In most of the cases people are being interviewed and occasions where people are conducting interviews are faint. Still it might happen that you will get a job that will also include the task of interviewing applicants and in case you haven't really done this before you might need some guidance. In this article I am going to present some aspects of an interview and the tips that could be used in order to have a successful interview.
Before the interview you should make sure that you are prepared. You should think about a location for the interview that would be suitable; there should be as little distraction as possible. Distraction means any noise or light and you should also make sure that the respondent is also comfortable. In most cases the respondents might feel more comfortable in a known place, like their home, workplace or any other place that they are familiar with.
When you get to the point that you actually have to take the interview, when you meet the applicant, there are some things that you should keep in mind. In case you are using a tape recorder you should check it a few times to make sure that it is still working. It is also important to remember to ask only one question at a time so that the other person will be able to concentrate on the question you've asked. Although at some point you might express emotions, the best thing is to try to remain neutral. You shouldn't give the other person the feeling that you have heard his or her answer many times before. Although you should be neutral, in some cases it is best to encourage the responses with nods of the head or verbal encouragement.
Your job might be to conduct interviews and select the right candidates for your company, especially if you are working in the human resources department. Everywhere, there are tips for people giving interviews, but nowhere there is information given about conducting interviews.
Though, the interviewers get better as they keep taking interviews, but what about when someone is starting new and doesn't really have any idea about taking interviews. We will provide you with some tips that will help you with conducting an interview.
Read up well on the candidate before the interview. Make sure you read the candidate's resume well and remember all the relevant information. Before the interview, mark the points you want quiz the candidate on, and decide in advance what questions you want to ask the candidate.
Be polite to the candidate and make them comfortable. Remember that the candidate is nervous, doubly so, if this is his or her first interview. Therefore, it is your job as an interviewer to make them comfortable about the whole process. This way, you get to see the real candidate and will better positioned to make a call whether they are suited for your company or not.
Another thing you should do is to listen well. Remember each thing the candidate says this way, you can latch on to a candidate if they had something before, and later does a complete u-turn on what they have said. Plus, by listening to them, you will be able to judge their communications skills well, because in a workplace good communication is the key to have smooth working.
Follow these few simple points and you will be able to conduct interviews really well and judge the candidates correctly. By doing this, you will be able to select the right candidates for your company.
It is very common for the interviewers to take notes, but you should be careful about how to do this. You shouldn't jump to take a note, because this might mean that the answer you heard is very interesting or very advantageous for the other person and this might influence the future answers. In case there are several major topics (as it is usually) you should provide some kind of transition between them, for example by saying that up to that point you have been talking about a certain topic and that now you will be moving to another one. A very important thing about conducting interview is that you shouldn't lose control of the interview. This might happen in case the respondent starts talking about a topic other than the one you have been asking about, or he or she takes too much time for answering the questions and the time runs out. Another possibility might be that the respondent starts asking questions and you should know how to handle such cases.
If you keep in mind these tips I am sure you will have successful interviews.