Some of the most searched topics online today by HR, Recruiters, and Hiring Managers revolve around questions to ask in an interview. This is why it’s important for you to understand the basics of interviewing candidates before sitting down with them. As a hiring manager, these tips could help give you some ideas and advice on conducting an effective interview.

Prepare for Your Interview:

Before meeting with a candidate, take some time to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally. Review their resume, review their work experience on LinkedIn, and prepare some light topics to cover as you open the conversation. This is one of the biggest interview tips for hiring managers. Coming to the interview prepared and relaxed will create the perfect first impression for a potential candidate.

Be Aware of Your Non-Verbal Cues:

Nonverbal communication is key when it comes to conducting an effective interview. Not only should you be aware of your body language, but also how you respond to a candidate’s answers and questions. Be sure to give subtle cues of assurance and interest during the conversation, such as nodding your head or smiling. This is also a key area where interview intelligence software can help out. Pillar's interview intelligence uses AI to assess candidate responses to help you find the best candidates.

Listen Closely:

Since an interview is about gathering data, you'll probably have a list of hiring manager interview questions to cover - if you don't, you should check out our library of more than 1,000 interview questions to ask during an interview. Hearing what a candidate has to say is one of the most important parts of an interview. As they provide their answers, be sure to listen closely and pay attention so that you can accurately assess their candidacy. Avoid the urge to jump in with your opinions and instead focus on soaking up as much information as you can.

Ask Open-ended Questions:

Semi-structured, open-ended questions are essential for getting the most out of an interview. These types of questions require a candidate to provide more than just “yes” or “no” answers, allowing them to give full responses and provide more detail about their experiences. Asking open-ended questions is also a great way to get candidates talking about topics that don’t appear on their resumes, uncovering hidden gems that you wouldn't have found otherwise.

Follow Up with Candidates:

After the interview has concluded, be sure to follow up with each candidate even if they're not a good fit for the role. This could be in the form of a thank you email or call. Doing this will make a great impression and leave each candidate feeling valued even if they didn't get hired for the position.

These are some of the most important tips for hiring managers conducting interviews. At Pillar, our mission is to help you find the best candidates quickly and confidently by providing resources like these to help you make the best hires!

Interview Guide For Interviewers

Interviewing can be a stressful process, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right tools and resources in hand, you’ll be able to make interviews a breeze.

What is an interview guide:

An interview guide is an essential tool for any interviewer. It provides a comprehensive overview of the interview process, ensuring that all questions are asked in the correct order and with the right phrasing. It should also contain general tips and advice on how to handle tricky situations or difficult candidates. This guide will help you feel more confident and prepared before you walk into your next interview.

What should be included in an interview guide:

An interview guide for interviewers should include all the questions that you plan to ask, along with a brief description of each one and why it’s being asked. It should also provide guidance on how to listen for important keywords or phrases that can help you assess a candidate’s suitability for the job. Additionally, the guide should include a list of common interviewing techniques and practices such as probing questions and active listening.

Tips for creating an effective interview guide:

To make sure your interview guide is effective, it’s important to take some time to think about what you want from your interviews. Plan out how you will open the subject and how you will transition from one question to the next. Additionally, consider including a rating system for each question so that you can quickly assess a candidate’s answers. Finally, be sure to include common follow-up questions in case your interviewee needs clarification on any of their responses.

As part of your interview preparation before an interview, make sure you create a comprehensive and well-thought-out interview guide. This will help ensure that every candidate gets the same treatment and that all questions are asked in an appropriate order. With a good interview guide in hand, you’ll be able to easily assess whether or not a candidate is right for the job!

Interviewing Tips For Interviewers

Interviewing is about more than just asking the right interview questions. Hopefully, you've experienced this in your career or saw the power of it in the first section. Everything from how you start an interview as the interviewer to how you wrap it up will set the tone for the entire experience. Here are some top interviewing tips for interviewers to help make sure your next interview is a success.

Be Prepared:

We already talked about this in the first section but I cannot emphasize enough. If you know it's going to be a busy day, Slack a few people on your team and move things around so you have a few minutes before the interview. Be on time, a couple of minutes early even, Check your connections, and headphones. All of these things will bring the temperature and stress levels down to a point where you're focused, and you're ready to ask the questions that will get to the heart of what kind of candidate this person is.

Put Interviewees at Ease:

It's important to make sure that your interviewee feels comfortable from the first moment they walk in. Avoid unnecessary small talk that doesn't lead to rapport or connection. Instead, start the interview by introducing yourself and your role in the company. Showcase that you've done your research, know who they are, and have looked at their credentials. Ask them about themselves and their work experience, then explain what to expect from the interview session. This will help put them at ease right away.

Keep Track of Time:

Time is precious, so it's important to keep track while interviewing. Make sure that you have a timer in front of you and use it to keep track of how long each question lasts. This will help you stay focused, ask the right questions, and provide enough time for candidates to answer all your questions in the allotted time.

Set Expectations:

Setting expectations and informing candidates of the next steps is key to giving them a vision and estimated timeline for joining your team. It's important to be clear about what the next steps are and when they can expect them. This will help build trust and provide clarity from the very beginning of the hiring process, which will make for a smoother transition if they're hired in the end.

By following these tips, you’ll be able to ensure that your interviews are productive and successful. With the right preparation and interviewing techniques, you’ll be able to find the best people for your team!

Bonus tip: Make sure to take notes throughout the interview so that you can always refer back to them when making a decision. This will help ensure you make an informed choice about who is ultimately hired for the role (OR) use Pillar's interview intelligence software to do it for you, so you can focus 100% on the candidate.

Phone Interview Script For Interviewer

So let's talk about the first interview most candidates will have with you - the phone screen. A great 30-minute interview structure to follow for your initial meeting and phone screen is to ask 4-5 questions in the first 15 minutes, get to know your candidate on a more personal level for the remaining time, and then wrap up by answering any additional questions they may have.

How many questions should I ask in a 30-minute interview:

This will depend on your flow and the candidate's brevity. When it comes to building out a phone interview script for the interviewer, there are two key elements that you should keep in mind: question structure and content. A few examples of questions you could include in your phone interview script for the interviewer are:

- What drew you to this role and our company?

- Describe a time when you had to make a difficult decision in a professional setting. How did you process the decision?

- What do you different from other applicants? and how do you think that applies to the skills required for this role?

- How did you handle a situation where your advice was not taken on an important project?

These questions allow you to quickly get to the heart of what a candidate can bring to your team. Additionally, they will help you assess their problem-solving abilities, communication skills, and professional attitude.

Once you’ve asked all your questions and heard about the candidate’s experience, be sure to provide them with an overview of your company and an estimated timeline for the hiring process. This will help give them a better idea of what to expect and will build trust from the very beginning.

By creating a well-structured phone interview script, you can be sure that your interviews are organized, efficient, and productive! With this simple guide, you’ll be able to efficiently assess all candidates and find the perfect team member for your organization.

If you'd like to see how Pillar can save you time and money while helping you make better hires, schedule your demo today to chat with someone from our team!