Tips for Interviewers

Interviewing can be daunting. With the recent layoffs in tech, many companies are struggling to keep up with the increased workloads. While budgets have tightened, the jobs to be done are still out there. To make sure you are interviewing the best candidates for your organization we’d like to give you the tools to create an efficient and effective framework for hiring better.

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We’ll give you the tools that we use to make sure that each interview is a success. Here are our tips for interviewing:

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1. Create an inclusive job description - Before you even begin the process of interviewing, create a detailed job description outlining the responsibilities and qualifications needed for the position. This will help to ensure that candidates have a clear understanding of what they need to do in order to be successful in the role.

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2. Prepare interview questions - Take some time to create thoughtful, engaging questions that will help you gain insight into how a candidate would respond to challenges and situations they may face in the position. Do your best to avoid yes/no questions and instead focus on open-ended ones that allow candidates to elaborate on their skills and experience in detail. Asking great interview questions is one of the primary interviewing skills for interviewers. Be sure that your questions are up to EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) standards as interview questions for employers.

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If you'd like to see which questions are off limits or red-flags, check out - "What not to ask in an interview."

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3.Create a simple interview process - We like to see 5- 6 steps in a well structured interview process. Generally this process begins with a screening and includes one-on-one interviews with hiring managers, panel interviews or team interviews, some type of assessment to verify a candidate's skills, final interviews and reference checks.

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4. Ask for references - Before bringing a candidate in for an interview, request references from their previous employers or colleagues. This will give you an additional layer of insight into the candidates’ abilities and experiences that can help to inform your decision-making process.

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5. Make good use of technology - There are many tools to help you create a great interview experience. ATS, digital sourcing, scheduling, interview intelligence, video interview, and on-boarding software.  Invest in good quality technology that helps you streamline the recruitment process and make it easier for both candidates and employers.

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If you'd like to see an efficient tech stack, check out our ebook, "How to Build the Best Recruiting Tech Stack."

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6. Get feedback - After every interview, ask your team members to provide feedback on their experience. This can help inform future interviews, serve as a coaching tool, and allow you to assess whether or not you are sourcing the right people for the job.

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By following these tips, you can create a great interviewing experience for both the employer and candidate. You’ll be confident that you are making the best hire for your organization, while also creating an enjoyable and informative experience for potential employees.

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Tips For Interviewing Someone

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When interviewing someone for a job, it is important to remember that the candidate will be nervous and may not present their best self. The interviewer needs to be prepared, professional, and patient in order to get the best out of an interview. Here are some tips for interviewing someone:

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1. Be Prepared – Before the interview, do your research on the candidate and the open role so that you can ask meaningful questions during the conversation. Additionally, have a copy of their LinkedIn, resume, portfolio, and any other relevant certifications or documents in advance to verify what they're saying.
2. Break the ice – Start the interview off with a conversation to help put them at ease, as this will foster an open dialogue. Ask questions related to their qualifications and experience, or discuss common interests that you have. Listen actively – Make sure that you are listening closely to their responses and asking appropriate follow up questions. This will not only allow for an in-depth conversation, but it will show the candidate that you are genuinely interested in them and their answers.
3. Take notes – Taking notes during an interview can help you remember important details or points made by the candidate. It is also a good way to keep track of questions that need to be asked later on in the conversation.
4. Stay professional and on-track - Have an opening, agenda, semi-structured questions, a time for candidate  questions, next steps, and a close prepared for each interview so that you can stay on time and on target. One of the most powerful interviewing techniques for interviewers is to eliminate as many variables in the process as possible, that way you can more easily compare candidates.
5. Be positive - Remember to make the interview a positive experience. This will help boost their morale and give them an overall better impression of the company you are representing.
6. Additionally, if the candidate isn't a good fit for the role, it's important to provide constructive feedback that they can use in future interviews or to build new skills.

