9 Tips Every Interviewer Must Know

Interviews can be hard, not just for the candidate but also for the unprepared interviewer. When I first started interviewing, I had no idea what I was getting into. It all looks so easy from the other side of the table–you ask a bunch of seemingly random questions and then just decide. But trying to figure out what questions you should ask, in what order or to figure out what the right answers should be, is so very difficult that I’d much rather be the candidate than the interviewer, any time of the day.

Okay, maybe not, but you get the picture. Here are some interview tips I learned the hard way over the last couple of years.

1. Be prepared before you walk in (As an interviewer)

When you say interview prep, everyone always assumes that you’re the candidate rather than the interviewer. But I think it’s important for the interviewer to prepare for the interview. An unprepared interviewer sends all the wrong signs to the candidate–they might end up assuming that the interviewer is not very interested in being present or that the company isn’t particularly excited about bringing them onboard.

I find it useful to take at least 10 minutes to go over the resume, understand the candidate’s background, and come up with a framework of how I want the interview to go. This also covers the candidate’s history with the company–how did we find them, who conducted the first round, and so on.

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 Knowing your candidate helps in two ways:

  1. You get a head-start in assessing the candidate.
  2. You can find out what you and the candidate have in common. This is helpful when you’re trying to put them at ease, with small talk–you can chat for a few minutes about the university you both went to, etc. But if you think you might have too much in common, it’s best to not interview the person. You should just cancel and have someone else do it–more on this later.

2. Set up the ambiance

Before the HR person brings in the candidate, make sure the room looks like a proper interview room. Rough paper from previous interviews, revenue numbers on the whiteboard, a half-drafted business plan, an ice-cold cup of coffee are all strict nos.

If you think this doesn’t matter in the long run of things, well… I have some statistics for you.

“83% of talent say a negative interview experience can change their mind about a role or company they once liked, while 87% of talent say a positive interview experience can change their mind about a role or company they once doubted.” Source

If you don’t know, now you know. Ambiance matters so you better make sure the room reflects how you feel about the candidate. Also, do me a favor if you have central air conditioning and offer to lend the candidate a jacket or something?

3. Break the interview routine

A candidate might have gone through multiple rounds or processes before you go meet them for the interview. Even if you are the first one for the day, it still is very necessary to ask about them and how they feel. 

You can be bold, ditch the interview room, take them around for a walk in your office, and chat about them to make them stretch a bit and let go of all the tension. This can make the candidate feel like themselves again and give their best in the interview. It is unfair to interview a tense and hurried candidate, as you might miss out on who the person is. 

4. Start off with ‘Why we (the company) does what we do,’

Regardless of whether you’re interviewing on behalf of the biggest and most popular organization on the planet or a scrappy startup, start with “Why we do, what we do”.

I have the lucky fortune of interviewing on behalf of one of the best companies to work for–so, usually; the candidates come in with their mind pre-blown. But I still take the time to set the stage and explain the mission, the business model, and what we’re solving for. Interviewers usually take the time to explain the role, but we should also focus on instilling a passion for the company. Lots of times, we find ourselves in the position of being one of many companies trying to win a candidate–the few extra minutes you take to talk about the vision of the company would tip the balance in your favor.

5. Take notes

I like to treat interviews like business meetings, in the sense that I take plenty of notes through it. When giving out a score, we should hold interviewers accountable for it which is where the notes come in handy. Even for people with an eidetic memory, it’s difficult to remember every detail from the interview. So, take notes. 

Do not grab the first bit of paper you find on your way to the interview to write the notes, maintain a note or better yet if your organization uses an ATS system to streamline the process; login and leave your comments on the scorecard, this makes it easy for the next interviewer to assess the candidate too before their interview. 

Pro Tip: You can also leave comments or private notes to your panel members about the candidate to help the interview process. 

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6. Build a sample question bank

I usually try to figure out two broad things about every candidate. 

  • What is their passion? 
  • What kind of challenges have they faced pursuing it? 
  • How did they solve it? (Okay, so it’s over two). 

For example, I once had a candidate who was a Bharathanatyam dancer and was living in the UK for about 2 years. She was so passionate about it and was conducting dance classes. It took her a lot of effort to get people from there to enroll in her classes, but her passion for dance made her solve all the challenges she faced. I asked her to convince me to enroll for dance (I move like a robot, FYI) and we had a pleasant conversation about how it would benefit me mentally and physically.

Ideally, what you’d want to find out is the extent to which the candidate will go when you throw a challenging role for him/her. When you’re hiring for a tech role or a lead or a managerial role, there are a lot of other things that you would check for as well but everything boils down to just this one thing: passionate people will do everything they can to get the job done.

While I throw these questions, I also assess cultural traits (easier said than done). When you know the industry of the candidate and the work they do, it’s easier to understand and probe how they would have shown teamwork or resolved a crisis to make sure the candidate is not making anything up.

7. Avoid background bias

This happens in a lot of interviews, but very few people are aware of what to do when this happens. Say, you’re passionate about table tennis and you notice, from the resume, that the candidate is an accomplished table tennis player. Sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously, you end up biased towards the candidate, even before you meet them. This could be anything from their educational institution to a common city.

If you note a lot of common interests/traits, it’s best to let someone else interview the candidate. As interviewers, it’s our responsibility to make sure we find the best candidate for the role by being as neutral as possible.

8. Make the interview process memorable

Over the years, Google’s developed a reputation for amazing interview processes. It wasn’t always so, but they kept at it until it stuck. There are lots of books and podcast episodes about it, but I think it boils down to a simple truth: interviews are a life-changing process for the candidate, and interviewers should take pride in being part of such a defining decision. 

Just like you’re assessing the candidate, the candidate’s assessing the company, and the interviewer is the mascot. So, if you don’t recognize this and put in enough effort into making sure that the candidate likes you and the company, you’ll miss out on suitable candidates to someone who does the above.

Regardless of whether the candidate is the right fit for the role, the goal should be to make the process a memorable one so that even if the candidate walks away, they’ll walk away intending to apply again.

9. Learn from the candidates

Candidates aren’t the only ones who learn from the interview process. When I talk to candidates, I learn a lot about how different companies approach the same role I know so well. Being an interviewer is a great way to put yourself in other people’s shoes and learn about the outside world, so make the best use of it.

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Much like any other art, I’m still working on refining my interview skills. So if you think I’ve missed out on something essential, comment on and I’ll add it to the article.