you should use.
Also, you would not approach a certain group using the same way which you do with a remote interview.
The style of the job interview is chosen depending on the employee upon what you are looking for assessing the candidates.
However these are just not the styles in the interview, but some of the interviews do the combination of two and more.
It includes :
Group Interviews
It’s for the companies who are hiring a large number of employees and doing it at once or faster. As it’s a good option that you can consider.
Why You Should Consider :
- The Cost per hire, it can be time and money wise both beneficial and it reduces it by a huge amount.
- It is a good way for seeing if the candidate is able to do the activities which include group-based, soft skills, and teamwork.
Why You Should Not Consider :
- Group interviews tend to be impersonal and with this format, you don’t get your candidate that well.
- It is only suitable for certain positions and job types.
- They need to have interviews that are highly skilled.
Panel Interviews
Not many roles exist in isolation, so when you choose the panel interviews. It includes different stakeholders to get more about the candidate and know what’s going inside their minds.
What You Should Consider :
- They offer the interviewers the opportunity to see how their candidates are interacting with different roles, personalities, and seniority.
- They offer different and multiple unique perspectives.
- With this, you can save time as it includes one interview with multiple stakeholders instead of doing one-by-one interviews on multiple levels.
Why Should You Not Consider?
- Panel interviews can create a higher pressure as compared to any other type you choose.
- It includes power dynamics, which might favor the panels and create tension.
- It also has a time limit on how many questions should be asked by each person.
Remote Interviews
Since the pandemic happened, different companies have come up with remote ways to handle their jobs. Also, it includes the hiring process which includes via phone and video.
However, this led to more companies choosing and conducting the first-round interviews.
Why You Should Consider :
- It has lower costs along with time and budget too.
- It has a lower time cost which means the company can conduct more interviews.
- It allows the candidate to do the remote interview which creates lesser pressure and lower cost for them.
- Remote interviews are also much more flexible as compared to face-to-face interviewers.
Why Not To Consider :
- It depends heavily on the technology which can fail.
- It is not that easy to create a rapport during a remote interview.
- It makes it hard to understand if a candidate is going to be a fit for the work culture.
Case Interviews
With the case interviews, here the employee often gets the order to assess the candidate and how they would manage if some particular problem or situation happens.
Why You SHould COnsider :
- The style helps you in assessing the range of skills including hard and soft.
- It also has the ability to test the candidate’s skills that will be needed to get success in the role given.
Why You Should Not Consider :
- It creates a higher pressure as compared to other formats in the job interviews.
- The style needs highly skilled interviews to assess the candidate.
- It also needs the extra cost of doing the test and assessment.
- With this, it can be time-wasting as compared to other job formats.
Competency-Based Interviews
The competency-based interviews are used for evaluating the abilities and skills that candidates have, and used in the past to predict how they are going to perform in the future.
Why You Should Consider :
- This allows you to assess directly the skills which are needed for the role.
- It is also non-discriminatory
- The format is quite common and familiar to the candidates.
Why You Should Not Consider :
- It doesn’t tell you if the candidate is going to be culturally fit.
- It also doesn’t have the opportunity to show you the soft skills that well.
- It is easier for the candidate as they can come up with responses that can be canned
Behavioral Based Interviews
It is quite similar to competency-based interviews; however in behavioral-based interviews assess the soft skills and the candidate’s behaviors.
Why you should consider :
- It assesses your soft skills extremely well.
- This is a familiar format so the candidate won’t find any confusion.
- It fits with the culture and helps in understanding more about it.
Why You Should Consider :
- It’s easy for the candidate to come up with responses that are canned.
- Also, it does not test any competencies and skills.
Lunch Interviews
Well, this one is casual as compared to other formats as you get to know about the candidate in a real-world setting instead of an office and company.
Also, it also allows the candidate to be their usual self, causing a much more comfortable atmosphere.
Why You Should Consider :
- It gives a casual setting which helps in breaking the ice.
- They provide the experience which is good for the interview.
- You get to know about the candidate much better as compared to any other setting.
Why You Should Not Consider :
- It can be time-consuming.
- Also, it’s not a common format that could intimidate the candidates.
- The interviews have little control over such an environment.
What Are The Employer Interview Techniques You Should Know?
For the employee, choosing a bad hire choice can cause more than an inconvenience. It costs money and time.
So choosing the right technology helps you in saving both along with resources and helping in picking the right candidate.
Here are the listed techniques that you can consider using when you are conducting the interviews.
Focus On Breaking The Ice First
The first and most important technique you should know is to break the ice.
It’s crucial for the candidate as well as you. The interviewer might be more nervous than you. so you need to set the tone before the interview starts. This helps in cheating and in a comfortable environment.
Spending on the style you picked for the interview, you might like to conduct the interview which has a much more casual setting.
So you can choose the nearby cage or office cafeteria . for escape if it can be a table with some privacy and avoiding the crowds.
You can also consider the lunch interview, it gives much more intimate space which allows for having better one on one.