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Hopefully these tips for interviewing someone for a job will help you create a successful and enjoyable experience for both you and the candidate. With careful preparation, the right tools, and consideration, you’ll be sure to make great hires for your organization.

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Interviewing Tips For Managers

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Hiring managers have a tough job – they have to review dozens of resumes, interview multiple candidates, and decide who is best suited for the position. Whether you’re a first-time manager or experienced in the hiring process, deciding someone's future is never easy. The decision you're about to make could greatly affect the success of your team and organization.

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To make sure you hire the right person, here are some interviewing tips for managers:

• Take Your Time – Don't rush through the process. Make sure to give each candidate enough time in order to properly evaluate them. Ask questions related to their qualifications and experience, as well as their motivation and goals.
• Create an Open Environment – Create a comfortable, stress-free environment for the candidate.
• Ask open ended questions and encourage them to ask questions of their own. This will ensure that you get honest answers from the candidate and that they feel more at ease during the interview process.
• Look For More Than Skills -  While it's important to make sure that a candidate has the necessary technical skills for the job, look beyond their qualifications. Evaluate how well they would fit in with the team and organization. Are they motivated? Do they have good interpersonal skills?
• Structure your interviews – Creating an agenda for the interview is a great way to stay on track and make sure you cover all the necessary topics. When creating an agenda, include questions about the candidate's experience, education, skills Verify Information – Have candidates bring in relevant resumes, portfolio, and any other relevant certifications or documents in advance to verify what they're saying.
• Give Constructive Feedback – Even if a candidate isn’t the right fit for your team, it's important to provide constructive feedback that they can use in future interviews or to build new skills.

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The only way to collect consistent data on interviews is to create points of reference that you can compare. This is one of the biggest interviewing tips for interviewers to keep in mind.  By having an interview process that you repeat each and every time you can easily shift focus to collecting data on the candidates rather than focussing on the process. If you'd like to see the process that we recommend, check out, "The Ultimate Guide to Hiring Teams." This guide breaks down each step from writing an inclusive job description to making an offer, and is full of tips for hiring managers.

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Staying on top of the interview process and updating it for efficiency and effectiveness is key to making successful hires long-term. Creating company interviewing training for hiring managers is also essential. This can come in the form of seminars or workshops, or even reading materials. It is important to keep up with tools like interview intelligence software, industry trends, and best practices to ensure you are selecting candidates that will add value to your team.

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Interviewer Preparation Before Interview

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Let's look at some examples of how to conduct an interview and create a checklist for interviewers to prepare for an upcoming interview.

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If you've taken a moment to review the resource I mentioned earlier, "The Ultimate Interview Checklist for Hiring Teams," You'll see a defined, step-by-step hiring process as well as a list for interviewer preparation before the interview.

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1. Write an inclusive job description that outlines the skills necessary for the role.
2. Create a resource for each interviewer so that they know their role in the hiring process - this can be created in docs and made accessible to interviewers in Google Drive.
3. Create an interview structure and notify each person who will be contributing to the process - this is also known as assembling the hiring team.
4. Prepare semi-structured interview questions to be asked in the interview process.
5. Define the path and next steps.

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In the sections above we covered tips on how to conduct an interview as an interviewer, as well as what to do in preparation for the interview. By following these steps and being consistent with your process you can ensure that you are getting the most honest answers from candidates while also creating an enjoyable experience for them.  Additionally, maintaining a checklist will help ensure that you collect consistent data on each candidate which can be used when making hiring decisions.

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If you're revisiting your hiring process and would like some more help making better hires, schedule time to chat with someone on our team. Pillar is an interview intelligence software powered by Ai that helps hiring teams make better, faster decisions.

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With Pillar you are able to get a holistic view of each candidate by tracking interviews in real-time and capturing data from the team. This helps streamline the interview process and makes it easier to compare candidates quickly. Plus with automated notes and feedback, you'll save time without sacrificing quality. Schedule a demo to see how it can help your team!