Be prepared
Just as you would expect the candidate to have done their research and prepared for the interview, so should you. Make sure you’ve read their resume and that you know what you want to ask them about. Similarly, it’s important to know exactly what you’re looking for. Identify what you need done, the skills necessary to get the job done, and what would demonstrate such capabilities. Understanding what you want and what you need to know will help you ask the right questions. Write these questions down so that you don’t miss any, and you ask all the candidates the same questions.
Make the candidate feel comfortable
To get the most out of an interview and find out what you need to, it helps to build some rapport with the interviewee so that they relax and are able to speak freely. You might want to start with some general questions – is this office in a convenient location from your home, how they got there, where they live, or if it's a Monday you can ask how their weekend was. Don’t forget to give the candidate time to speak. Instead of firing off one question after another, allow them some time to think, and to ask their own questions. You can judge a lot by the questions they ask. Put as much thought into your answers as you expect them to, they are interviewing you as well.
Take notes
Many interviewers will forget details about a candidate, and can often mix up information between them. Write down your thoughts as you go through the interview and afterwards jot down a few more notes about your overall impression. This will help with your follow-up.
Some questions to get you started
- What are three things you like the most about your current job?
- If you could create your own role here, what would it be?
- What are you passionate about?
- How can you help this company?
- What qualities in colleagues do you dislike the most?
- How do you feel about being asked to do something you haven’t been trained to do?