Hiring the right talent is crucial for the success of any team and organization. As a manager, conducting interviews effectively not only ensures you select the best candidate but also builds a positive impression of your company. Mastering interviewing skills can help managers assess candidate potential, understand team fit, and reduce turnover by selecting the most suitable employees from the start.
In this article, we’ll explore practical interviewing tips to help managers conduct successful interviews and make confident hiring decisions.
Why Interviewing Skills Matter for Managers
Managers play a vital role in shaping a team’s culture and productivity, and hiring the right team members is essential to this. Effective interviewing skills help managers to:
- Identify Top Talent: By asking the right questions, managers can better gauge skills, experience, and potential for growth.
- Promote Cultural Fit: The right hire should not only bring valuable skills but should also align well with the company’s culture and values.
- Save Time and Resources: A structured interview process helps avoid hiring mistakes, which can lead to high turnover costs and productivity loss.
- Strengthen Team Dynamics: Selecting candidates who complement existing team members contributes to a harmonious and effective team.
With these benefits in mind, let’s dive into key interviewing tips for managers.
Preparation Before the Interview
1. Define the Job Role Clearly
Purpose: A well-defined job role clarifies the specific skills, qualifications, and personality traits you’re looking for in a candidate.
Implementation: Before interviewing, work closely with HR and team members to create a detailed job description. Outline not only technical skills but also qualities related to communication, collaboration, and work ethic.
Example: If you’re hiring a project manager, specify skills like time management, problem-solving, and stakeholder communication, as well as familiarity with specific project management tools.
2. Develop a List of Structured Questions
Purpose: Structured questions provide a consistent framework that ensures every candidate is evaluated against the same criteria.
Implementation: Use a mix of technical, behavioral, and situational questions to assess different aspects of a candidate’s suitability. Prepare follow-up questions based on expected responses, allowing you to dive deeper as needed.
Examples:
- Technical: “What tools have you used for project management in the past?”
- Behavioral: “Can you describe a time when you resolved a conflict within your team?”
- Situational: “How would you handle a project that is falling behind schedule?”
3. Familiarize Yourself with the Candidate’s Background
Purpose: Knowing a candidate’s background demonstrates respect and prepares you for specific follow-up questions.
Implementation: Review the candidate’s resume, cover letter, and any pre-interview assessments. Note accomplishments, career progression, and potential areas of interest or concern.
Example: If a candidate has a gap in their employment history, prepare to ask a respectful question about that period to understand their journey.
4. Create a Comfortable Environment
Purpose: A comfortable setting helps put candidates at ease, allowing them to showcase their true personalities and strengths.
Implementation: Conduct interviews in a quiet, private space free of distractions. Offer water, maintain eye contact, and start with a few casual questions to build rapport.
Example: Begin with, “Did you find our office location easily?” or “How has your day been so far?” These small gestures can help ease interview nerves.
Conducting the Interview
5. Start with Open-Ended Questions
Purpose: Open-ended questions encourage candidates to provide more detailed responses, allowing you to gauge their thought process, communication skills, and experience depth.
Implementation: Begin with broad questions about their background, career interests, and motivations for applying. Use this as a foundation to delve into more specific aspects of their qualifications.
Examples:
- “Can you tell me about your career journey so far?”
- “What attracted you to this role in particular?”
6. Use the STAR Method for Behavioral Questions
Purpose: Behavioral questions provide insight into how a candidate has handled real-life situations, offering a window into their problem-solving and interpersonal skills.
Implementation: Encourage candidates to use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to answer behavioral questions. This helps you get a full picture of their approach and results in past experiences.
Example:
- Question: “Tell me about a time when you faced a challenging project deadline.”
- Expected STAR Response: The candidate should describe the context (Situation), their role (Task), specific actions they took (Action), and the outcome (Result).
7. Assess Cultural Fit with Scenario-Based Questions
Purpose: Scenario-based questions help assess how well a candidate aligns with your team’s culture and work environment.
Implementation: Present scenarios that reflect your team’s dynamics or challenges, and observe how the candidate would handle them. This can reveal their adaptability, values, and communication style.
Example: “Imagine you’re leading a team with differing opinions on a project’s direction. How would you encourage a productive discussion and build consensus?”
8. Pay Attention to Soft Skills
Purpose: Soft skills like communication, teamwork, and emotional intelligence often determine a candidate’s success in a collaborative environment.
