When recruiting a job candidate, the connection between the prospective employee and the hiring manager is crucial. They’ll be working directly together, and their relationship can often make or break a hire.
But are your managers ready for the interview? Even the best supervisors typically lack the interviewing experience of recruiters. When you find the candidate you’ve been looking for, you want hiring managers to put their best foot forward.
Practice can help. Using a combination of technology and human solutions will enable your hiring managers to refine their interviewing skills and increase their odds of landing a top candidate.
Software and people solutions
Technology
Tools such as StandOut and Google’s Interview Warmup can be a good place to start. Though interviewing software is often intended for job candidates, it can also help interviewers. Training with interactive technology can help hiring managers fully develop their questions and think more deeply about the answers they’re seeking.
By practicing out loud, hiring managers can become more comfortable hearing their own voices. The sample questions and answers can also help managers discover new lines of inquiry. Perhaps most importantly, deliberate practice enhances their understanding of the back-and-forth nature of good interviews.
Getting feedback on responses can broaden managers’ perspectives and make them more receptive to a range of answers. This helps with diversity of thought by removing the focus on one specific response to a question.
People
Though software can be a great aid, manager training shouldn’t rely solely on technology. After all, good interviews require a strong human connection.
Encourage managers to practice these skills with recruiters or fellow supervisors. Before an interview, create time in their schedules to contemplate questions and answers for upcoming candidates.
Work on the right mindset as well. Interviews shouldn’t be scary. When they are thought of as collaborative efforts with a common aim, it puts hiring managers at ease. This allows them to focus on listening and helping candidates present their best selves during the interview.
Finding the sweet spot
The sweet spot for interviews is a conversational flow. This can’t happen when hiring managers are underprepared or overprepared.
Underprepared
When a hiring manager is underprepared, it reflects poorly on the organization. Attempting to improvise an entire interview can increase the risk of inappropriate questions and discrimination claims.
No matter how large their team or how many positions they need to fill, managers should be familiar with a candidate’s name, desired job, background, skills and experience.
The following tips can help hiring managers avoid being underprepared:
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Familiarize yourself with a candidate’s resume and cover letter.
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Try to gather more information from professional sites such as LinkedIn.
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Talk to references if a candidate has been recommended by someone you know.
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Be ready with a set of questions, but allow room for a natural discussion and relevant follow-up questions.
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Let the candidate know about next steps and expected timelines.
Overprepared
On the other hand, being overly prepared can lead to a rigid interview. It risks feeling rushed or impersonal. Getting to the next prepared question can loom larger than having a conversation.
The following tips can help hiring managers avoid being overprepared:
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Don’t memorize all of your questions or a specific sequence.
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Glance at your notes, but don’t read from a sheet of paper or a computer.
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Listen to a candidate’s answers instead of thinking about your next question.
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Be open to different responses. Having one answer in mind can set a judgmental tone and hinder a candidate’s openness.
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Don’t create trick questions that catch candidates off guard. This can cause them to deliver answers they think you want to hear. Instead, focus on accessible questions that generate greater insights into who they are and how they want to work.
Practice makes perfect
In the ideal interview, candidates and hiring managers are engaged and authentic. Prepared questions mesh with unscripted dialogue. And both sides share their wants and needs about the job, the culture and the potential fit.
By practicing interviews with technology and colleagues, hiring managers can improve their voices and comfort levels. And in turn, they can help bring the best talent to your organization.
Improving your hiring process
For more information on best practices in candidate interviews, talk with your benefits adviser. They can find recruiting tools and vendors to help your managers and improve your hiring process.
