An interview is more than just a tool for assessing talent. Interviews are a critical component of the data collection process for both the candidate and the interviewer. As the candidate goes through each stage of the hiring process, they're trying to answer the question, "Can I see myself here?" The interviewer is trying to ascertain if the candidate has the skills, experience, and personality that will make them a good fit for the role.

Creating an interview guide can help you simplify this process and ensure you're selecting the right people for the role. An interview guide for managers is a valuable tool that includes predetermined interview questions, company expectations, required qualifications, skills, and company culture to help evaluate candidates comprehensively. The interviewing guide should include standardization of interview questions and hiring criteria to ensure consistent evaluation of candidates. Interviewing guides for managers serve as the roadmap to a great hire.

Similarly, a hiring guide for managers should include the strategic aspects of a great hire. Things like diversity, inclusion, ethics, compliance, and legal standards should be considered during the hiring process - safeguarding the organization from potential disputes and building a reputable employer brand. More than anything these tools outline the characteristics of a great hire, highlight an effective interview, and provide a solid strategy for selecting the best candidate.

Biases are another thing to consider including in your hiring guides and interview training. The ability to recognize and eliminate potential biases before they affect the hiring process is essential. Unconscious biases can lead to unfair treatment of candidates and hinder diversity within the organization. Factoring for diversity and inclusion in your hiring strategy signals to potential candidates the value placed on human capital and the lengths to which the organization will go to nurture and develop its workforce. Diverse talent solves bigger problems and offers a competitive advantage that leads to innovation and growth.

By creating and leveraging comprehensive interviewing guides for managers, companies can significantly enhance their recruitment process, leading to more effective hiring decisions that align with organizational goals and values. If you'd like to see a personalized interview guide, click here to create one. Paste your job description into the text field and in a few moments we'll email you a complete guide with structured interview questions and insights for your interview. If you like what you see, Pillar's interview intelligence can do this for you with just a couple of clicks- shortening interview prep and uncovering insights for better hiring decisions.

Interview Guide For Interviewers

Conducting interviews is as much of an art as it is a science, but that doesn't mean you can't adapt your strategy based on the format of the interview. Each interview setting has its own unique challenges and considerations- whether you're on a phone screen, at an in-person interview, online through a virtual platform, or in a group/ panel interview, certain techniques and tactics can help you navigate the process more effectively. Having a written "Interview Guide" for interviewers will outline the differences in each setting and define your approach to help interviewers prepare effectively.

For phone interviews, a phone interview guide for hiring managers is crucial. This guide should include an example interview script with intros, open-ended example questions, tips on active listening and asking deeper questions, next steps, and an "outro." The absence of visual cues makes phone interviews a bit trickier so working on communication with your interviewers is key in these types of interviews.

In-person interviews have the benefits of being face-to-face, but that also creates complexity. Travel, work schedules, and other factors make it difficult to get everyone in one room, for example. An additional consideration is the added effort. Preparing for in-person interviews requires more foresight- things like booking a conference room, arranging for refreshments, minimizing distractions, and creating a welcoming yet professional atmosphere all take time and effort.

Pillar can make preparing for the interview a cinch (our shameless plug). Our AI-powered interview intelligence can create an interview guide based on your job description and have it ready in minutes - this makes preparation simple. You'll still need to do a test run on your technology, communicate clearly, and arrange for the appropriate setting, but these tasks are far easier with a comprehensive guide and some insights to help you create an effective interview.

Interview Guide Template

Creating an effective interview guide for hiring managers involves several critical steps to ensure that the interview process is effective in selecting the right candidate. First, the hiring team must have a deep understanding of the role- this will inform the job description and hiring criteria. Next, the hiring criteria form the foundation of your sample interview guide for managers. This step should include all of the necessary skills, experience, personal traits, and soft skills that would make a candidate successful in the role.

If you'd like to, you can develop a competency-based interview guide for hiring managers focusing only on structured interview questions designed to elicit responses from candidates. Often these questions will be structured as behavioral and situational questions which use past patterns of behavior and critical thinking skills to indicate their ability to perform well in the role. Competency-based interview questions will uncover not just what a candidate can do, but how they do it, and why they do it, so interviewers can see if they align with the company’s values and culture.

In terms of logistics, setting up the interview space is critical for in-person interviews. This step ensures that the atmosphere is conducive to an open and honest dialogue. Whether it's ensuring the room is quiet and free of distractions, or arranging for technology setup for remote interviews, the physical or virtual environment plays a huge role in the effectiveness of the interview process.

Finally, the interview guide template acts as a blueprint. It includes all elements mentioned above and ensures consistency across interviews. This template serves as a structured pathway for the interview, guiding managers on the flow of the interview, from the opening introductions to the competency questions, and finally, to the closing stages where the next steps are discussed. Incorporating these elements into your interviewing strategy will help you make better hiring decisions, and ultimately, build a stronger workforce.

Asking The Right Interview Questions

The goal of interview questions is not the question itself, it's the response. You could write the most eloquent interview question ever written and if it could be answered with a simple "Yes" or "No" it would be nearly useless. Interview questions should elicit responses that give you a comprehensive picture of a candidate's competence in the core areas of the role. Things like, hard and soft skills, time management, work ethic, and fit within your company culture. Once again, questions like these are often structured as "situational" and "behavioral" to showcase how a candidate thinks. Here are some effective questions managers can ask during interviews:

1. "Can you describe the most challenging project you ever worked on? What made it a daunting challenge and how did you handle it?" This question helps assess problem-solving skills and perseverance through difficulty.
2. "Tell me about a time you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. How did you handle it?" This gives insights into the candidate’s interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team.
3. "Describe a situation where you had to learn something new in a short period. How did you manage your learning process?" This question evaluates adaptability and learning agility.
4. "Give an example of a goal you didn't meet and how you handled it." This probes into a candidate's capacity for self-assessment and resilience in the face of failure.
5. "How do you prioritize tasks when everything seems like a priority?" This question sheds light on the candidate's time management and organizational skills.
6. "Can you provide an example of how you've contributed to creating a positive team environment?" This seeks to understand the applicant's team spirit and leadership qualities.
7. "Tell me about a time when you had to give difficult feedback. How did you approach it?" This question evaluates communication skills and diplomacy.

In addition to asking the right interview questions, it's important that you have a plan in hand for post-interview actions. These actions might include creating a short summary, writing your notes and thoughts, scoring the candidate based on pre-established criteria, or discussing your impressions with other interviewers on the panel and giving feedback to managers. Gathering comprehensive feedback is key to making an informed hiring decision and several perspectives can help a lot!

In closing, the right interview questions make all the difference. Giving your team access to interview guides that clearly outline your hiring expectations and criteria, roles and responsibilities, ethical and legal considerations, and company values, and using structured interviews to gather insights into their potential, will help you select the team with the right competencies and motivations for success. After the interview, the steps you take will determine how well you can identify and hire the best candidate.

If you'd like to see how Pillar's AI-powered interview intelligence software can create personalized interview guides for your team, click here or book a demo to learn more.