How to Conduct an Interview

admin

6 years ago

You’re a first-time manager about to conduct your first interview! Yes, it can be intimidating when the tables are turned and you need to know how to conduct your own interview. Also, even if you’re not a hiring manager, knowing how a manager approaches an interview will help you in your own interviews!

How to Conduct an Interview

You likely have interview questions that allow you to identify whether the candidate has the right skills for a job. I probably cannot help much with those. However, I have found that asking a few core questions will allow you to determine whether the candidate has the right mindset and attitude to succeed (even if he or she doesn’t yet have all of the required skills yet).

In fact, I will usually always hire someone who is not the most skilled for the role, but shows the most willingness and ability to learn…and, most of all, the right mindset and attitude.

You can learn about someone’s mindset and attitude by asking these 5 questions:

1. Walk me through your resume.

This question can certainly give you a sense of someone’s professional experience and skills. But it also says a lot about their understanding of the job, ability to communicate concisely, and whether they can flex their communication style to the audience and situation.

What to look for in a candidate’s response: Look for a candidate who chooses the right level of depth, and tells a story about his or her career (vs. just listing off jobs). This is a candidate who can read an audience and flex communication accordingly. If the candidate rambles aimlessly, goes into too much detail, or doesn’t tell a story that that culminates in their interest for the role they are interviewing for…then that is a red flag.

2. Why do you want this job? Why now?

I like asking this question to ensure someone has a true interest in the job…they aren’t just interested in it for the title or promotion, for example. That is a red flag to me because I will question whether you will truly be dedicated to being successful or just being “successful enough” to get to the next role (and leave me with sub-optimal results and frustrated team and partners).

Also, this question allows me to understand if you truly understand what the job is. It’s frustrating for everyone when someone enters a role and realizes it was not what they thought (or wanted). In that situation, the candidate may not perform well and, therefore, may be unable to then get a different role.

What to look for in a candidate’s response: Look for a candidate who can articulate clearly what the role is and how it reflects his or her experience to date and allows him or her to achieve long term goals. This type of response helps you see that the candidate is truly invested in the role and, therefore, will be motivated to succeed…not just get by until the next role.

3. Where do you anticipate you may struggle? How would you prepare yourself for those struggles?

This is one of my favorite questions. Someone asked me this question once in an interview and, ever since, I have asked it when I interview people. A candidate’s response to this question shows how self-aware they are, if they are humble enough to admit their gaps and willing to work on them.

What to look for in a candidate’s response: Really any response to this question in which the candidate admits a growth opportunity is enough. Certainly, a red flag is when the candidate says “I have no skill gaps for t his job.” Or they say something that is not that relevant like “I’ve only managed 3 people before and this position has 5 direct reports.” In general, any legitimate gap they admit to gets a “pass” on this. Also be sure that they have ideas on how to close those gaps (i.e., training class, getting a mentor etc).

4. Tell me about a time you failed (or a weakness)

It’s important that the candidate gives a real failure such as missing a deadline, or not meeting expectations. We all have failures and anyone who cannot identify and share one is, to me, raising a red flag.

What to look for in a candidate’s response: Identifying an actual failure that is substantial (not “I turned in 1 mini-milestone late”). From there, it’s important to see how the candidate addressed the issue, what they learned, and what they would do differently in the future. It’s a red flag if someone can’t admit a mistake. On the flip side, if someone comes back from a serious professional disappointment, that is very impressive! That’s someone I want on my team.

5. Pay attention to what happens before the interview!

You can actually learn a lot about a candidate from how they behave before the interview. I certainly make a lot of conclusions about a candidate during the informational interview.

Also, look at the resume and cover letter. Are they professional and tailored to the role? Or are they generic, length, or unprofessional? Those things say a lot about a candidate’s interest in, understanding of, and aptitude for a role. Lastly, be sure the candidate follows up with a nicely written thank you note!

In conclusion, I hope these tips on how to conduct an interview help you either interview a candidate or prepare for your own interview.

If you’re looking for another perspective on conducting an interview, check out these tips: https://theundercoverrecruiter.com/simple-steps-conducting-interview/

How about you? What questions do you like to ask in an interview? What are your tips on how to conduct an interview? Please post in the comments below.

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