4.3 Interview Techniques and Best Practices

Interviewing techniques are crucial for effective hiring. From questioning strategies to active listening, these skills help interviewers gather valuable information about candidates. Structured competency-based questions and methods like STAR ensure a thorough evaluation of job-specific skills.

Minimizing bias is essential for fair assessments. Strategies like standardized processes and multiple interviewers promote objectivity. Different interview formats, such as behavioral and situational, offer unique strengths and limitations, allowing recruiters to choose the best approach for each role.

Interview Techniques and Best Practices

Effective interviewing techniques

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• Questioning techniques expand interviewer's toolkit
  • Open-ended questions encourage detailed responses (Tell me about a time when...)
  • Closed-ended questions verify specific information (Did you complete the project on time?)
  • Probing questions delve deeper into responses (What specific steps did you take?)
  • Follow-up questions clarify and expand on initial answers (How did that experience affect your approach?)
• Active listening skills enhance information gathering
  • Maintaining eye contact shows engagement and respect
  • Nodding and using verbal affirmations (uh-huh, I see) encourage continued sharing
  • Paraphrasing and summarizing demonstrate understanding and confirm key points
  • Avoiding interruptions allows for complete thoughts and detailed responses
• Non-verbal communication impacts interview dynamics
  • Body language awareness includes posture, gestures, and physical distance
  • Facial expressions convey interest, empathy, or concern
• Building rapport creates a conducive interview environment
  • Creating a comfortable atmosphere through small talk and welcoming body language
  • Using appropriate ice-breakers tailored to the candidate and position

Structured competency-based questions

• Job analysis forms foundation for relevant questioning
  • Identifying key competencies aligns questions with job requirements
  • Defining performance indicators creates clear assessment criteria
• STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) structures responses
  • Designing questions to elicit specific examples (Describe a situation where you had to resolve a conflict)
• Competency-based questions assess job-specific skills
  • Technical skills assessment evaluates hard skills (coding languages, software proficiency)
  • Soft skills evaluation gauges interpersonal abilities (teamwork, communication)
• Scoring criteria ensure consistent evaluation
  • Developing rating scales (1-5, poor to excellent) quantifies responses
  • Establishing benchmarks for responses sets clear expectations for each rating level

Minimizing interviewer bias

• Types of interviewer biases skew perception and decision-making
  • Halo effect overvalues positive traits
  • Horn effect overemphasizes negative characteristics
  • Similarity bias favors candidates similar to the interviewer
  • Contrast effect compares candidates to each other instead of job requirements
  • Confirmation bias seeks information supporting preconceived notions
• Strategies to minimize bias promote fair assessment
  • Standardized interview processes ensure consistency across candidates
  • Multiple interviewers provide diverse perspectives
  • Blind resume screening removes identifying information (name, gender, age)
  • Diversity and inclusion training raises awareness and provides tools to combat bias
• Self-awareness techniques improve objectivity
  • Recognizing personal biases through self-reflection and feedback
  • Reflection and self-evaluation after each interview identifies areas for improvement

Comparison of interview formats

• Behavioral interviews focus on past experiences
  • Strengths: Past behavior prediction, specific examples provide concrete evidence
  • Limitations: Rehearsed responses may not reflect genuine abilities, past-focused may not capture potential
• Situational interviews present hypothetical scenarios
  • Strengths: Future performance indication, problem-solving assessment in real-time
  • Limitations: Hypothetical scenarios may not reflect real-world complexity, lack of real experience to draw from
• Structured interviews follow predetermined format
  • Strengths: Consistency across candidates, comparability of responses
  • Limitations: Rigidity may limit exploration of unique experiences, less natural flow of conversation
• Unstructured interviews allow free-flowing conversation
  • Strengths: Flexibility to explore interesting topics, rapport building through natural dialogue
  • Limitations: Subjectivity in assessment, lack of standardization makes comparison difficult
• Panel interviews involve multiple interviewers
  • Strengths: Multiple perspectives reduce individual bias, efficiency in scheduling
  • Limitations: Intimidating for candidates, potential for groupthink among interviewers