Understand The Human Physiology
There are some of the basic psychological principles that help in bringing the best in choosing the right candidate.
It includes :
- You tend to like people who are similar to you. Find some way which can relate to the candidate and like to be a relaxed and authentic self.
- Giving compliments that are sincere and boost the confidence of the candidates.
- When you are developing and interviewing techniques. You learn about what helps you in making a tick.
- Also, take note of what your candidates feel and they should be heard and at ease.
Ask The Question Which Is Open Ended
It’s as important as giving sincere compliments as it helps in boosting confidence. This is a good way to structure questions.
You can mention something which can be positive before asking the question.
Also, make sure that questions are open-ended but if the question is based on yes or no, ask for giving much more information and let the candidate expand.
For example, you can see the resume has increased the departmental cost by 36%which is impressive. Can the candidate tell me more about it?
Be The One Who Guides The Conversation
When you are ensuring the interview structure, it ensures that all ground is covered without exceeding the time frame. Also, it makes sure the critical pieces of information are not overlooked and become sidetracked by the interview.
With the typical structure, it gives you an outline to start and what role it involves.
Along with this, you get a series of questions for the Candidate and ask if they have any questions on their own.
Understand the Importance Of Active Listening
Well, for a good employer interview technique. You must have good listening skills too.
It is especially important for the hiring manager to focus on what they are going to say next and won’t end up missing the key comment by the candidate.
Also, to develop good listening skills, you need to concentrate.
So when the candidate is talking, it’s also short language which is used.
Does it sound too rehearsed or reflective of who that individual is?
Leave Room For The Silence
Even though it seems awkward, leave the room for silence and let the candidate fill it.
This should not be too long, such a bit enough that prompts the candidate to speak up.
Also, it’s one of the most popular techniques which is used by journalists and it works really well for job interviews.
Clear The Next Steps
At the end of your discussion with the candidate, make sure to close the interview by properly explaining what will follow up next.
Make the date and communication clear, and thank them for giving their time. And make sure your commitment is responding to each allotted date with candidates.
It’s a professional courtesy that results in the organization and you.
Assess The Soft Skills
Well in an era where tech skills are considered as high in demand, 93% of employers report that it’s either very important or essential for the interviewer to exemplify the soft skills.
Unlike technical skills which can be easily taught but for soft skills, it can be difficult as it includes adaptability, creativity, collaboration, and time management.
So start with identifying what your team excels at, which soft skill and which is lacking, and how the new employer can fill it.
Test The Technical Skills
It’s for when you are hiring and it’s for the technical role. You must test the skills.
However, you can create a challenge where the candidate can show off their talent, even creating this might take some time and effort.
But these tests can help as it’s considered worth the investment. You can get an idea of how efficient your candidate is going to be.
Ask Question Which Is Situational Or Behavioral
During the interview, this can be a different question and posed to the different seniors which gives you a better knowledge of how the candidate is going to engage with the situation and team.
This question can also be beneficial for testing soft and hard skills. Also, help in determining the potential if the person is suitable for the team and role.
Well, some companies evaluate the candidate by using real-life behavior scenarios questions.
This can be even a big job shadow or virtual assessment wheel the candidate has to work with the team to solve the issue.
Conducting Job Auditions Or The Simulations
It’s quite similar to the situational and behavioral interview, some companies adopted VR or virtual reality and AR or Augmented reality technology for conducting the interviews.
With these types of interviews, it allows the candidate to stimulate what job is going to be before they accept. As for the rescues, they determine if the candidate has the potential or not.
Offer The Trial Period
Well, you can offer a trial period instead of giving them a full-time job.
Whereby they test out the job which offers weeks and months. This allows you to get the teams and candidates accurately assessed.
Reducing the Unconscious Bias
No matter how much you are aware, it can be an unconscious bias that you and the team might have.
There is something new that you can learn and be aware of how you are building an inclusive team of individuals who are diverse.
While the company should have the education based on the unconscious biases
It’s important that the recruiters doest have unconscious biases so they don’t pick the candidate based on that.
Creating The Casual Interview Environment
It’s important that you need to create a casual interview. Not all interviews are going to need formal attire, but instead of this, you need to keep it more casual and ask them to grab a meal or coffee.
Creating a casual interview environment helps in creating a comfortable environment to have better conversations.
Building the Rapport
It’s important that you are welcoming and friendly, or which helps in making your candidate at ease when they step into the room.
Whether you can offer them a glass of water or do small talk before the interview starts. It can help in setting the relaxation and better.
Taking the Notes
Recording the candidate’s answer to the question can be a good way to get the details. Also, you know if there is something you should remember regarding them.
You can take notes on what the red legs are and impress you. It’s also a good idea that you are using the scorecard or scale for grading each candidate related to what job they are applying for.
Understanding The Role
As obvious it might be for you, sometimes small business owners wear different hats and they don’t understand what role they are interviewing for.
