How to Conduct a Professional One-on-One with Job Candidates 

Working in human resources for over fifteen years has afforded me the opportunity to interview  hundreds of candidates at all levels, ranging from interns to senior executives. I’ve had really great interviews — and really bad ones, too: sometimes there’s just no avoiding the dreadful awkward interview where you have to (figuratively speaking) pull teeth in order to get a candidate to open up.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s always the loose-lipped candidate who finds it necessary to tell you every last detail about their professional and personal life.  This can be just as awkward as the person who doesn’t talk at all!

Working in the fashion industry, I have also seen how interviewers can botch things and get it wrong — I mean really, really wrong. I’m always shocked when this happens, because I always want to present the best image possible when meeting a prospective employee. Why? Simply put, interviews are an amazing tool to stay tuned with the talent market and create a positive reputation for your company.

So no matter the level, I always look at meeting candidates as a time to connect and expand my network. You never know where someone’s career is going to take them, and I always remind myself that someday I might work with — or even for — the person I’m interviewing. I really believe it’s my responsibility to be well-prepared and treat candidates with the utmost respect and dignity during the interview process.

The Must-Do’s (and Must-Not’s!) of Interviewing an Applicant

While the above is the preferred way, I’ve also had, as mentioned, the unfortunate experience of being interviewed by a couple of power-hungry managers who used the time to demonstrate how important, clever and mighty they are. These days I interview candidates who frequently tell me it’s their dream to interview for a position with my company. How could I in good faith take it upon myself to rain on their parade by representing the company negatively or using the interview to feed my own ego?

After one such encounter that I myself endured, I’ll never forget how I sighed with disappointment and vowed to never be that person.  After all, how the interviewer behaves sets the tone for the feedback gained from the interviewee. Isn’t it in everyone’s best interests therefore to make the most of the moment? I want every candidate to walk away feeling heard and respected. It’s my opportunity to lift a candidate up, and make them feel good about what brought them into my office that day.

So, armed with all of this experience, I felt I could contribute significantly to anyone gearing up to conduct an interview, simply by taking an inventory of all I’ve learned, and boiling it down to a few precise points:

Preparing for the Interview

• Read and understand the job description.
• Review the organizational chart.
• Get to know the key stakeholders, and find out what they expect from the role.
• Prepare the pertinent business performance metrics for reference during the interview.
• Prepare a list of questions to use as a guide. Don’t worry if you stray during the conversation, but make sure to hit all the relevant points.
• Interview in a quiet, clean and organized place.  Sometimes your own office can be the worst place to interview, due to interruptions and desk messes.
• Have a bottle of water handy for the candidate — being nervous can cause a dry mouth!
• Be prepared to talk positively and transparently about the company and the role.
• Take a breath and wipe your mind of any stress before the interview…there’s nothing worse than an interviewer who rushes through the process, and blames business on their lack of focus.
• Remember, the candidate is either out of a job — which is stressful — or is trying to fit an interview into an already busy workday.  This is equally as stressful.  So take a moment to put yourself in their shoes, and gracefully rise to the occasion in your role as interviewer.

During the Interview

• Welcome the candidate in a warm and inviting manner.
• Remain patient, open and focused on what the candidate has to say.
• Walk the candidate through the structure of the interview before you start, and let them know any specifics about your expectations from the meeting.
• Use the 80/20 rule: the candidate should be talking 80% of the time.
• Don’t pontificate about yourself.
• If the candidate asks about your story, tell it but be brief.
• If the candidate loses their train of thought, don’t make the moment more awkward; simply provide a nudge to get the conversation moving in the right direction. Perhaps their lack of focus will count against them, but at least you did your best to manage the moment with grace and tact.
• Don’t become aggressive, interrupt or correct the candidate.
• Don’t denigrate the candidate’s experience, background, education or previous employers.
• Ask the candidate what they know about the company. Research is a good signal that demonstrates planning and a solid work ethic.
• Don’t rush the candidate, but try to keep the interview on track in terms of timing.
• Give the candidate an opportunity to ask questions.

After the Interview

• Thank the candidate for their time.
• Don’t make the interviewee any promises.
• Write down your thoughts on the interview, both good and bad.  It’s hard to remember the details after meeting with several applicants for one position.
• If you find a good candidate, move quickly.  Good people are hard to find!
• Provide the candidate a timeline for a response and stick to it; if you’re not the one following up, make sure the person responsible follows through.
• If you receive a thank you email, go ahead and respond by thanking them for their time.