Interview Techniques

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Job interviews should be conducted in such a way that it turns out to be beneficial for the employer as well as the candidate. Interviews are a two way process - an employer seeks employees who are qualified for the job, and candidates will search for an employment where he can continuously augment his career graph.

It is of utmost importance that the companies follow the general interviewing techniques. These interviewing techniques are general guidelines that assure a successful interview. Failure to stick to these interview techniques will result in bad interview sessions, wasting the company's and the candidates' time and energy.

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Even before commencing an interview, it is important to note that each candidate is unique with his/ her own set of skills and talents. Every candidate deserves an equal chance to be interviewed. Each one differs from the other in terms of knowledge, competencies, capabilities, performance level etc. Thus, it is important to evaluate each candidate objectively. Ideally, an interview should be free of biases. Thus, as an interviewer, avoid being too judgmental and prejudicial.

• Techniques to Commence the Interview :

  Naturally, each candidate who appears for the interview is nervous and anxious. The first responsibility of an interviewer is to make the candidate feel at ease. The initial formalities are good ways to help the candidate relax.

  • Welcome the candidate with a smile on your face.
  • Offer a warm but firm handshake and introduce yourself.
  • Ask the candidate to be seated and, give him some time to settle himself.
  • Arrange for a small talk before the interview. For example, ask the candidate if he had any difficulty in locating the venue.

• Question-Answer Round Techniques :

  Interviewing questions should be necessarily job related. Any other question that is not relevant may cause discomfort to the candidate. Questions related to the candidate's religion, marital status, race, nationality, sexuality, illness etc. should not be discussed. Such questions are termed as illegal questions and candidates have every right to file a case against the company.

  As an interviewer, your job is to elicit as much information as possible about the candidate during this session. While some candidates will freely answer the questions, there may be some who take time to open up. Allow the candidates a moment's time before they speak. If they have a problem in comprehending your questions, try to rephrase them in a different manner.

  Similarly, listen to each candidate carefully. It is necessary to minutely evaluate what he has to say. However, make sure you have some control over the interview. Certain candidates have has the tendency to over-explain or repeat themselves. In such cases, expertly bring them back on the right track.

  Introduce a lot of open-ended questions in the interview. Such questions help to understand the candidates' ideas and perspective. Asking behavioral questions are the best options, as they pinpoint candidates' behavior in particular situations.

  Finally, do not demean any candidate's achievements, qualifications or preferences. Making a candidate feel uncomfortable or looking down upon him is not recommended, under any circumstances.

• Aptitude Tests :

  Many employers are introducing aptitude tests for the candidates, as a part of the interview. Aptitude tests are good ways to grade an applicant's knowledge and personality traits. These psychometric tests can be designed to test the candidates' logical thinking, abstract and verbal reasoning, personality etc.

• Things to look out for during the interview :

  There are a lot of other non-verbal signs that you can keep a look out for during the interview that will help you to evaluate a candidate's performance better.

  A basic study of body language enables the interviewer to decipher a lot about the candidate sitting across. Low eye contact, constantly fidgeting with pen/ hands, shaking legs etc. are signs of poor confidence and anxiety. Similarly, crossed arms and legs are known to be signs of aggression and close-minded ness.

  What a candidate says is important; but how he says it, is even more important. Pay attention to his speech and its intonations. Was it a question/ answer or a statement - an interviewer must be able to tell.

  Ideally, companies should adopt these interviewing techniques to successfully rope in an employee that suits the position.

Checkout our specific interview techniques below :

• Phone Interview Techniques
• Behavioral Interview Techniques
• Group Interview Techniques
• Video Interview Techniques
• Sales Interview Techniques
• Journalism Interview Techniques
• Interview Techniques for Teachers
• Media Interview Techniques
• Job Promotion Interview Techniques
• HR Interview Techniques
• Executive Management Interview Techniques
• Creative Interview Techniques for Employers
• Bad Interview Techniques for Employers
• Bad Interview Techniques for Candidates
• Creative Interview Techniques