Implementation: Observe how candidates articulate their answers, how they react to challenging questions, and whether they actively listen. These behaviors provide insights into their interpersonal abilities.
Examples of Soft Skills to Assess:
- Adaptability: Ask how they’ve handled changes or uncertainties in previous roles.
- Problem-Solving: Request examples of innovative solutions they’ve implemented.
- Communication: Note clarity, empathy, and openness in their responses.
9. Encourage Candidates to Ask Questions
Purpose: The questions a candidate asks can reveal their priorities, curiosity, and enthusiasm for the role.
Implementation: Toward the end of the interview, invite the candidate to ask questions. Gauge their understanding of the role, interest in team dynamics, or curiosity about the company’s goals.
Example: If a candidate asks detailed questions about team projects or company culture, it indicates they are thoughtful about finding a good fit.
Post-Interview Evaluation
10. Debrief with a Standardized Scoring System
Purpose: Standardized scoring reduces bias and enables managers to evaluate candidates objectively based on specific criteria.
Implementation: Create a scoring rubric with criteria like technical proficiency, cultural fit, problem-solving skills, and communication. Rate each candidate on a scale, and make notes about their responses.
Example Scoring Criteria:
- Technical Knowledge (1–5 scale)
- Cultural Fit (1–5 scale)
- Problem-Solving Abilities (1–5 scale)
11. Reflect on Team Dynamics
Purpose: Considering how each candidate might interact with current team members helps determine compatibility and synergy potential.
Implementation: Assess each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to existing team skills. Think about how they could fill skill gaps or complement your team’s dynamic.
Example: If your team lacks strong communicators, prioritize candidates with excellent communication skills who can foster effective teamwork.
12. Seek Feedback from Other Interviewers
Purpose: Feedback from other interviewers can provide multiple perspectives, which is especially valuable when making a final decision.
Implementation: Arrange a debrief meeting with all interviewers to discuss their impressions. Look for consensus on key qualities, and address any concerns before moving forward.
Example: If one interviewer highlights a candidate’s strong problem-solving abilities, while another is concerned about their adaptability, discuss examples to ensure a balanced evaluation.
Avoiding Common Interviewing Pitfalls
13. Avoid Asking Leading Questions
Leading questions may prompt candidates to give rehearsed or idealized answers rather than authentic responses. Instead, frame questions neutrally to gather honest insights.
Example of Leading Question: “We need someone who works well under pressure. Are you that person?”
Neutral Alternative: “Can you describe a time when you had to work under tight deadlines?”
14. Don’t Rely Solely on Gut Instincts
While first impressions can be useful, they may also lead to unconscious bias. It’s important to evaluate each candidate based on objective criteria rather than solely on your initial perception.
Example: Use your scoring rubric consistently across all candidates to make objective comparisons.
15. Avoid Making Quick Judgments
Taking time to evaluate each response thoughtfully and avoid snap judgments ensures that you don’t overlook important details. Give candidates time to explain their answers fully before making assumptions.
Tips for Conducting Remote Interviews
As remote work becomes more common, managers may need to adapt their interviewing techniques for virtual settings.
- Check Technology: Ensure that both parties have a stable internet connection and that video and audio tools are working smoothly.
- Engage Actively: Use visual cues like nodding and maintaining eye contact to show engagement, especially in virtual interviews.
- Watch for Nonverbal Cues: Though harder to read remotely, nonverbal cues such as tone of voice, eye movement, and facial expressions still offer insight into candidates’ comfort and confidence levels.
Building an Effective Onboarding Plan for New Hires
After selecting a candidate, an effective onboarding process is essential to help them transition smoothly into their role. A strong onboarding program helps reinforce the positive impression created during the interview and sets new hires up for long-term success.
- Introduce Team Members Gradually: Schedule meetings with key team members, so the new hire gets familiar with the team dynamic.
- Assign a Mentor: Pair new hires with a mentor to guide them through their first weeks on the job.
- Set Clear Expectations: Review job responsibilities and performance goals early on, so the new hire knows what’s expected.
Conclusion
Interviewing effectively as a manager is more than just asking questions—it requires preparation, active listening, and a structured approach. By focusing on candidate skills, cultural fit, and team dynamics, managers can make informed hiring decisions that contribute to team growth and success. With the right interviewing techniques and evaluation methods, you’ll increase the likelihood of selecting candidates who will thrive in the role and support your organization’s goals.