Top 10 Interviewing Best Practices

In recent years, job interviews have generated a significant amount of controversy — and a great deal of criticism. For example, an article in Psychology Today declares that job interviews are “unfair and useless,” and Vox warns that “interviews are a nightmare, and only getting worse.”

At PIVOTAL, for decades we have consulted for and trained organizations on how to develop and deliver effective interviews, and our HR experts have conducted thousands (yes, thousands) of successful interviews on behalf of our clients for a variety of roles, ranging from entry level to executive. Here are 10 best practices that we follow and recommend:

1. Set aside the right amount of time.

The “right” amount of time for an interview is a duration that aligns with a realistic estimate of how long it should candidates to answers the slated questions. It is also wise to set aside a reasonable amount of time at the end interviews for candidates to ask questions — which is something that typically the best candidates will do, in order to demonstrate that they are prepared and engaged.

2. Be on time.

Despite their best efforts and planning, there may be situations where an interview starts later than scheduled. However, this should definitely be the exception rather than the norm. And when it does happen, interviewers should be suitably humble and apologetic vs. gloss over it.

3. Give your full attention.

Interviewers should give candidates their full attention throughout the interview. This means muting the endless stream of notifications on their phone (and computer if it’s nearby), and by practicing active listening.

4. Initiate and guide the conversation.

Interviewers should spart and move the conversation forward, and attempt to keep things on track. Sometimes, good candidates have bad interviews — not because they were unprepared or unprofessional, but because their interviewer was far too passive and neglected their obligation to manage the discussion. This is a lose-lose scenario.

5. Have questions in mind, but stay open.

Interviewers should have a set list of relevant questions that they plan on posing to all candidates. At the same time, they should remain open minded and be alert to potential follow-up questions or areas of discussion.

6. Allow interviews with candidates to be diverse.

In terms of time and structure, interviews should be standardized. For example, if candidate A is given 30 minutes for their interview and asked a set of questions, then candidates B and C should be given 30 minutes and asked the same (or similar) questions. However, interviewers should appreciate that each candidate is unique, and will contribute to a different interview experience.

7. Take notes, but don’t overdo it.

Interviewers should not spend the bulk of their time writing things down. That may be fine when attending a presentation or workshop where there is no direct, ongoing interaction with a speaker.

8. Remember that the interview is not a test.

Interviewers should not go into each interview with a black-and-white “answer grid” in their mind, and evaluate candidates based on whether they say/not say what was expected. This approach can bias and block interviewers from connecting with each candidate, asking relevant questions, and accurately grasping whether they could be a strong, long-term fit.

9. Remember that candidates have choices, too.

Great interviewers who achieve the best results never lose sight of the fact that candidates have choices — regardless of what the current labour market looks like, or if a vacancy has generated dozens, or even hundreds of applications.

This means that candidates are told from the outset what the hiring process looks like (e.g., two interviews), and how long it is expected to take (e.g., one month). It also means that if something changes to the process — for example, if an individual slated to be in the second interview falls ill and will be on sick leave — that candidates are informed as early as possible, and can decide whether they wish to move forward with their candidacy or withdraw without it being held against them.

10. Don’t try and make “the sale.”

A study conducted researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and London Business School sought to determine if it is wise or unwise for interviewers to try and “sell” their organization during an interview. The answer left no room for doubt: it is a bad idea.

The study found that when interviewers are tasked with promoting their organization during an interview, they become much less capable of accurately predicting which candidates are right for the job. In other words: interviewers are so intent on impressing candidates, that they lose the ability to objectively evaluate whether they are a good fit or bad fit — and usually get it wrong instead of right. Conclude the researchers:

These results may also help explain why so many hiring decisions that are based on positive initial impressions yield unsuccessful new hires. In fact, our results suggest that interviewers are least accurate about the applicants they try hardest to win over. This finding is particularly intriguing because it is not obvious to interviewers themselves…It is not new that interviewers act differently depending on whether they are focused on recruiting versus evaluating applicants…we know that when applicants receive a favorable initial evaluation, interviewers focus more on providing information while asking fewer evaluative questions.

The Final Word

There may be a time when interviews — at least as they are currently conceived and carried out — will be replaced by something else, or perhaps (as some advocate) abolished entirely.

However, whether they are liked or disliked, the fact remains that for most organizations of all sizes across all sectors, interviews — in some form or another — are a staple of the recruiting process. Interviewers who embrace the 10 best practices discussed above give themselves, their organization, and their best candidates the greatest chance of succeeding.