So if you don’t understand what you are doing at the job interview, it helps in taking better candidates when you understand the role.
Have Question Planned
Just as your candidate is coming up prepared, you need to do that too. So you know what you are talking about, it’s better that you have the planned question.
Preparing beforehand helps in understanding if a candidate is right for the job or not.
Be Respectful
Even when you have the made-up conclusion that a candidate is not suitable for the job, it’s important that you are staying respectable throughout the process.
Also good listening skills, it can be an important technique in the interview and helps in creating a better relationship.
Ask Question To Clarify
It’s important that you ask the question when you are not sure about the answer.
It’s important to ask questions to clarify so you know both are on the same page.
This is not about the knowledge you acquire but having the answer given in different ways can help in showing if the information is honest or not.
What Are The Mistakes You Should Avoid While Using techniques?
There is no doubt that conducting the interviews is the hardest part when it comes to the hiring process.
Choosing the right technique for the employer can be challenging. And not using it in the right way can cause mistakes that compromise judgment.
Also, it can be due to having a lack of preparation or biases on your own. Here are some of the mistakes you should be avoiding while you pick the right type and technique for the job interview.
Not Having The Right Preparation
Well, there are millions of hundreds of articles saying the candidates need to do the preparations.
However the same advice goes for the interviewers too, you need to do the preparation.
A candidate that comes without having prepared, can be losing one of the opportunities but it gets much more on a hike for interviewers.
Eventually, you might lose the important hire. Also, you should know who you are looking for.
However, when you are doing the structured interviews, it might take time for preparation but it can be the candidate of job performance.
Having The Confirmation Bias
When the person formulated the ideas and hypothesis in mind, they might look for ways to get validation.
This is called the confirmation bias and you need to check it.
If you are a hiring manager, and you consider the candidate is still, you will look to find the proof to make it believable for you.
Due to selective perception, having confirmation bias can cause blindness to make decisions which leads to negative and is a poor interview tactic.
The Halo Effect
When you are conducting the interview, imagine that you are already asked about the coding skills that the candidate has. It’s perfect, functional, and clear.
This makes the appearance of that skill in other areas where you require evolution.
Even though you find their communication and teamwork skills decent, it doesn’t affect the marking.
Well, it can be a negative way of hiring the candidate for your company as well as for the role.
Having The Social Comparison Bias
Another mistake that happens to everyone is having to compare themselves with others in different aspects.
When you know that someone is better, it makes you feel resentful and during the interview, the hiring manager might see the candidate who is perceived as better than others.
This also leads to negative feelings and hiring in such a way can cause damage.
Affect Heuristic
Well, let’s say you and the candidate happen to attend the same high school. This causes familiarity and enjoyment.
But if you are not checking your decision quickly it can get clouded and it affects the future icons.
However, there is a remedy for this. The presence of having more than one interviewer can help in reducing the chances of subjective judgment.
Pushing Yourself To Get The Conclusions
More than half of employers want to have the report within five months to determine if a candidate is going to be fit or not, according to a recent poll.
You can probably tell if the person is confident, well dressed, and polite within such time. But correlating them to perform in the future might be difficult.
That’s why you should not rush to the conclusions. Don’t give the bonus points that fast. Also, the first impression can be misleading, so ask the questions and wait.
Focusing On Perfections
The hiring manager mostly doesn’t look for the best among the candidates but they look for what they dreamed of as the perfect one for this job.
One that has all the qualifications along with being confident, passionate toward work, polite, and diligent might not exist.
So the interviewing can be long and you have to make the decisions on an urgent basis.
Having No Idea What You Are Looking For
Interviewers might depend on the template question too much that they downloaded from the internet.
Sometimes they don’t even know if these quotations are relevant and have the result they want.
So the first thing and the biggest mistake you can make is not knowing what you are looking for.
Not Doing Right Selling Of Company
It’s easy to forget that you are not just assessing the candidate but also presenting the company to persuade the best candidate in order to get them to accept the offer.
Someone who has strong qualifications will have more options, so they don’t just get carried away with bragging.
You need to find the right way of presenting your company in order to get the attention and the result in your favor.
Not Asking Deeper Question
Well, the behavioral interview questions are the technique that is considered modern interviewing but it’s complicated as it seems to be.
Asking one question about what the candidate did in the past won’t give you the answer you want.
And you don’t want to hear their story, but you do want to know what they are thinking, the process of reaching the solution, etc.
So every time you are asking a question, you need to follow up with another question to get into the core and understand on a deeper level.
Similar Posts:
- Ultimate Guide on Conducting Interviews that Will Make You Wonder
- A Quick Guide Preparing For a Panel Interview
- A Quick Guide Preparing For A Second Interview
- A Quick Guide On Soft Skills For Interview Success
- Ultimate Guide for Interview Process for Employers
I’m a former teacher with a background in child development and a passion for creating engaging and educational activities for children. I strongly understand child development and know how to create activities to help children learn and grow. Spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, and volunteering in my community.